HHS Halts $5B In Public Health Grants. Hours Later, It Reinstates Them.
January 26, 2026
Morning Briefing
Bloomberg News reports that the pause was in order to evaluate whether activities were in “alignment with administration and agency priorities.” Also: A New York Times report finds that genetic data of more than 20,000 U.S. children that was held at the National Institutes of Health was misused for “race science.”
After Deadly Winter Storm, Subzero Temperatures Pose Danger To Millions
January 26, 2026
Morning Briefing
At least six people have died in the storm, including one in Austin from hypothermia. Dangerously cold temperatures are expected to continue across the U.S. through Friday.
First Edition: Monday, Jan. 26, 2026
January 26, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
An Arm and a Leg: Charity-Care Nonprofit Scales Up and Doubles Down
By Dan Weissmann
January 26, 2026
Podcast
“An Arm and a Leg” host Dan Weissmann talks with the founder of the charity-care nonprofit Dollar For about how it helped eliminate $55 million in medical bills last year.
Sick of Fighting Insurers, Hospitals Offer Their Own Medicare Advantage Plans
By Susan Jaffe
January 26, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Breakups between insurers and health systems, on top of plan cuts, left more than 3.7 million Medicare Advantage enrollees facing a tough choice last year: find new insurance or new doctors. But hospital systems say their Advantage plans can avert such upheaval, giving patients peace of mind.
Cansados de pelear con las aseguradoras, hospitales ofrecen sus propios planes Medicare Advantage
By Susan Jaffe
January 26, 2026
KFF Health News Original
Aunque los planes administrados por hospitales representan solo una pequeña porción del mercado de Medicare Advantage, su número de afiliados sigue creciendo, en línea con el aumento general de beneficiarios de ese sistema.
Journalists Mine News for Insights on Tylenol, Obamacare Credits, and Rural Health Funding
January 24, 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.
Dems See Opportunities in Republican Embrace of MAHA Movement
By Stephanie Armour
January 23, 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.
Huntsville, Ala., Hospital System May Have Monopoly Of City, Pending Deal
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
The nonprofit has agreed to acquire the only hospital not owned by them in Huntsville and the surrounding northern Alabama region, leaving residents with only one choice for care and putting antitrust officials to the test. Also in the news: the nurse strike in New York; an ambulance worker shortage in Minnesota; informed patient consent for AI use in health care; and more.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on syphilis, motherhood, “house burping,” and more.
Colorectal Cancer Ousts Lung Cancer As Deadliest Type For People Under 50
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
Colorectal cancer leaped from the fifth-leading cause in 1990 to first place in 2023, the most recent year examined in the JAMA study. Of the top cancers, it was the only one that increased. Lung cancer deaths fell to No. 4.
Global Groups That Don’t Abide By US Health Priorities Will Lose Foreign Aid
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
In addition to organizations that provide abortion-related care, the Trump administration announced it is cutting off funding to those that promote DEI and gender-identity programs. The administration also halted funding for fetal tissue research.
Moderna Says It’s Scaling Back Vaccine Trials Because Of US Resistance
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
“You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market,” CEO Stéphane Bancel said. In other news, the chairman of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices suggested in a podcast that the public might want to reconsider the use of polio vaccines.
EPA To Stop Testing Chemical Toxicity On Animals By 2035
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
The agency is working to adopt testing methods that do not involve animals but that meet legal obligations for chemical safety. Plus: the FDA weighs Zyn’s safer-than-cigarettes claim; the use of a device to treat ADHD is questioned; the role of llamas in drug development; and more.
Morning Briefing for Friday, January 23, 2026
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
Send us your Health Policy Valentines! 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!
Health Insurers, Lawmakers Lock Horns Over High Cost Of Medical Care
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
The chief executive officers of five large insurance companies largely deflected the blame for soaring costs, arguing it’s the hospitals, doctors, and drug companies that charge too much to begin with. Lawmakers were united in their criticism, with Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., telling the CEOs, “You all have been very delinquent in your duty.” Plus, a look at the VA’s plan to expand community care.
First Edition: Friday, Jan. 23, 2026
January 23, 2026
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Why Medication Abortion Is the Top Target for Anti-Abortion Groups in 2026
By Julie Rovner
January 23, 2026
KFF Health News Original
With abortions still on the rise nationwide despite widespread bans, curtailing the use of pregnancy-terminating medication is a top priority for abortion opponents — and they’re frustrated that the Trump administration isn’t doing more to limit its use.
