Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
GOP Focuses on Fraud, Seeking To Redirect Voters’ Ire Over Healthcare Costs
The anti-fraud efforts highlight a broader political fight ahead of the midterms. Republicans say they’re protecting taxpayer dollars by going after bad actors. Democrats contend the administration is — with insufficient evidence — targeting blue states to cut programs the GOP has long sought to shrink.
Four Red Flags and One Truth Amid the Peptide Hype
Experimental peptides are all the rage on longevity and “optimization” podcasts, but a lot of the chatter is misleading.
Readers Are Pleading To Make American Healthcare Greater
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Here's today's health policy haiku:
UNDERSTANDING RISK FACTORS
Cancer's rampant rates.
— Stuart Lee
Fertile fields of Iowa.
Seeds of tumors sown.
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Note To Readers
Today is the final day to enter our Halloween Healthcare Haiku contest! All entries are due by 11:59 pm ET. Click here for the rules.
Summaries Of The News:
Administration News
NIH Clinical Center Board Denounces RFK Jr.'s Perceived Undermining Of Trust In Hospital's Work
The New York Times: N.I.H. Hospital Board Rebukes Kennedy Over New Vaccine Injury Clinic
The board overseeing the National Institutes of Health research hospital delivered a harsh rebuke of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday, voting unanimously to support a statement by its chairman accusing Mr. Kennedy of undermining trust in science and politicizing the hospital’s work. The chairman, Jack Leslie, opened the board’s quarterly meeting by reading aloud a six-minute statement that said he was “troubled” by Mr. Kennedy’s recent unannounced visit to the N.I.H., where the secretary held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new clinic to study vaccine injuries and led a round table discussion with patients who said they had been injured by vaccines. (Gay Stolberg, 10/16)
New Hampshire Bulletin: In Concord, RFK Jr. Renews Attack On Hep B Vaccine That Inspired State Anti-Vaccine Bill
In a visit to Concord Friday, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cast doubt on the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine but wouldn’t comment on state legislation in New Hampshire that his agency inspired. (Skipworth, 10/18)
The Hill: Measles Cases Surpass 4,000 As Federal Leadership Remains Quiet
While money is pumped into state and local health departments to help counter the growing measles outbreaks across the country, experts say clear communication from top health leaders seems lacking and what has been said publicly may have hurt more than helped. The country has surpassed 4,000 measles cases and appears to have already doubled the number of measles-related deaths from last year. Local health departments are simply overwhelmed by the sheer scope of measles cases, according to Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). (Choi, 10/18)
Also —
Military.com: House Bill Would Ban All Presidents From Livestreaming Executions
Lawmakers have introduced new legislation that would bar current and future presidents from televising or livestreaming executions. House Rep. Eugene Vindman's (D-Va.) American Integrity Act bill federally prohibits the livestreaming of executions under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). It would also ensure that such broadcasts cannot be authorized by future administrations. (Mordowanec, 10/16)
FiercePharma: Trump's Pharma Holdings Surged As Drugmakers Benefited From Medicare Price Negotiation Carveouts, Democrats Allege
As midterms loom, Democrats on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee (JEC) are reviving concerns about the orphan drug carveout tucked into Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, specifically lobbing allegations that President Donald Trump accumulated millions of dollars in pharma stocks before and after his administration and congressional Republicans enacted policies benefiting some of those same companies. Central to the new report (PDF) are the JEC Democrats' findings that Trump increased his stock holdings in the pharmaceutical sector to as much as $56.2 million by the end of last year, up substantially from the maximum reported value of $1.7 million in 2024. (Kansteiner, 10/16)
KFF Health News: Four Red Flags And One Truth Amid The Peptide Hype
Experimental peptides have become darlings among influencers, chiropractors, and doctors focused on longevity, antiaging, or “body optimization,” even though the FDA hasn’t approved them for safety or effectiveness. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement have pushed to make unproven peptides more accessible — and they’ve gained traction. (Maxmen, 10/19)
On the immigration crisis —
The Texas Tribune: Migrant Found Dead At Laredo Processing Center Run By ICE
A 56-year-old Mexican man held at a federal immigration facility in Laredo was found dead in his cell Saturday morning, his daughter and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, confirmed to The Texas Tribune. (Deguzman and Nguyen, 10/18)
CIDRAP: US Immigration Enforcement Disrupted Pediatric Emergency Care For Hispanic Families, Study Notes
In August 2025, President Donald Trump deployed members of the National Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to patrol Washington, DC. The increase in visibility of federal troops and law enforcement had a chilling effect on Spanish speakers and Hispanic people’s willingness to seek healthcare, a paper published in JAMA Network Open this week finds. (Holohan, 10/16)
Medicare and Medicaid
CMS Proposes Crackdown On Inaccurate Medicare Advantage Provider Directories
Modern Healthcare: CMS Proposes Medicare Advantage Provider Directory, PBM Rule
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants to shed new light on the operations of Medicare Advantage insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers. The agency on Friday proposed a rule that would codify portions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. (Tepper, 10/16)
More news about Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare —
NBC News: Some Medicare Enrollees Could Pay Hundreds Of Dollars More In Premiums Next Year
Older adults shopping for Medicare coverage this fall could be in for some sticker shock: Premiums for some Part D prescription drug plans are rising by $50 or more a month next year, adding at least $600 to what people pay annually if they stick with their current coverage. (Lovelace Jr., 10/17)
The Guardian: Some Conservative States Aren’t Using Medicaid Hardship Exemption – For Political Reasons
Some conservative states that have rejected hardship exemptions for the new Medicaid requirements may be choosing not to due to political reasons, experts say. New federal work requirements for Medicaid, slated to come into effect on 1 January, mean that adults enrolled through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion will have to work, attend school, volunteer, or take part in another qualifying activity at least 80 hours a month to maintain their coverage. (Thomas, 10/18)
The CT Mirror: CT Kids With Medicaid Coverage Can Face Long Waits For Eye Care
Cassidy Friedl remembers like a vivid dream the day her son Luca was born. She held him tight to her chest, hesitant to let go even when he needed to get weighed. She gazed at him in disbelief, taking in his chubby cheeks, big lips and orange hair that would eventually soften to strawberry blond. A few months later, Friedl began noticing something else about Luca. One of his eyes would sometimes drift inward. (Golvala, 10/18)
CalMatters: Medi-Cal Fraud: A State Report Says California Isn’t Doing Enough
Is California doing enough to curtail Medi-Cal fraud? The state auditor doesn’t think so. A report released Thursday by Grant Parks, the state auditor, suggests the Department of Health Care Services is ill-equipped to stop pervasive abuse in Medi-Cal, a program that serves about 14 million Californians and pays out $200 billion annually. (Wiener, 10/16)
KFF Health News: GOP Focuses On Fraud, Seeking To Redirect Voters’ Ire Over Healthcare Costs
Heading into the midterm elections, high healthcare costs rank among voters’ biggest concerns. But lately, there’s a twist giving the issue new momentum on campaign agendas: a focus on fraud in government health programs. The administration of President Donald Trump has used claims of widespread wrongdoing to justify investigations, suspensions of billions of dollars in payments to states, and the cancellation of Affordable Care Act health coverage for hundreds of thousands of people. (Armour, 10/19)
Cardinal News: Open Enrollment For Marketplace Insurance Starts Nov. 1. Some Customers May Be Eligible For State-Funded Discounts This Year
Virginia residents can begin shopping for 2027 health insurance plans through the state’s Marketplace on Nov. 1. Those with low to moderate incomes may be able to take advantage of state-funded subsidies this year that will lower monthly premiums. (Schabacker, 10/19)
The New York Times: At A Last-Hope Health Clinic, Desperation, Kindness And Fear For What’s Next
Full Circle Health, where Dr. Hershman practices family medicine, has long been a last-hope safety net in the American health system. It is one of 1,400 networks known as federally qualified health centers with thousands of sites that receive federal funds to care for patients regardless of their ability to pay. Now their caseloads are growing, even as revenues are falling. With cuts to Medicaid mounting and the cost of Obamacare insurance plans soaring, the clinic’s doctors and counselors are going to new lengths to patch together care for people with complex medical issues who are underinsured and uninsured. (Hoffman, 10/19)
On affordability and hunger —
The New York Times: Food Pantry Patrons Face ‘Too Much Month At The End Of Their Money’
Food inflation, gas prices and cuts to federal benefits have created a “perfect storm” for food pantries, which have become vital parts of the family budget for millions of Americans. (Burch, 10/18)
Public Health
Dental Floss Makers Begin To Shy Away From Forever Chemicals
The Washington Post: Dental Floss Is Shedding Potentially Harmful Chemicals
The question popped up earlier this year in a Reddit discussion on dental hygiene: Anyone notice that Oral-B floss suddenly seemed different? “It feels more plastic-like, rougher, less smooth,” the Reddit user noted. ... Some dental floss manufacturers have indeed been quietly moving away from the synthetic material PTFE, which helped their product slip smoothly between teeth. Their decisions follow studies raising concerns as well as consumer worries and state regulation of consumer products containing PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” (Hetherman, 10/18)
More health and wellness news —
Los Angeles Times: Microplastics And Water Create Free Radicals, New Study Finds
Scientists have found microplastics in virtually every part of the human body. Yet many questions remain about what exactly these infinitesimal flecks of synthetic polymers do to human health, and how they might cause disease. A new paper looking at the chemical reactions between water and disintegrating plastic offers a potential hypothesis for how microplastics might make us sick. (Purtill, 10/17)
The Washington Post: Researchers Have Uncovered A Likely Origin Of Our Allergies
If you suffer from seasonal allergies, a move to a far-flung location can deliver a reprieve from the pollens and molds that caused you torment. But in many cases, it’s only a matter of time before this new environment’s changing seasons elicit itchy eyes and a runny nose. Researchers have uncovered a probable origin story for emerging and reemerging allergies. (Eisenstein, 10/19)
HealthDay: Frequent Napping Linked To Higher Dementia Risk, Study Finds
For the new study, researchers followed over 990 Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older for up to 10 years starting in 2013. All of the participants were free of dementia at the beginning of the study. Results showed that people who napped most days or every day had a 48% higher risk of dementia compared to those who rarely or never napped. (Thompson, 10/16)
San Francisco Chronicle: Why Men Struggle To Make Friends — And How Experts Say To Change That
When Jonathan Mandel attended his first gathering of the Men’s Circle at Ocean Beach nearly two decades ago, he hardly imagined that he was embarking on an Aristotelian path toward forging lasting friendships. Rather, Mandel said recently, he was drawn to the organization’s reputation for creating a space in which men could speak openly with peers about their doubts, concerns, areas of their lives they wanted to improve — and then be held accountable for making positive changes in those areas. (Kreidler, 10/18)
Katie Couric Media: Schools Could Teach Children How To Be Happy — But They Foster Competition Instead
In the United States, mental health challenges affect millions of school-age children. According to the CDC, approximately 11 percent of children ages 3 to 17 had a current anxiety diagnosis in 2023–2024, while 4 percent had depression and 8 percent had a behavioral disorder. While home life, friends, social media, and body image all have an impact on the mental health of children, school itself can also be a source of unhappiness. Yet a growing body of research from around the world shows that schools can actually help children lead happier lives — if they value such outcomes. (Urbina-Garcia, 10/16)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Are Pleading To Make American Healthcare Greater
Why doesn’t world-class medicine produce world-class health? Hayat Norimine’s reporting gets at something that has bothered me for a long time about American healthcare (Priced Out: “As Health Insurance Costs Soar, Healthcare Workers Also Feel the Pinch,” Sept. 22). We are very proud of U.S. medicine, and we should be. We are at the forefront of new treatments, our clinician workforce is unmatched, and we deploy technologies that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Yet we are in the middle of the pack compared with other countries, in terms of healthy lifespan and many markers of quality care.
In global health news —
The New York Times: Kenya Confirms Four New Ebola Cases
Kenya confirmed four new cases of Ebola on Saturday, as the country’s Health Ministry sought to assuage fears that the virus could spread among the public at large. The new infections, which bring the total in Kenya to seven, come days after the country announced its first-ever Ebola case on Oct. 6. A relative of the first patient and three health workers who treated him are among those infected, the Health Ministry said. (Baskar and Otieno, 10/17)
AP: Pope Leo XIV Greets Faithful At St. Peter’s Square After Surgery
Pope Leo XIV thanked thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday for their prayers while he was hospitalized for an operation to remove a malignant tumor, and said he plans to gradually return to his usual duties. The crowd erupted in cheers when the pontiff showed himself in the window overlooking the square. (Barry and Thomas, 10/18)
Health Industry
Atrium To Invest $340M In Mental Healthcare With Addition Of Behavioral Health Hospital In Charlotte
NC Health News and Charlotte Ledger: Atrium Announces New Behavioral Health Hospital In Charlotte
It’s one of several recent projects that aims to address the state’s shortage of psychiatric beds. (Crouch, 10/17)
WUSF: BayCare Opens Proton Therapy Center At St. Joseph’s Hospital
BayCare has opened a $33 million proton therapy center at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, adding another option for cancer patients in the Tampa Bay region who need the radiation treatment. (Mayer, 10/16)
Modern Healthcare: DispatchHealth Scales Back ED Alternative Program, Cuts Jobs
DispatchHealth is scaling back clinical services offered through its emergency department alternative program. The home care company confirmed the change Friday, which affects six health system partners and resulted in job losses for an undisclosed number of DispatchHealth employees. (Eastabrook, 10/16)
MedPage Today: PAs Hoping To Ease State Restrictions On Their Practice In 2027
As the year comes to a close, the nation's physician associates (PAs) are looking forward to pursuing their state legislative agenda for 2027, including easing scope-of-practice restrictions. "What's interesting about state practice laws and licensure is they're not a partisan issue," said Chantell Taylor, chief of public affairs and advocacy at the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), during an online interview at which a press person was present. "Even though the midterms will shape health policy top to bottom, there won't be a ton of shift in our priorities or our coalition partners. Practice modernization and the healthcare workforce don't tend to fall into a partisan camp." (Frieden, 10/16)
Modern Healthcare: Why Hospitals Face More Risk In Sale-Leaseback Real Estate Deals
Health systems are increasingly selling their real estate to ease financial pressure and fuel expansion, and regulators are pushing back. Health systems are seeking relief from higher costs and lower reimbursement by selling the buildings and land that house their hospital and outpatient facilities. Those deals provide an immediate capital infusion to shore up finances and fund growth, but can expose providers to higher long-term costs as buyers become more selective and state and federal policymakers increase oversight. (Kacik, 10/16)
Stat: How No Surprises Act Arbitration Became A Health Care Cash Cow
Before it won a lucrative government contract, iMPROve Health’s very future was in question. The Michigan-based nonprofit lost over $2 million in 2022 alone — over a third of its revenue — on top of losses in previous years. There were budget cuts; it ditched the office, went remote, and even discussed selling the company. (Bannow, 10/19)
State Watch
Emails Reveal Rift Between Top Immunologists Over $8.4B California Ballot Measure
Stat: Top Immunology Association Divided Over $8.4-Billion California Ballot Measure To Fund The Field, Emails Show
Internal emails obtained by STAT show that the American Association of Immunologists, the field’s leading scientific society, is sharply divided over California’s Proposition 38, even though it would provide $8.4 billion in taxpayer dollars for the type of research its members do. (Wosen, 10/19)
San Francisco Chronicle: Rabies Reports Are Rising In California. Experts Can’t Explain Why
Rabies reports are up across the United States this year, including in one greater Bay Area county where human exposures to rabid animals have tripled, prompting a local advisory to stay away from sick or injured creatures. Scientists can’t yet explain the uptick in rabies, which could be due to climate change, more awareness among the public or some unknown factor. Nationally, the number of rabies inquiries after a potential exposure is up 17% this year over last, and use of post-exposure prophylaxis also has increased, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Allday, 10/17)
The Washington Post: West Virginia Officials Offered To Store Nuclear Waste. Then Residents Found Out.
The jagged limestone rocks of Old Standard Quarry have weathered many eras of history. The property was the site of a Civil War battle, then a quarry and is now a popular destination for bungee jumping, its dark green water fed by a natural spring. Recently, the state proposed yet another use for the land: as storage for radioactive nuclear waste from around the country. “I thought it was a joke,” said Pasha Majdi, president of the Jefferson County Commission. “It doesn’t make any sense.” (Halper, 10/19)
The Baltimore Sun: Annapolis Recovery House Issued 'Keep Out' Health Notice
The city of Annapolis has determined that Stella’s House, a recovery house on Marda Lane, is “unfit for human habitation” after the discovery of “suspected microbial growth.” According to documentation posted on the door of the residence, the home was condemned Thursday, with residents required to relocate within 48 hours. (Rothstein, 10/16)
The Boston Globe: Jury Rules In Favor Of David Sabatini In Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit
A Suffolk County jury on Friday awarded $6 million in damages to ousted star scientist and former MIT professor David Sabatini, whose career imploded after he was accused by a much younger colleague of inappropriate sexual conduct in his Cambridge research lab. (Swearing, Hecht and Alanez, 10/16)
Pharma and Tech
GLP-1 Use Before Surgery May Have Unexpected Positive Results: Study
Newsweek: Millions Of Surgery Records Raise New Questions About GLP-1 Drugs
For most people, GLP-1 drugs are associated with diabetes and weight loss. But their potential benefits may go much further. Researchers found that people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists before elective surgery were less likely to experience serious cardiovascular complications or postoperative infections than those who were not using the drugs. (Gray, 10/18)
MedPage Today: ACOG Guideline Backs Early Hormone Therapy For Menopause Symptoms
Updated guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) expand on previous recommendations and align with a growing cross-specialty consensus on how to manage menopause symptoms. For managing vasomotor symptoms and related sleep disturbances, ACOG strongly recommended systemic hormone therapy with estrogen and a progestogen for women with a uterus, or estrogen alone for those who do not require endometrial protection. This applies to women without contraindications to hormone therapy and is based on moderate-quality evidence. (Robertson, 10/16)
MedPage Today: First At-Home Thyroid Eye Disease Shot Approved
The FDA approved satralizumab (Enspryng), the first and only at-home subcutaneous treatment option for adults with thyroid eye disease (TED), developer Roche announced on Thursday. (Monaco, 10/16)
Stat: Gilead's IBS Drug Succeeds In Mid-Stage Trial
An oral treatment from Gilead Sciences eliminated the symptoms experienced by patients with a type of inflammatory bowel disease, mid-stage study results reported Monday that could boost the biotech’s push to develop new drugs for inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. (Feuerstein, 10/19)
San Francisco Chronicle: Why It’s Still Hard To Find The Right OTC Hearing Aid
Only about half of people who use OTC hearing aids get the full range of professional services like evaluation, device selection and fitting, and 1 in 5 don’t get any professional assistance at all, according to one 2025 market analysis. (Ho, 10/18)
Stat: Does Isomorphic Labs Have What It Takes To Revolutionize Drugmaking?
On a day in late 2024, Avery Klemmer found herself on yet another transatlantic flight with her colleagues at the VC firm Thrive Capital. The team was flying to London to woo the secretive startup Isomorphic Labs — a mission that many other investors thought futile. (DeAngelis, 10/19)
Editorials And Opinions
Viewpoints: Mixed Vaccine Messaging Is A Midterm Liability; Title IX Adds Another Layer To The Cornell Rape Case
Stat: Measles Could Be A Midterm Liability For Republicans
As physicians, we’ve spent our careers giving parents the information they need to protect themselves and their families. As former members of Congress, we’ve helped our party promote sound public health policies. But right now, both of those commitments are being tested. (Larry Bucshon and Michael C. Burgess, 10/19)
The New York Times: This Is One Of The Saddest Facts About The Cornell Rape Case
Campus rape investigations are often riddled with problems — but eliminating them would be much worse. (Emily Bazelon, 10/17)
Stat: Assisted Suicide For Mental Illness Should Be An Option
I can’t count how many times my mother attempted suicide. It first happened when I was 15, in 1999. The final time — when she actually died — came when I was 32, in 2016. (Torie Bosch, 10/19)
The Washington Post: My Sister Showed Me The Possibility Of After-Death Communications
A 2023 Pew Research study that found 34 percent of Americans report having felt a dead family member’s presence in the past year, and 15 percent report having received a more straightforward communication from the dead. The University of Virginia School of Medicine has a department that studies these phenomena. The Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS), which researches the possibility of consciousness surviving the body, calls them ADCs — after-death communications. (Mark Wagner, 10/18)
The Boston Globe: Why I Went Public About My Parkinson's Disease
Alarmingly, Parkinson’s is also the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world: Globally, the number of people with Parkinson’s rose from about 2.5 million in 1990 to nearly 12 million in 2021, and might be more than 25 million today. (Santhana Krishnan, 10/18)