The Week in Brief: July 31, 2026
Trump Administration Demands Hospitals Share Emergency Room Records
By Amanda Seitz and Maia Rosenfeld and Darius Tahir
The tiny federal agency that tracks consumer product safety is pressuring hospitals to turn over patient records from emergency room visits, including about injuries that have nothing to do with consumer products.
Trump Has Quietly Throttled an Agency Devoted to the Safety of American Healthcare
By Arthur Allen
Congress appropriated $345 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for the 2026 fiscal year, but the agency has spent less than $15 million on grants. AHRQ hasn’t issued a new one in over a year.
Cyclospora Boosts Fears That Worse Foodborne Outbreaks Are Ahead
By Kate Wells and Stephanie Armour
The recent outbreak of a foodborne parasite sickened thousands and hospitalized hundreds across the U.S. before federal investigators identified the suspected source. Food safety experts say cuts to the public health system hobbled the response — and that the next outbreak could be much worse.
Federal Loan Caps Add Barriers — And Likely Debt — for Healthcare Students
By Lauren Sausser
The government will cap how much graduate students may borrow in federal loans. The new policy could leave many at the mercy of private lenders with higher interest rates. The borrowing limits will affect students pursuing expensive healthcare careers, and some worry they may impede efforts to diversify the healthcare workforce.
The Politics of Grant Cuts
The revelation in court documents that the Trump administration used politics alone to decide which grants to fund and which to cancel has provoked surprisingly little outcry from Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Republicans renewed their campaign against Anthony Fauci’s handling of covid. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Liz Essley Whyte of The Wall Street Journal join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Medicaid Insurers’ Contracts on the Line in Tight Governor’s Race
By Tony Leys
The Democratic candidate for governor says he would make Iowa the second state to drop private Medicaid management companies, which he calls “a disaster.”
Uninsured but Undaunted, a Surgical Patient Searched the Globe for a Deal
By Paula Andalo
When surgery became unavoidable, a man with no insurance shopped around for the best price for a hernia repair — and saved thousands by traveling out of state.
Tracking State Rural Health Transformation Plans
By Arielle Zionts and Sarah Jane Tribble and Lydia Zuraw
KFF Health News is working to collect and post approved plans as more states respond to emails and public records requests for their documents.
Abortion Drug Law in Louisiana Heightens Hemorrhage Risk for Pregnant Patients
By Halle Parker, Verite News
A 2024 state law reclassified misoprostol and mifepristone as controlled substances. That affects how hospitals can access the drugs in non-abortion emergencies, and other states appear to be taking note.
Hospice’s Bad Reputation Amid Fraud Crisis Will Hurt Patients, Industry Experts Warn
By Laurie Udesky
While acknowledging that changes must be made to the hospice industry, health policy researchers and providers worry that negative attention and the potential for overly punitive regulations could put patients at risk.
Newsom Reverses on Long-Sought Paid Leave Benefit for Teachers in California
By Annie Sciacca
California lawmakers gave public school teachers 14 weeks of paid leave in the state’s new budget, a long-sought benefit for the largely female workforce. Gov. Gavin Newsom previously opposed similar measures.
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Journalists Assess Risks of Tick Bites, Wildfire Smoke, Rising Health Costs
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national or local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.