Tuesday, August 11, 2026 - KFF Health News

From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:

KFF Health News Original Stories

Patients Wary of Governments, Companies Pushing AI as a Rural Healthcare Solution

The $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program is set to flood rural America with new AI health tools. That’s despite little evidence on whether health-related AI can improve access to care and patient health in those communities. ( Arielle Zionts and Darius Tahir , 8/11 )

A Federal Policy Is Complicating How Organizations Battle the Opioid Crisis

Drug test strips are credited with saving lives, but a new policy will limit how funds can be used for them. Advocates of harm reduction strategies who responded to a mass overdose in Baltimore say distributing them will get harder. Federal officials say the strips enable drug use. ( Scott Maucione, WYPR , 8/11 )

Here's today's health policy haiku:

WHAT? NO HEALTH BENEFITS?

Nearing 26,
my job does not give healthcare.
This stresses me out.

— Rebecca Whitten

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 and cartoons are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.

Summaries Of The News:

Vaccines

Trump Orders Vaccine Schedule To Be Spaced Out, Riling Experts Who Cite The Dangers

The president's executive order recommends that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine be administered across three appointments. As Roll Call notes, his order split vaccines into recommended categories: those for children, for children at high risk of infection, or after consultation with a physician. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor from Louisiana, was quick to pan the order: "The president does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”

Roll Call: Trump Order Seeks To Stagger Childhood Vaccination Administration

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to drastically change the childhood vaccine schedule by recommending shots be administered in separate visits to the doctor’s office. The executive order acts on Trump’s long-held belief that splitting up routine childhood vaccinations across multiple visits lessens the risk of acquiring autism. Scientists have found no credible risk between vaccinations and autism. (Cohen, 8/10)

The Hill: Sen. Bill Cassidy Blasts Trump Order On MMR Vaccine

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) blasted an executive order President Trump signed Monday that splits the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot across three separate visits. “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism,” Cassidy wrote on social platform X shortly after the order was signed. “Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection, not fewer shots. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe.” (Beitsch, 8/10)

The Hill: AMA Warns Trump's New Vaccine Order Puts Children's Health At Risk

The president of the American Medical Association on Monday said President Trump’s new recommendations on childhood immunizations put “children’s health at risk,” joining the chorus of medical experts criticizing the executive order. “Vaccines are among the most thoroughly studied, effective tools we have to protect children from serious vaccine-preventable diseases,” Dr. Willie Underwood III said in a release. “Decisions about how and when vaccines are used should be driven by rigorous scientific evidence, patient safety, and independent medical and public health expertise." (Rego, 8/10)

The Hill: American Academy Of Pediatrics Warns President Trump's Vaccine Order Is Dangerous

The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics blasted President Trump’s Monday executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines. “As measles cases reach a 35-year high in the U.S. and with cold and flu season quickly approaching, today’s executive order on vaccines is not only disheartening but dangerous,” Dr. Andrew Racine said in a release. “Instead of ensuring every family can access life-saving vaccines for measles, influenza, RSV and more, federal leaders are once again spreading misleading claims,” he added. (Rego, 8/10)

Also —

CIDRAP: Pediatrics Group Recommends Flu Vaccine For All Children 6 Months And Older

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children 6 months and older without any medical contraindications receive the 2026-27 flu vaccine as soon as it’s available. “The good news is flu vaccines have been thoroughly studied,” Kristina A. Bryant, MD, a member of AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases (COID) said in a press release. (Holohan, 8/10)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Vaccine Requirements Unchanged This School Year

While vaccine requirements have not changed for Texas students this year — despite federal efforts to drop and space out some inoculations — Becca Harkleroad understands how many parents are confused. (Langford and Habashy, 8/10)

NOTUS: An Antidote To The Anti-Vaccine Movement Lives In Rural West Virginia

For a pediatrician, Mark Tomsho is surprisingly calm when talking about the decline of childhood vaccination rates. “Pendulums swing, pendulums swing,” he mused, Zen-like, in his office between seeing patients one April evening. “Nothing stays the same. And I find that truth and reality usually win out.” (Manto, 8/10)

In other vaccine news —

The Washington Post: GOP Lawmakers Release Fauci Texts Discussing Covid Vaccine And Pregnancy

The senators said the texts are among more than 34,000 recovered from a copy of the former government official’s iPhone. (Liss-Roy and Roubein, 8/10)

Administration News

FDA Launches Effort To Oversee Additives In Food Supply

As Stat reported, companies that want to add a new substance to human or animal foods will need to notify the FDA and explain how they deemed the additive “generally recognized as safe," or GRAS. Also, manufacturers with GRAS substances already on the market will need to let the FDA know how the additive is used, and that information will be made public in a database.

Stat: Modifying 'GRAS Loophole,' FDA To Require Notice Of Food Additives

The Department of Health and Human Services on Monday announced a new effort to catalog the many additives in the U.S. food supply, most of which entered with little oversight. (Cueto and Cooney, 8/10)

More news about the Trump administration —

Military Times: Navy Removes California-Based Medicine And Readiness CO

After just over a year on the job, the Navy relieved Capt. Mathew Loe, the commanding officer of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Lemoore, the service announced on Friday. Citing the pro forma “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” Loe was relieved of his command by Rear Adm. Kevin Brown, commander of Naval Medical Forces Pacific, per the release. ... Based in California, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Lemoore delivers healthcare to more than 32,000 active duty, retired military, and civilian beneficiaries from shore-based and operational commands, according to the Navy’s website. (Barrett, 8/10)

KFF Health News: A Federal Policy Is Complicating How Organizations Battle The Opioid Crisis

Last year, Baltimore had three mass overdose incidents in the span of three months in its Penn North neighborhood. In one incident, more than two dozen people were hospitalized after many were found unresponsive, lying in the streets or on sidewalks. No one died, but some came close. (Maucione, 8/11)

KFF Health News: Patients Wary Of Governments, Companies Pushing AI As A Rural Healthcare Solution

Two of the nation’s most powerful health officials predict artificial intelligence will play a key role in solving rural America’s health challenges. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a panel of U.S. senators that AI nurses can provide “concierge care” to rural patients. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has said “the best way to help some of these communities is going to be AI-based avatars” that connect rural patients to mental health services. (Zionts and Tahir, 8/11)

Reproductive Health

Massachusetts Removes Gestational Restrictions On Abortions

The Bay State joined nine states and Washington, D.C., in allowing abortion procedures at any point in pregnancy, The 19th reported. Other reproductive health news is about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's decision to freeze her eggs, maternal care deserts for Black mothers, the testosterone craze, and more.

The 19th: Massachusetts Expands Abortion Law To Any Point During Pregnancy

Massachusetts eliminated its cutoff for when someone can get an abortion, making it the tenth state — along with Washington, D.C. — to allow the procedure at any point in pregnancy. (Luthra, 8/10)

Regarding AOC's decision to freeze her eggs —

Axios: 'Not Helpful': White House Winces Over Conservatives Bashing AOC For Egg Freezing

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a video Saturday giving herself a shot in preparation to freeze her eggs, she instantly injected issues of fertility, family and feminism into political discourse. And some of the online backlash from the conservative right is making Republicans, including some in the White House, a little nervous. (Caputo, 8/11)

The Hill: Katie Miller Praises AOC's Decision To Freeze Eggs

Conservative media personality Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, praised Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) decision to freeze her eggs.“If one woman wants to preserve her right to have children, which means more than having none—we should celebrate that. If she inspires other women to have babies, we should celebrate that,” Katie Miller said in a post Sunday on the social platform X. “More women should get married and have babies younger, but too many women buy into the feminist lie and spend their childbearing years climbing the career ladder,” she added. (Suter, 8/10)

Other reproductive and maternal health news —

NPR: Scarce Maternity Care Is Particularly Concerning For Black Mothers

Nadia Gramby cherishes quiet moments with her baby girl River Emmanuel, who's starting to talk. They exchange snuggles and baby coos each morning. "Did you sleep well last night?" Gramby asks her little girl, who has dark curls and a big smile. Besides being a mother of two and a wife, Gramby spends her days and many nights as a midwife caring for other moms and babies across Alabama where she lives and practices. (Wright, 8/11)

HealthDay: Working At Home Makes Breastfeeding Harder, Not Easier, Study Says

Mothers who worked from home had lower breastfeeding rates than those working outside the home, researchers reported recently in the Western Journal of Nursing Research. Surprisingly, stay-at-home moms reported the lowest rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Researchers attributed the lower breastfeeding rates to a lack of formal support for mothers at home. (Thompson, 8/10)

MedPage Today: Residential Context Matters In Ovarian Cancer Survival

Living in areas of greater social vulnerability was linked to worse overall survival among women with epithelial ovarian cancer, particularly Black women, a retrospective cohort study suggested. (Robertson, 8/10)

In news about men's health —

NPR: Testosterone Is Having A Moment. But Who Actually Needs It?

A few times, Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt suspected he might have low testosterone. But when he checked his numbers, he discovered they were entirely within a normal range. "Turns out it was more so my sleep and stress and everything else," says Brahmbhatt, a urologist at Orlando Health in Florida. (Stone, 8/9)

The New York Times: A.I. Offers Hope For Men With Infertility, Spotting ‘Hidden’ Sperm

The hardest part of Dr. Zev Williams’s job as a fertility physician is telling a man: “You’re not going to be a father.” Male infertility contributes to up to 40 percent of all infertility cases worldwide. While a typical semen sample contains hundreds of millions of sperm, men with azoospermia, which affects about 10 percent of all infertile men, have zero or very few sperm in a sample. (Zaleski, 8/11)

Mental Health

Teens Say GLP-1 Ads On Social Media Are Hurting Their Mental Health

Social media is affecting the way they view their body size and health, Bloomberg reported. Experts worry that being exposed to this at such a formative age will cause long-lasting damage.

Bloomberg: YouTube, TikTok GLP-1 Content Has Teens Obsessing Over Their Health, Bodies

In 2024, Amelia Cate Prosser remembers feeling as if GLP-1 drugs were suddenly everywhere: stashed in her friends’ parents’ refrigerators, glorified on the red carpet and dominating the cafeteria conversations at her private all-girls high school in Melbourne. But it was on social media where the noise was — and continues to be — the loudest. The teen says she could hardly open an app without being bombarded with posts and advertisements about weight-loss injections. Impeccably sculpted models in sports bras warning that sometimes “effort alone isn’t enough” crowded her feeds; so did before-and-after images glamorizing other young women’s rapidly transformed physiques. (Levine and Muller, 8/10)

Bloomberg: Meta Loses Last Minute Bid To Pause Landmark State AGs Trial

Meta Platforms Inc. failed to obtain an emergency order pausing a landmark trial slated to begin this week involving claims from dozens of state attorneys general alleging the social media giant addicts children and has caused a youth mental health crisis. A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a ruling Monday said the court lacked the jurisdiction to review Meta’s early appeal and dismissed it. (Poritz, 8/10)

Newsweek: A Therapeutic Threesome: How AI Chatbots Are Wrecking The Therapist-Client Relationship

For all the mental health challenges confronting our society and the myriad ways to treat them, there is one factor that matters above all else: the deeply intimate bond between a therapist and their client. This "therapeutic alliance," as it is known among counselors, is the bedrock of most psychotherapy practices. Countless studies have shown that a strong one is the best predictor of positive outcomes in mental health treatment, regardless of the technical approach. (Averre, 8/10)

The Baltimore Sun: Columbia Crisis Center To Lay Off 62 Employees

Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center will lay off dozens of employees by the end of next month. Executive Director Mariana Izraelson said the nonprofit is expected to have a “reduction in force” of 62 employees effective Sept. 29 after its federal contract for the 988 National Back-Up Text and Chat was not renewed. (Santana, 8/10)

In other health and wellness news —

Military.com: Most Veterans Are Drinking Less. Those Ages 35-49 Are An Exception

Veterans between the ages of 35 and 49 who are supposed to be past their rowdiest years and settled into careers and families are the one group whose heavy drinking is climbing. (Gramegna, 8/11)

CIDRAP: Night Shift Workers Face 88% Greater Risk Of Long COVID, Study Suggests

People who work night shifts may face a significantly higher risk of developing long COVID, according to a study published last week in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. That risk may rise even further among night shift workers who also have chronic insomnia. (Bergeson, 8/10)

Newsweek: Scientists Discover Brain Change That May Explain Alzheimer’s

Around age 50, the brain's memory center begins swapping out its longtime immune cells for more inflammatory ones, according to a new study—a discovery that may explain how normal aging paves the way for dementia, especially its most talked about form, Alzheimer's disease. "Honestly, this surprised me," Furhan Qureshi, a board-certified internal medicine physician, told Newsweek. "We were taught in med school that brain's main immune cells tracked in the study are lifers—they show up before you're born and stay with you, renewing themselves in the brain. (Fleur Afshar, 8/10)

MedPage Today: Pet Hamsters Linked To Rare Brain Disorder

People with autoimmune cerebellar ataxia were more likely to have been exposed to pet hamsters versus a control group, a hospital-based study in China suggested. (George, 8/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: What’s The Right Age To Stop Driving? The Answer Is Complicated

Just to be clear, says Tom, 79, “my driving is spectacular. Like most men of his generation, Tom has been driving almost his entire life, and he remains a comfortable, confident driver. But a couple of years ago, Tom bought a Cadillac Lyriq, and though he loved driving the luxury SUV, “it kind of had a strange turning radius,” he said. He banged into a couple of parked cars, and once the edge of his garage at his Marin County home. (Allday, 8/9)

Vermont Public: 'It's The Ultimate Gift': Why Some People Are Donating Their Bodies To Dartmouth And UVM For Science

When thinking about end-of-life plans, people often think in terms of being buried or cremated. But former Essex Junction, Vermont resident Alberta Bundy had something else in mind. When she died of cancer last year at 86, her family was well aware she wanted to donate her body to science. (Keck, 8/10)

Pharma and Tech

American Red Cross Limits Type O Blood Distribution Amid Supply Crisis

The blood going to hospitals is being rationed as the country continues to see critical depletion in the available supply, New Hampshire Public Radio reported. Type O is the universal blood type, and is often used in emergencies.

New Hampshire Public Radio: The American Red Cross Is Limiting Distribution Of Type O Blood Amid Shortage

The national blood shortage that began earlier in the year has now become a blood crisis, meaning there’s a critical depletion in blood supply across the country. The American Red Cross is asking for donors of all blood types. (Richardson, 8/10)

In other pharma and tech updates —

Stat: In Surprise Move, FDA Rejects Cancer Drug Expected To Rival Novartis Therapy

The Food and Drug Administration has rejected a radiopharmaceutical therapy because of manufacturing issues, halting what would have been a competitor for Novartis. (DeAngelis, 8/10)

Bloomberg: Hims & Hers Plans To Offer Some Allowed Peptides Before Year-End

Hims & Hers Health Inc. plans to jump into the peptides market before the end of the year, with executives seeing opportunity to seize on a booming corner of the health industry. The telehealth company said Monday that it’s preparing to sell already allowed popular compounds including sermorelin and glutathione, which patients seek out for wellness and longevity benefits despite limited clinical evidence. (Ambaye and Muller, 8/10)

Stat: Sionna’s Experimental Cystic Fibrosis Pill Falls Flat In Mid-Stage Trial

Sionna Therapeutics said Monday that its experimental pill for cystic fibrosis did not show any benefit when added onto Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Trikafta in a Phase 2 trial. (Mast, 8/10)

Stat: China Tightens Reins On Clinical Trials, As U.S. Tries To Replicate Its Rival’s Speed

For years, U.S. scientists and biotech companies have watched warily as China has made strides onto the global stage, overtaking them in research spending, patent applications, and clinical trials. (Yang, 8/10)

Health Industry

After 45% Drop In Membership, Cox HealthPlans Will Retreat From ACA Marketplace

The insurance arm of the health system will instead partner with Oscar Health to maintain coverage in eight Missouri counties. Plus: the healthcare sector's job market; nurses' fears about AI in the clinical setting; inroads to in-home physical therapy businesses; and more.

Modern Healthcare: CoxHealth Insurance Arm Scaling Back ACA Exchange Business

Another health system is scaling back its insurance business. Cox HealthPlans will not sell exchange policies on the Affordable Care Act of 2010’s federal health platform next year, the company announced Friday. The insurance arm of Springfield, Missouri-based CoxHealth will instead partner with insurer Oscar Health to provide on-exchange coverage in eight Missouri counties. (Tepper, 8/10)

News about healthcare workers —

Healthcare Dive: Healthcare Job Growth Decelerated In July

The healthcare sector added 22,000 jobs in July, marking a significant slowdown compared to recent months, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday. The industry added significantly fewer jobs than the 42,000 roles created in June and the 35,000 created in May. The number of jobs added also fell below the 36,000 average monthly increase over the past year. (Hughes, 8/10)

Stat: Nurses Seek A Seat At The Table As They Fight Expanding Clinical AI

Nurses, who make up the largest part of the health care workforce, are getting more vocal about the risks posed by clinical artificial intelligence to their jobs and patient care as the technology makes deeper inroads into the practice of medicine. (Palmer, 8/11)

Healthcare Dive: CVS Pharmacists Take Step Towards Strike Over Staffing, Burnout

Unionized CVS pharmacists in three states overwhelmingly voted to approve a strike sanction late last week over what they say are unsafe staffing levels and taxing workloads. It’s the first of two approvals needed before employees can actually walk off work. (Parduhn, 8/10)

More health industry updates —

Modern Healthcare: Access Taps Johnson & Johnson For ASC Ablation Push

Access, a physician-led management services organization, and its group purchasing organization announced an agreement Monday with Johnson & Johnson to bring cardiac electrophysiology technologies to affiliated ambulatory surgery centers. The deal includes pulsed field ablation, radiofrequency ablation, 3D mapping and intracardiac imaging technologies. (Dubinsky, 8/10)

Modern Healthcare: Allina Health CEO Lisa Shannon Details Sutter Merger Goals

Allina Health will unveil the largest capital project in the health system’s history in a few weeks, just months before it anticipates completing a proposed merger with Sutter Health. The 620,000-square-foot surgical and critical care center at its flagship Minneapolis hospital and the proposed merger with Sacramento, California-based Sutter, will help Allina manage financial pressures and grow, said President and CEO Lisa Shannon. Sutter has said Allina would become Sutter’s upper Midwest division, led by Shannon. (Kacik, 8/10)

Modern Healthcare: AI Helps Providers Grow In-Home Physical Therapy Business

Healthcare providers are boosting profits by using artificial intelligence and other technologies to grow lucrative in-home physical therapy businesses. Home-based rehab can help health systems and physician groups meet rising demand for services from aging baby boomers and other patients without investing in brick-and-mortar facilities. Technology is helping capture some of those patients, although selling them on something other than hands-on rehab can require some work. (Eastabrook, 8/10)

Editorials And Opinions

Viewpoints: Trump's Vaccine Order A Public Health Hazard; Why We Spend So Much On Research With No Results

Editorial writers tackle these public health topics.

Bloomberg: Trump's Vaccine Order Puts Parents In A Bind

President Donald Trump’s proposed sweeping changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, whether ever actually implemented or not, are yet another affront to public health in the US. (Lisa Jarvis, 8/11)

The New York Times: He Saw Specialist After Specialist. He Died When No One Gave Him a Flu Shot.

This wasn’t a failure of medical discovery; it was a failure of medical delivery. The most effective treatment in the world does nothing for the patient who doesn’t receive it. (Aaron E. Carroll, 8/10)

Stat: Why Is MoonLake Immunotherapeutics Scared Of Releasing Data On Its Drug?

Biotech companies don’t hide or obfuscate strong data. It’s an old saw but one that I have found to be a reliable predictor of future success or failure, particularly when judging clinical trial results. Yet once again, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics has announced “positive” results from a study of its autoimmune drug candidate marred by a level of data obtuseness that renders the word meaningless. (Adam Feuerstein, 8/11)

Stat: Primary Care May Struggle With Medicare Weight Loss Drug Program

In Venice, Italy, the fabled Bridge of Sighs spans a narrow canal, its small stone-barred windows once offering prisoners a final glimpse of freedom as they were escorted to their cells. The name reflects their resignation, the quiet exhale of those who knew what awaited them. For many primary care physicians, a similar sigh now accompanies the start of Medicare’s “Bridge” program, which promises discounted access to the GLP‑1 weight loss medications Wegovy, Zepbound, and Foundayo. (Jeffrey Millstein, 8/11)

Stat: Abortion’s Transformation Began Long Before Dobbs

A physician is eating dinner with her family when an encrypted message appears on her phone. A frightened 17-year-old explains that she took misoprostol — one of the medications commonly used to end a pregnancy. Four weeks later, she is still nauseated and her pregnancy test remains positive. She wants to know: Can she see a doctor without her parents finding out? Could she get into legal trouble for taking abortion pills? (Jennifer Karlin, 8/11)