The Week in Brief: May 15, 2026
RFK Jr. Swaps Vaccine Talk for Healthy Foods and Reading to Tots in Push To Woo Voters
Amanda Seitz
He tested robotic hands on a heart surgery patient and chewed on microgreens in Ohio, but Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. couldn’t dodge questions about the Trump administration’s more controversial policies.
Kennedy, Balancing MAHA and White House, Says He Won’t Run for President in 2028
Stephanie Armour and Amanda Seitz
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is trying to address the interests of his MAHA supporters, who view him as their hope for the future, while being a good soldier in the eyes of the Trump White House, which has been stepping back from some of the movement’s core priorities.
Low Wages, Empty Plates, Heavy Toll: Rethinking Suicide Prevention
Aneri Pattani
Decades of research indicate that interventions that bring down people’s cost of living, such as ensuring they have access to stable housing and food, are linked to lower suicide rates.
As Ranks of Uninsured Grow, Minnesota’s Hospitals Are Among Least Charitable in Nation
Noam N. Levey and Jeremy Olson, The Minnesota Star Tribune
A Minnesota Star Tribune-KFF Health News investigation of hospital data and charity care programs shows most Minnesota hospitals provide little financial aid to patients and often make assistance difficult to get.
Minnesota Lawmaker Proposes Using Hospital Tax To Fill Charity Care Gap
Jeremy Olson, The Minnesota Star Tribune
A Minnesota Star Tribune-KFF Health News investigation found charity care at hospitals in the state is offered at low and arbitrary levels, prompting Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to say, “There is more work in front of us.”
License To Deliver: Some Midwives Break the Law To Assist With Home Births
Lisa Rab
Some states bar professional midwives from attending home births if they don’t have a nursing license. Their advocates say laws to allow midwife licensing would make home birth safer and more accessible, plus help address a maternity care shortage.
Trump and Kennedy Seek To Relax Safeguards for AI Healthcare Tools
Darius Tahir
For years, the Department of Health and Human Services built standards to make sure electronic health records were user-friendly and offered transparent advice to doctors. Now they’re relaxing those standards, and doctors and critics in the hospital industry are worried.
Hantavirus News Roundup: From Céline Gounder of KFF Health News
Céline Gounder
Following a recent outbreak of the deadly hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius, KFF Health News editor-at-large and infectious disease doctor Céline Gounder spoke to numerous media outlets about the risks from the disease.
FDA Blocked Melanoma Drug as Confusion Reigned Under Makary
Arthur Allen
A third of patients in a clinical trial had tumors shrink while taking a genetically engineered treatment known as RP1.
In Search of a New FDA Commissioner
As widely expected, Marty Makary stepped down as head of the FDA this week. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court weighs blocking telehealth prescriptions for the abortion pill mifepristone. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
Trump Demands Medicaid Data for Deportation. Some States Go a Step Further.
Andrew Jones
Several states have required their health agencies to take on another job: verifying immigration status among Medicaid recipients and reporting them to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. North Carolina is the latest to pass such a law, and experts expect more to follow.
Watch: 8 Health Insurance Terms You Should Know
Lexi Krupp and Hannah Norman and Jackie Fortiér and Oona Zenda
Deductible. Copay. Out-of-pocket limit. What do these health insurance terms actually mean? We explain common phrases from insurance policies so navigating your plan is less of a headache.
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
The "KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Journalists Shed Light on Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak and a Crisis in the Nation’s ERs
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.