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Morning Briefing: Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

Robots in maternity care; PFAS in Louisville drinking water; nursing home staffing; blue states sue over health funding cuts; flu vaccines; NYC nurse strike; opioid crisis; Research Roundup; and more ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  
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Thursday, February 12, 2026
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Morning Briefing

In This Edition:

From KFF Health News:

KFF Health News Original Stories

3. Political Cartoon: 'Sue Us or Haunt Us?'

KFF Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Political Cartoon: 'Sue Us or Haunt Us?'" by Karsten Schley.

Here's today's health policy haiku:

WHEN HEALTH CARE IS THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES

I'm sick. What to do?
Go see a doctor, get ICE'd!
Can't trust the system!

If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.

Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.

Summaries Of The News:

Administration News

4. 4 Democratic States Sue Over Trump's Plan To Slash $600M In Health Grants

Attorneys general for California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota say the cuts are in response to the states' opposition to President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Also: Dr. Mehmet Oz says Medicaid cuts won't hurt rural providers and patients because they weren't benefiting anyway.

AP: Democratic-Led States Sue Trump Administration Over $600M In Health Cuts
Four Democratic-led states that have become frequent targets of President Donald Trump sued Wednesday to try to block his administration from cutting off hundreds of millions in public health grants. The Department of Health and Human Services told Congress on Monday that it planned to withhold about $600 million in grant funding allocated to the four states: California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. Their attorneys general argue the cuts are backlash for the states' opposition to Trump's immigration crackdown. (Schoenbaum, 2/12)

Politico: RFK Jr. Ally Says GOP Risks Losing His Supporters
Tony Lyons, a top ally of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and principle architect of his Make America Healthy Again coalition, has a message for Republicans ahead of the midterms: Don't take Kennedy's followers for granted. In a new memo obtained by POLITICO, Lyons described the Republican Party as "renting MAHA voters" but not fully committed to "purchase." (Haslett, 2/11)

On the immigration crisis —

The Texas Tribune: Feds Are Sending Pregnant Migrant Girls To Texas Shelter
The Trump administration is sending all pregnant unaccompanied minors apprehended by immigration enforcement to a single group shelter in South Texas. The decision was made over urgent objections from the administration's own health and child welfare officials, who say both the facility and the region lack the specialized care the girls need. (Betancourt, 2/11)

The New York Times: Woman In ICE Custody For Nearly A Year Suffers Seizure After Falling
A New Jersey woman who was detained by federal immigration agents nearly a year ago suffered a seizure after she fell and hit her head in a Texas detention center, her lawyers and federal officials said on Wednesday. The woman, Leqaa Kordia, who has been held at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, since March 2025, was brought to a hospital last Friday and remained there for 72 hours before being taken back to the detention center, said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, Ms. Kordia's immigration lawyer. (Cramer, 2/12)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Forced To Share Personal Medicaid Data With Trump Administration, Including ICE
In January, the state's flagship safety net hospital, Denver Health, distributed a one-page notice about patient privacy that carried ground-shaking implications, especially for Colorado's immigrant population. The notice stated that due to federal changes within Medicaid, the federal-state program for millions of low-income and disabled Americans, "limited" personal information could be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Birkeland and Daley, 2/11)

The New York Times: Portland Lawsuit Alleges Tear Gas Use By ICE Is A Health Threat
Federal agents have fired so much tear gas near Mindy King's apartment in Portland, Ore., that she and her 13-year-old son bought gas masks to wear inside. Her neighbor, Diane Moreno, has gone to urgent care, twice, with tightness in her chest, and bloody discharge from her nose. The problem, they say, is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office less than 100 feet away from their homes. For months, ICE agents have sporadically used tear gas against protesters outside the facility. The repeated use of the chemicals, Ms. King and others fear, poses a serious threat to their health. (Tabuchi, 2/11)

Capitol Watch

5. Senate Bill Would Cement Nursing Home Staffing Rule Rebuffed By Trump

The Democratic measure would mandate around-the-clock registered nurse staffing and set a care threshold for patients, Axios reported. Republicans are unlikely to support the measure. Plus, Congress also discussed pharmacy benefit managers.

More news from Capitol Hill —

MedPage Today: PBM Trade Group CEO Apologizes To Lawmakers At House Hearing
Wednesday's House hearing on the pharmaceutical supply chain included the expected finger-pointing by various industries -- drugmakers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and healthcare distributors -- at one another. But it also contained a few surprises. One was an apology from David Marin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), a trade group for PBMs. (Frieden, 2/11)

Modern Healthcare: How PBMs Will Be Impacted By The Consolidated Appropriations Act
Years of gridlock on pharmacy benefit manager legislation gave way this month, and the sector now faces tougher regulation than ever. President Donald Trump signed legislation last week that "delinks" pharmacy benefit manager compensation from pharmaceutical list prices, imposes greater transparency requirements and mandates that drugmaker rebates are passed through to customers. Days before, the Labor Department proposed a regulation that would direct PBMs to disclose more information to group health plan sponsors. (Tong, 2/11)

The Washington Post: In Rebuke, House Votes To Roll Back Trump's Tariffs On Canada
Six Republicans joined Wednesday night with Democrats in the House in voting to end President Donald Trump's stepped-up tariffs on Canada, rebuking the president in the first of what could be several congressional challenges to his trade policies. The measure is largely symbolic and is not likely to succeed in overturning tariffs on the major U.S. trading partner, because Trump could veto the resolution if it clears the Senate as well. It would require a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to override his veto. (Beggin and Lynch, 2/11)

Military.com: Mold-Induced Housing Health Issues Lead Alabama Military Spouse To Capitol Hill
A military spouse has taken her family's mold-induced health issues to the steps of Washington, imploring the Pentagon and Congress to adopt new legislation. The current major point of emphasis involves pushing Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate to take up the Military Occupancy Living Defense Act, also known as the MOLD Act, that Thompson and others say if adopted will further improve environmental health and safety protections for members of the Armed Forces and their families that reside in such housing. (Mordowanec, 2/10)

Vaccines

6. Refusal To Review Moderna Flu Vaccine Application Came From FDA's Prasad

A team of scientists was set to review the company's flu vaccine for people 50 and older, but the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research quashed the application. Plus: The U.S. will participate in a Feb. 26 WHO meeting to discuss the composition of the 2026-27 flu vaccine.

The Hill: US Participating In Influenza Vaccine Meeting: WHO
The U.S. will participate in the World Health Organization's (WHO) upcoming meeting on the composition of the influenza vaccine despite officially withdrawing from the global group last month. The WHO will meet on Feb. 26 in Turkey to discuss the composition of the 2026-2027 flu vaccine for the northern hemisphere. "The vaccine composition meeting will be taking place later this month. The U.S. will participate in that meeting as far as I understand," Maria Van Kerkhove, interim director of the WHO's Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said in a press conference Wednesday. (Choi, 2/11)

Also —

CIDRAP: Study Finds No Link Between COVID-19 Vaccines And Autism
A study today finds no increase in autism rates in babies born to mothers who received COVID-19 vaccines just before or during pregnancy, compared with children of unvaccinated moms. The authors of the study, who presented their findings at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine 2026 Pregnancy Meeting, told CIDRAP News they hope the research will help dispel myths about COVID-19 vaccines, which multiple studies have found to be safe and effective during pregnancy. (Szabo, 2/11)

CIDRAP: Annenberg Poll Shows Drop In Perceived Safety Of Vaccines
A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania shows a small yet significant decline in the perceived safety of influenza, COVID-19, and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines among American adults. Though most Americans think all three of those vaccines are safe to take, there has been a decline over the past three years in perceived safety. (Soucheray, 2/11)

The Hechinger Report: Without School Vaccine Mandates, Many Kids May Never See A Doctor
Every December brings an end-of-year crush to Washington, D.C.'s pediatric clinics. In addition to the usual culprits — colds, the flu, RSV — that's also the time when the city school district issues notices reminding parents of children who are behind on required vaccinations to get caught up by December 8, or risk being turned away from school. (Carr, 2/11)

Health Industry

7. Nurses Vote To End Strike At 4 Out Of 5 New York City Hospitals

After weeks on the picket, the New York State Nurses Association has struck tentative deals with Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, and two other medical centers in the Mount Sinai system. The deals include salary increases and modest improvements to nurse staffing levels. Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia hospital voted down the deal.

The New York Times: Nurses At 4 N.Y.C. Hospitals Vote To End Strike, But It Continues At One
More than 10,000 nurses who have been on strike for a month will return to work at two major New York City hospital systems after voting to approve a new contract. But more than 4,000 strikers were still holding out for a better deal. On Wednesday, the nurses' union, the New York State Nurses Association, announced that members at Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai Hospital, along with two other medical centers in the Mount Sinai system, had ratified the tentative deal, which includes salary increases and modest improvements to nurse staffing levels. (Goldstein, 2/11)

Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawai'i Doctor Shortage Has Patients Paying Fees For Fast Care
Last month, Kiah Bland of Waikiki set out to find a primary care physician. What she assumed would be a painless chore swiftly became a desperate search. Most doctors in her area weren't accepting new patients. Those still building their patient base had lengthy waits for an office visit. Eventually, the 36-year-old found a Honolulu physician who could see her immediately — for a price. The doctor, who does not accept health insurance, explained that it would cost her $200 a month to become a patient. (Lyte, 2/11)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Hiring Drives Growth In January Jobs Report
Healthcare hiring is starting off the year strong, accounting for more than half of all jobs added in January. The industry's employers added 82,000 jobs in January, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Overall, the economy added 130,000 jobs across all industries. The gains follow a 2025 in which, despite propping up the job market, increases in healthcare hiring mostly were lower than in 2024. (DeSilva, 2/11)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Private Equity Deals Rose 10% In 2025: PitchBook
This year is expected to be a strong one for private equity investment in healthcare, especially for certain specialties. The number of deals rose 9.5% in 2025, with an estimated 747 deals announced or closed during the year, according to PitchBook. That's compared with 682 deals in 2024 and 801 deals in 2023, according to a report from the financial data and research company. (Hudson, 2/11)

Becker's Hospital Review: 10 Years After CMS' First Mandatory Bundled Payment Model, What Did It Actually Build?
This April will mark a decade since CMS launched the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model, the federal government's first mandatory, episode-based payment program applied broadly to hospitals. CJR required hospitals in 67 randomly selected metro areas to take financial accountability for the full 90-day episode of hip and knee replacements, putting post-acute care, surgeon behavior, implant costs and readmissions into a single performance frame. (Emerson, 2/11)

In pharmaceutical industry news —

Bloomberg: Novo To Follow Lilly And Sell Obesity Shot Wegovy In Vials
Novo Nordisk A/S aims to start selling its weight-loss blockbuster Wegovy in vials, its latest move to win over customers it's lost to rival Eli Lilly & Co. Currently Novo sells the drug in plastic injector pens. Lilly launched vials nearly two years ago to offer a lower-priced version of its shot and alleviate shortages. It's unclear what Novo will charge for vials, but the company already has been aggressively discounting its obesity drugs to compete. (Kresge and Muller, 2/11)

Bloomberg: Astra's Ex-Chief In China Formally Charged With Insurance Fraud
AstraZeneca Plc's former China head Leon Wang has been formally charged with medical insurance fraud, unlawful collection of personal information and illegal trade, with the case heading to court. The company was also indicted on charges of illegal trade, and the unlawful collection of personal information, AstraZeneca said in its latest financial results this week, though it said no illegal gain was alleged from that. It will not face the more serious charge of insurance fraud. (Furlong, 2/11)

Public Health

8. Drug Users Are Changing How They Use Opioids, Harm-Reduction Workers Say

Experts have noticed a sea change of more users preferring to smoke drugs, shifting away from injections. Also: A study looks at the risk factors that might drive food allergies; plant-based foods are linked to lower heart disease risk; and more.

In other public health news —

ABC News: New Study Examines Possible Risk Factors Linked To Childhood Food Allergies
A new study on food allergies has found that as many as 1 in 20 children may develop a food allergy by age 6. The research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed 190 studies of more than 2.7 million children across 40 countries and identified major and minor risk factors linked to food allergies. It found about 5% of kids in the U.S. had a food allergy by the age of 6. (Charles, 2/10)

NBC News: Whole Grains, Plant-Based Foods Key To Lower Coronary Heart Disease Risk
In a long-term, observational study of nearly 200,000 adults, low-fat and low-carb diets rich in plant-based foods, whole grains and unsaturated fats were associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease occurs when fatty deposits called plaque build up in the heart's arteries, preventing them from delivering oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. It can result in chest pain, heart attack or cardiac arrest when the heart suddenly stops pumping. On the other hand, diets that are high in refined carbs and animal-based fats and proteins were associated with higher risk. The findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (Mantel, 2/11)

On women's health —

The New York Times: Stopping Antidepressants During Pregnancy Can Be a Health Risk, Research Shows
New research suggests that when pregnant women stop taking their antidepressants they are nearly twice as likely to have a mental health emergency as those who continue to take their medication. The research, which was presented at the annual conference of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, used private insurance and pharmacy claims data from Pennsylvania to examine the medical histories of more than 1,400 women who had a baby in 2023 or 2024. Each of the women had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression and were already taking an antidepressant before becoming pregnant. (Caron, 2/11)

MedPage Today: More Good News For GLP-1 Agonists And Cancer Risk
Women with nonmalignant uterine disease and a history of GLP-1 agonist and progestin treatment had a significantly lower risk of endometrial cancer (EC) compared with progestins alone, a retrospective study showed. Based on a large clinical record database, the propensity-matched study showed a 66% lower hazard for endometrial cancer with the GLP-1 agonist/progestin combination. (Bankhead, 2/11)

KFF Health News: Alabama's 'Pretty Cool' Plan For Robots In Maternity Care Sparks Debate
It sounds like something from a science fiction novel, but Alabama officials' plan to use robots to improve care for rural pregnant women and their babies is real. During a January White House roundtable touting the first grants to states under a new $50 billion rural health fund, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz called the idea "pretty cool." Later that day, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, said it is decidedly not cool. And obstetricians and others chimed in on social media to express alarm, with one political activist calling it a "dystopian horror story." (Tribble, 2/12)

State Watch

9. Conagra Must Pay $25M To Calif. Man Who Says Cooking Spray Ruined Lungs

At issue was the use of diacetyl as a butter flavoring in Pam spray. Conagra, which says it removed the ingredient from its Pam formulation in 2009, will challenge the ruling.

In other health news from across the U.S. —

ProPublica, The Denver Gazette: Colorado Marijuana Regulators Consider Changes In Testing Sample Products
Colorado marijuana manufacturers would no longer be allowed to choose which product samples they send for mandatory lab testing under a new regulatory proposal discussed at a policy forum on Friday. Instead, the state's Marijuana Enforcement Division may require independent labs or outside vendors to collect product samples for the testing that's required before companies can sell their products to ensure they're free of contaminants. (Osher and Wyloge, 2/11)

ProPublica, The Frontier: Their Water Was Undrinkable. Oklahoma's Oil Regulators Failed To Help.
In the summer of 2022, months after Tammy Boarman and her husband, Chris, moved into their newly built "forever home" 30 miles from Oklahoma City, the plants in their yard began to turn yellow. The shrubs wilted, though Tammy watered them often. And the couple began to notice a salty taste in their drinking water. The water came from a private well, drilled the year before, and they hoped that the bad taste would fade with time and with the help of a water softener. (Bowlin, 2/12)

KFF Health News: Louisville Found PFAS In Drinking Water. The Trump Administration Wouldn't Require Any Action
Every day, the Ohio River sends billions of gallons of water flowing past Louisville's pumping station, where the Kentucky city's utility sucks it up to turn it into tap water. To ensure it tastes good and is safe to drink, a small team of scientists and technicians is constantly testing the water for pH, odors, heavy metals, and microbes. But unlike many smaller municipal utilities in the U.S., Louisville Water regularly checks for PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. (Watkins, 2/12)

On social media and mental health —

AP: Instagram Chief Casts Doubt On Clinical Addiction To Social Media
Adam Mosseri, the head of Meta's Instagram, testified Wednesday during a landmark social media trial in Los Angeles that he disagrees with the idea that people can be clinically addicted to social media platforms. The question of addiction is a key pillar of the case, where plaintiffs seek to hold social media companies responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled. (Huamani and Ortutay, 2/12)

Health Policy Research

10. Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs

Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.

CIDRAP: Preliminary Study Suggests Using Menstrual Blood To Screen For HPV
An observational study from China finds that menstrual blood can be used to screen for HPV, the human papillomavirus, which causes 90% of all cervical cancer. Authors of the study hope their results could provide women with a less invasive, more convenient way to be screened for cervical cancer, which is expected to kill 4,200 US women this year. (Szabo, 2/5)

Fox News: Metformin May Slow Age-Related Macular Degeneration In Diabetic Patients
A common medication for diabetes may slow down age-related vision loss, according to new research. People with diabetes who were over the age of 55 and taking metformin — a prescription drug most commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes — were 37% less likely to develop intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over five years compared to those not taking it. (Quill, 2/10)

Editorials And Opinions

11. Viewpoints: Medicaid Work Rules Punish Unpaid Caregivers; Surprise At A MAHA Roundtable

Opinion writers weigh in on these public health topics.

The Washington Post: I Joined A MAHA Roundtable. What I Heard Surprised Me.
I want to be clear about my posture going in: I am not ideologically aligned with many who were in that room. As an immigrant physician and scientist, I worry that national funding cuts and policies that make this country less welcoming will deter the next generation of lifesaving talent and leadership from coming to the United States. I understand why many of my colleagues feel frustrated or concerned. What I heard at the event was more complex and constructive than much public discourse would suggest. (Chethan Sathya, 2/11)

The Washington Post: A Solution To The Doctor Shortage Could Be Just Down The Street
Pharmacist education includes patient assessment, differential diagnosis, laboratory testing, drug administration and prescribing. But outdated statutes often limit pharmacists to testing without treatment or require referral even when clinical care is straightforward and well established. Some state legislatures are considering proposals to modernize these laws and expand access to care. Yet pharmacists in many states remain legally prohibited from providing care they are trained to deliver. (Tim Frost, 2/11)

The New York Times: Eyeing The Midterms, Kennedy Pivots Toward Food And Away From Vaccines
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., making a calculated election-year pivot away from vaccines, staged a Hollywood-style event on Wednesday promoting his "Eat Real Food" agenda, featuring a celebrity cast that included the boxer Mike Tyson in a campaign to make healthy food "achievable, practical, affordable and within reach of every American family." He was not specific. But underlying those promises was a political reality: Mr. Kennedy's healthy eating agenda is popular. His vaccine agenda is not. (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, 2/11)

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF. (c) 2026 KFF Health News. All rights reserved.

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