Vinay Prasad Leaving Role As FDA’s Top Vaccine And Biotech Regulator
March 9, 2026
Morning Briefing
Prasad, who has been embroiled in recent controversial decisions at the Food and Drug Administration, will leave in late April. Separately, surgeon general nominee Casey Means is facing opposition on multiple fronts. Also, 11 more children have died from flu-related complications.
FDA Shifts Away From Advisory Panel Meetings; Transparency Worries Grow
March 9, 2026
Morning Briefing
Industry leaders and academics are concerned that decision-making input from agency leaders, drug developers, patients, and physicians has largely been cast aside during the Trump administration. Plus, Democrats are going to drugmakers directly for information about Trump’s drug deals.
Novo Nordisk, Hims & Hers Reportedly End Obesity Drug Feud, Aim To Partner
March 9, 2026
Morning Briefing
The potential partnership comes a month after Novo sued Hims over obesity drug knockoffs. Also: A new study finds that generic versions of Ozempic and Wegovy could be sold for less than $3 a month.
Florida no amplió Medicaid, pero igual algunos legisladores quieren imponer requisitos de trabajo
By Daniel Chang
March 9, 2026
KFF Health News Original
La medida desconcierta a defensores de la atención médica y a expertos en Medicaid. Algunos dudan, incluso, que sea legal bajo la principal ley de política interna del presidente Donald Trump.
First Edition: Monday, March 9, 2026
March 9, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Florida Hasn’t Expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers Want To Add Work Requirements Anyway.
By Daniel Chang
March 9, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Florida is not mandated to add work requirements for Medicaid, because the state has not expanded eligibility to more low-income adults. But lawmakers have proposed requiring some adults in the state’s program to work anyway, a policy that could leave many uninsured.
Newsom Picks a Dogfight With Trump and RFK Jr. on Public Health
By Angela Hart
March 9, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Scientists are cheering California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he builds a public health bulwark against health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance and President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Still, federal cuts have sapped morale and left local health departments less prepared for outbreaks.
Seis científicos federales expulsados por el gobierno de Trump hablan del trabajo que quedó sin terminar
By Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn Houghton
March 8, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Durante décadas, el valor de los NIH ha sido quizá una de las pocas cosas en las que todos en Washington han estado de acuerdo. Los legisladores han aumentado su financiamiento de forma constante. No ahora.
Journalists Explain a Spat Over Sugary Coffee and How Measles Fools Doctors
March 7, 2026
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
The NIH Workforce Is Its Smallest in Decades. Here’s the Work Left Behind.
By Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn Houghton
March 6, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
Kids’ Online Safety Act Clears House Panel But Faces Rocky Road In Senate
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
The bill would set new requirements for parental controls and require certain online platforms to put policies in place to address certain harms to kids online, Roll Call reported.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on FDA denials, cashless bail, mental health, and more.
White House Expands Medicaid Fraud Probe, Turns Spotlight To New York
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
The look at New York’s program comes a week after the Trump administration froze nearly $260 million of Minnesota’s Medicaid funding. Also in the news: the impact of the Medicaid work mandate on homeless Californians; the rate of Tylenol use by pregnant women in ERs after President Donald Trump’s September autism comments; and more.
Noem Ousted As DHS Chief Amid Scrutiny Over Immigration Crackdown
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
According to two people who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, President Trump told advisers that he had grown increasingly unhappy with Kristi Noem after the surge of thousands of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota in December and January, an escalation that led to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the VA.
FDA Alleges Uniqure Misrepresented Request In Rare-Disease Drug Approval
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
FDA and HHS officials have publicly attacked Uniqure, the biotech company seeking approval for a Huntington’s disease treatment, and accused it of lying about requests made by the FDA for additional studies involving placebo brain surgery, which the company has characterized as unethical. The company says the anonymous FDA statements “are incomplete or entirely incorrect.”
Community Health Systems Selling 4 Arkansas Hospitals To Pay Down Debt
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
Missouri-based Freeman Health System has agreed to buy the hospitals, along with outpatient centers and physician practices, allowing it to expand its reach into neighboring Arkansas. Plus, Amazon Web Services, CVS Health, and Salesforce move forward with AI health tools.
DC Officials Declare Potomac River Safe, But Locals Still Wary Of Sewage
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
Over six weeks ago, a major sewage line collapsed, sending 243 million gallons of sewage into the river. Despite health authorities stating it is now safe to get back into the water, citizens remain skeptical. Plus, news from Maryland, Minnesota, West Virginia, Georgia, New York, and elsewhere.
Morning Briefing for Friday, March 6, 2026
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
Behind on your reading? Catch up on this week's KFF Health News stories with The Week in Brief, delivered every Friday to your inbox. Sign up here !
First Edition: Friday, March 6, 2026
March 6, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.