The Week in Brief: Friday, June 12, 2026
Looming Medicaid Cuts Supercharge California’s Latest Labor-Industry Fight
By Bernard J. Wolfson
One of California’s largest healthcare unions is sponsoring two initiatives that would regulate community clinics and cap executive and managerial pay at hospitals and physician groups. In the most recent eruption of a long-standing feud, the measures have drawn fierce opposition from a wide swath of the medical industry.
Trivia Nights, Valentine’s Cards: Overlooked Social Connections Can Prevent Suicide
By Aneri Pattani
The research is clear: Among the various complex issues that contribute to suicide, loneliness is a big one. Now, there’s a growing push to address loneliness not just through personal choices but also through public policy.
Could Your Kid Benefit From Counseling? Experts Offer 3 Questions To Help You Decide
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio and Cara Anthony
Anxious kids can benefit from counseling, but therapy demands a commitment of money and time. Therapists recommend using three criteria to help determine when challenging behavior rises to the level of needing professional help.
By September, Nearly a Third of Americans Will Live in States With Legal Aid in Dying
By Paula Span
Despite widespread support in polls for legalizing aid in dying, the number of people who go through with the practice remains very small.
Anguished Parents. Doctors in Tears. Utah’s Long Measles Outbreak Takes a Toll.
By Amy Maxmen
Measles has been spreading in Utah for nearly a year, straining hospitals, schools, and parents. The state’s outbreak provides a glimpse into a new era in America’s health, in which vaccine-preventable diseases become common again.
The Drip, Drip, Drip of Declining Coverage
As predicted, the expiration of enhanced tax subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans is causing many people to lose coverage for failing to make premium payments. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded angrily to a New York Times article suggesting he’s not actively engaged in the work of his sprawling department. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF’s Tricia Neuman, who is retiring this month as a senior vice president and the executive director of the Program on Medicare Policy.
Trump Bought Tobacco Stocks and Raked In Industry Donations as FDA Eased Standards
By Darius Tahir
The Trump administration has pursued an extensive pro-tobacco agenda as the president and his political movement have been buoyed by a flood of tobacco industry money, federal records show.
MAHA’s Treatments for Autism: Camel’s Milk, Stem Cell Injections — And Spelling Therapy
By Arthur Allen
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new autism panel is championing a controversial communication method popular among parents of severely autistic people. Critics warn of abuse — and fake “telepathy.”
FDA’s Greenlight of Old Chemical Offers Chance To Restore Faith in Sunscreen
By Michael Scaturro
The FDA has approved the sunscreen chemical bemotrizinol, a UV light filter that has been available in Europe, Asia, and Australia for more than 20 years. Health advocates and skin care industry groups alike are hopeful it can restore faith in sunscreen.
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Gounder Fills In Details Behind Ebola, GLP-1, and Trump Headlines
KFF Health News' editor-at-large for public health discussed Ebola, GLP-1 drugs, ultraprocessed food, and more in TV appearances this week.