Poison at Play: Unsafe Levels of Lead Found in Half of New Orleans Playgrounds
By Tristan Baurick, Verite News Halle Parker, Verite News
February 5, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Verite News’ reporters tested soil in more than 80 playgrounds for lead contamination. Even in trace amounts, lead exposure in children can result in lower IQs, learning challenges, and behavioral issues.
Newsom Walks Thin Line on Immigrant Health as He Eyes Presidential Bid
By Christine Mai-Duc
February 5, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Progressives are assailing Gov. Gavin Newsom for proposing to pull back coverage for some legal residents, such as refugees and asylum-seekers, while conservatives lambaste the California Democrat for using limited state funds on Medicaid coverage for immigrants without legal status.
In A First, Plastic Surgeon Group Sides Against Youth Gender Care Surgeries
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
The Washington Post reports that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the first major U.S. medical association to narrow its guidance on youth gender care following a crackdown by the Trump administration. Other news on gender care comes from New York, Minnesota, and California.
Staffing Worries Mount As Health Care Workers Must Pay $100K H-1B Visa Fee
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
Medical organizations have petitioned DHS to exempt health care workers in the H-1B visa program. Other health industry news is on nursing shortages; the carbon footprint of a popular anesthetic; the dangers of duplicate medical records; and more.
New Mexico Health Department Warns Against Raw Milk After Infant’s Death
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
The child died of listeria, allegedly after its mother drank unpasteurized milk while pregnant. In unrelated news, two infants developed severe neurologic symptoms after infection with Paenibacillus dendritiformis, an emerging infectious-disease threat.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, February 4, 2026
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today is the final day to enter our Health Policy Valentines contest! 💌 We want to see your clever, heartfelt, or hilarious tributes to the policies that shape health care. Submit your poem — whether conventional, free-form, or haiku — by noon ET today. The winning poem will receive a custom comic illustration in the Morning Briefing on Feb. 13. Click here for the rules and to enter!
$1.2T Spending Package Boosts HHS, Funds Bipartisan Health Care Measures
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
The one-year funding bill, which gives Health and Human Services $20 billion more than the administration had requested, provides a five-year extension of the Acute Hospital Care at Home program and a two-year extension for Medicare telehealth flexibilities, Fierce Healthcare reported. It also introduces reforms to pharmacy benefit manager practices.
Bhattacharya Gives Senate A Glimpse Of Changes Being Made At NIH
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
Some of the reforms underway include centralized peer review, a new analytic office, stronger oversight, and a unified funding strategy to better align investments with national health priorities, MedPage Today reported. Plus, news about the FDA’s drug voucher program.
NIH Director Contradicts RFK Jr.’s Theory That Vaccines Cause Autism
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
“I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism,” Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health said, emphasizing that there has been no link found between the MMR vaccine and autism, but that other vaccines are “less well studied.”
First Edition: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026
February 4, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
When the Doctor Needs a Checkup
By Paula Span
February 4, 2026
KFF Health News Original
The physician workforce is aging fast, and some hospitals now require that older clinicians undergo testing for cognitive decline. Many have resisted.
Listen: Many Tents Are Gone, but Washington’s Homeless — And Their Health Problems — Aren’t
By Angela Hart
February 4, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Sweeps of encampments scatter homeless people, as medications are tossed and street medicine providers scramble to reconnect with their patients. KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart discusses the aftermath on the Jan. 28 edition of WAMU’s “Health Hub.”
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
February 3, 2026
KFF Health News Original
The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Under New State Law, Texas Man Sues California Doctor Over Abortion Pills
February 3, 2026
Morning Briefing
A Texas law that took effect Dec. 4 allows private citizens to sue anyone who manufactures, distributes, mails, or provides abortion medication to or from the state. Plus: The issue of recreational pot won’t appear on Florida’s ballots after petition signatures fell short.
Researchers Discover How To Turn Off Chronic Inflammation
February 3, 2026
Morning Briefing
Researchers at the University College London have found that promoting tiny, fat-derived molecules called epoxy-oxylipins can help regulate a type of immune cell linked to chronic inflammation. Plus: why men develop heart disease earlier than women; the gap in hypertension control in the U.S.; and more.
Emerging Bat-Borne Virus Found In Suspected Nipah Virus Patients’ Swabs
February 3, 2026
Morning Briefing
Bangladeshi researchers are uncovering a worrying co-circulation of the dangerous bat-borne virus Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV) and NiV, which has led to the recommendation that patients with NiV-like illness also be scanned for PRV. Plus: The fallout from foreign aid cuts, and more.
Measles Reported At Crowded ICE Site In Texas; Doctors Seek Urgent Action
February 3, 2026
Morning Briefing
One San Antonio-based physician implored the state to take “an immediate, unified command-and-control of the measles outbreak.” He emphasized that “this is a public health emergency,” given workers who come and go from the facility can spread the disease.
