Nurse’s Death Looms Large As Senators Make Last Attempts To Avoid Shutdown
January 30, 2026
Morning Briefing
The Senate will reconvene at 11 a.m. Friday to see if they can reach an agreement, ABC News reported. Modern Healthcare explains how health care would be affected if no deal is reached before Saturday. Plus: Nurses across the U.S. hold vigils for slain Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
Trump Unveils Plan To Prevent Drug Use, Boost Treatment And Recovery
January 30, 2026
Morning Briefing
The president’s executive order is intended “to help Americans struggling with all forms of addiction … get the help and the support they need.” Plus, TrumpRx won’t launch this month after all.
Finalized CMS Rule Sets Limits On State Provider Taxes Funding Medicaid
January 30, 2026
Morning Briefing
The new regulation will crack down on the provider taxes states use to help finance their share of Medicaid spending. CMS is expecting the policy to reduce federal expenditures by $78 billion over the next decade. Also, tech firms are vying to implement Medicaid work requirements; CMS incentivizes hospitals to buy American; and more.
First Edition: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
January 30, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill
By Tony Leys
January 30, 2026
KFF Health News Original
A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist’s clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.
‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees
By Claudia Boyd-Barrett
Illustration by Oona Zenda
January 30, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Some hospitals are registering patients detained by federal immigration officers under pseudonyms and prohibiting staff from contacting family members. Attorneys and health care workers say the practices facilitate rights violations and create ethical concerns. Hospitals say they’re trying to protect patients.
“No sabemos dónde están”. Abogados y familiares enfrentan obstáculos para encontrar a detenidos por el ICE hospitalizados
By Claudia Boyd-Barrett
January 30, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Enfrentan grandes barreras para localizar a los pacientes, saber cómo están de salud y brindarles apoyo legal y emocional.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Hazards of ICE for Public Health
January 29, 2026
Podcast
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is not just roiling politics but also directly affecting the provision of health care, medical groups say. Meanwhile, in Washington, federal spending bills have been stalled by the fight over immigration enforcement funding after the shooting death of a second person in Minneapolis this month. Maya Goldman of Axios, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
Walmart Invests In Pharmacy Workers, Raises Pay As Clinics Lose Popularity
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
Axios reports how Walmart’s approach comes at a time when its major competitors are cutting back hours and closing pharmacies across the U.S. Millions of Americans prefer to use pharmacies over clinics, with 75% of Walmart’s testing-and-treatment visits happening outside normal business hours.
US Life Expectancy Hits Record High Thanks To Drop In Overdose Deaths
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
CDC data for 2024 shows the life expectancy at birth for the average American to be 79, up 0.6 years from 2023. Other public health news is on U.S. obesity, the health effects of traditional sleep-wake schedules, and more.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Americans’ Biggest Pocketbook Worry Is The Cost Of Health Care, Poll Reveals
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
Health care ranks higher on the list of concerns than the cost of groceries and housing, and voters say the cost of health care will affect their election choices in November. Also: Affordable Care Act enrollment drops by more than a million people following the expiration of federal subsidies.
Autism Council Stacked With Panelists Who Question Vaccine Safety
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
The makeup of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee has raised alarms among advocates over the imbalance of the committee, specifically the lack of scientists. Plus, the U.S. is imploring Gavi, the vaccine alliance, to stop including thimerosal in multidose shots used in other countries.
HHS Rule Reversal Leaves Access To Abortion Drugs Up To Pharmacists
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
Overturning the Biden-era rule means that pharmacists can now refuse to stock or dispense the medication abortion drugs mifepristone, misoprostol, and methotrexate without losing federal funding. Methotrexate is also used to treat ectopic pregnancies and autoimmune disorders.
Government Shutdown Is Days Away Amid Impasse Over DHS Funding
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
In the wake of the slaying of VA nurse Alex Pretti, Democrats want to see either Homeland Security funding separated from the larger appropriations bill or congressional measures to rein in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Republicans do not want to split the funding bill. If the measure does not pass, nonessential work at Health and Human Services would stop come Saturday.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, January 29, 2026
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
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 on Wednesday, Feb. 4. The winning poem will receive a custom comic illustration in the Morning Briefing on Feb. 13. Click here for the rules and to enter!
First Edition: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026
January 29, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Medicare Advantage Insurers Face New Curbs on Overcharges in Trump Plan That Reins in Payments
By Fred Schulte
January 29, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Proposed Trump administration changes to federal Medicare Advantage payments would stop health insurers from mining patient data for extra medical diagnoses that generate more bills to taxpayers even without treatment.
This Teen Never Got His Day in Vaccine Court. His Former Lawyer Now Advises RFK on Its Overhaul.
By Maia Rosenfeld
January 29, 2026
KFF Health News Original
The federal government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was supposed to help patients with their medical bills while protecting vaccine supply. But allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are routinely transferring cases from that program to launch lawsuits against drugmakers.
