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Tuesday, April 14, 2026
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Morning Briefing |
In This Edition:
From KFF Health News:
1. States Change Custody Laws To Keep Children of Detained Immigrants Out of Foster Care
As President Donald Trump’s heightened immigration enforcement continues across the country, some states are updating temporary guardianship laws to keep the children of detained and deported immigrants out of state custody. (Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez and Oona Zenda, 4/14)
2. New Orleans Takes Steps To Assess and Clean Lead in Playgrounds After Investigation
New Orleans’ mayor signed an executive order, and the city is requesting $5 million in federal funds to address lead in playgrounds. (Halle Parker, Verite News, 4/14)
3. Political Cartoon: 'That's Ruff'
KFF Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Political Cartoon: 'That's Ruff'" by Adam Cooper and Mat Barton.
Here's today's health policy haiku:
GLP-1S ARE ONLY HALF THE BATTLE
You can take the shot,
but don’t forget that you must
move and think well, too.
- Leann Lewis
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:
4. Eye Doctor Being Considered To Replace Prasad As Vaccine Regulator
Houman Hemmati, who criticized the government's response to the covid pandemic, is in the running to replace Vinay Prasad as the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, sources told The Washington Post.
The Washington Post: Fox News Regular Houman Hemmati Considered For FDA Vaccine Role
The Trump administration is considering Houman Hemmati, an ophthalmologist, entrepreneur and frequent Fox News guest, to serve as the nation’s next top regulator of vaccines and treatments for complex diseases, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations. If selected, Hemmati would replace Vinay Prasad, who is slated to leave the high-ranking position at the Food and Drug Administration at the end of April after a rocky year. Prasad had overseen controversial decisions about drugs and a new plan to tighten vaccine approvals, which drew condemnation from former agency leaders. (Roubein and Diamond, 4/13)
On the spread of mpox and covid —
Bloomberg: Mpox Can Infect, Replicate In The Brain, NIH Researchers Say In Fatal HIV Case
A man with advanced HIV died with drug-resistant mpox replicating in his brain, US scientists found, in a case that shows how the virus can persist and evolve just as global health programs to check such infections are being scaled back. The findings, based on a detailed autopsy by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and released as a preprint Thursday, suggest mpox can spread far beyond the skin lesions that typically define the disease. The virus was found infecting the brain and continuing to multiply there despite lower viral levels than in other tissues. (Gale, 4/14)
CIDRAP: COVID Revaccination Early In Pregnancy Not Linked To Higher Risk Of Major Birth Defects
In a study published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection, researchers in Singapore uncover no tie between repeated mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in the first trimester of pregnancy and a significantly increased risk of major structural birth defects. (Van Beusekom, 4/13)
On the World Health Organization —
Stat: Hanan Balkhy As The Next WHO Leader? Iran War May Complicate Things
Hanan Balkhy has a lot on her plate these days. Balkhy is the director of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean region, an entity that includes several of the countries caught up in the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran. The problems it has been posing — not just to individuals’ health and safety but to entire health care systems — are robbing her of sleep. (Branswell, 4/14)
5. Pill For Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Helped Patients Live Twice As Long
Stat reported that patients who took the daily pill, called daraxonrasib, lived a median of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for patients who received chemotherapy. One of the trial's participants, former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, said, "This experience has seemingly extended both quantity and quality of [my] life.”
Stat: Revolution Medicines Touts ‘Unprecedented’ Data For Pancreatic Cancer Pill
Metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who received a targeted pill from Revolution Medicines lived nearly twice as long as patients who received chemotherapy, a striking result in an especially deadly and intractable malignancy. Patients who took the daily pill, called daraxonrasib, lived a median of 13.2 months, compared to 6.7 months for patients who received chemotherapy. (Mast, 4/13)
Stat: Ben Sasse Grateful To Be In Rev Med's Pancreatic Cancer Drug Trial
When Ben Sasse, a former United States senator (R-Neb.), learned he had metastatic pancreatic cancer, he quickly chose action over comfort. Whatever he could do to save his life, for as long as he could, he wanted to try it. Perhaps his only option, doctors told him, was to enroll in a clinical trial. (Chen, 4/14)
More news about cancer —
ABC News: Adolescent And Young Adult Cancers Increase Risk Of Developing Future Cancers
People who survived cancer as teens and young adults are at increased risk of developing cancer later in their lives, according to research from the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Approximately 16% of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors who stayed cancer-free for at least five years are at high risk, compared to about 12% of people in the same age group without cancer. (Negussie, 4/13)
Fox News: New-Onset Anemia Linked To Higher Cancer Risk And Mortality, Study Finds
Anemia, a common blood disorder, may be a major risk factor for developing cancer. That's according to new research from Sweden, which sought to discover whether newly developed anemia is an early warning sign of cancer or death from any cause. (Stabile, 4/13)
MedPage Today: Chemo Combo Wins In Ovarian Cancer, But Single-Agent Therapy Still In The Game
A negative study in low-grade serous ovarian cancer might have uncovered a pathway toward more effective treatment for a large subgroup of patients, according to the NRG-GY019 trial. (Bankhead, 4/12)
Fox News: Cancer Patients May Benefit From 'Miracle Fruit,' Helping With Chemo Mouth Taste Loss
A small, red "miracle fruit" is gaining attention for its ability to make lemons taste like lemonade — and for helping some cancer patients cope with an unpleasant side effect of treatment. (Bardolf, 4/13)
Also —
The New York Times: Broadcaster Dick Vitale Diagnosed With Melanoma In Lung, Liver Cavity
ESPN college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale announced Monday that he has been diagnosed with melanoma in his lung and liver cavity. Vitale, 86, will soon start immunotherapy treatments. The legendary ESPN personality has been ravaged by health struggles in recent years, battling multiple forms of cancer. (Williams, 4/13)
6. Fluoride In Drinking Water Does Not Cause IQ Loss, US Study Shows
The first long-term study in the U.S. shows that drinking fluoridated water has no negative effect on cognition up to the age of 80. The use of fluoridated water has been shown to reduce tooth decay by 25%. Two states have banned the mineral, while several others have similar legislation pending.
NBC News: Fluoride In Drinking Water Has No Effect On IQ Or Brain Function, Major Study Shows
Tests of intelligence and brain function showed the same results whether or not people drank fluoridated water growing up, a highly anticipated, long-term study found. The new research, published Monday in the respected Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to measure community water fluoridation exposure during childhood in the U.S. and any potential impact on cognition up to age 80. The results contradict claims made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that fluoride is “industrial waste” associated with IQ loss. (Edwards and Ozcan, 4/13)
More about MAHA —
MedPage Today: Does Tylenol Increase Autism Risk? A New Study Has Answers
Prenatal exposure to acetaminophen (Tylenol) was not associated with an increased risk of autism in offspring, with or without adjustments for sibling comparisons, nationwide data from Denmark showed. (George, 4/13)
Chalkbeat: New Food Pyramid Is Meat-Heavy. What That Means For School Lunch
The Trump administration loves red meat, and could soon change what students eat in schools. But an unlikely collection of groups that includes key constituents for the president agree on one message: Don’t put kids on the carnivore diet. (Altavena, 4/13)
In related news —
The New York Times: How Lee Zeldin Shifted The Mission — And The Message — Of The E.P.A.
More than any administrator in decades, Lee Zeldin talks about the Environmental Protection Agency's work in economic terms, reflecting President Trump’s desire to boost industry while downplaying environmental consequences. (Friedman and Stevens, 4/12)
The Wall Street Journal: The Boomers Are Turning 80. Now They Want To Change Old Age.
The first of the youth-obsessed baby boomers turn 80 this year, including President Trump, and they want to shake up old age. Having reached octogenarian levels, a generation that shaped much of our past is shaping the future of aging for themselves and those who follow. They want better healthcare and housing, cures for dementia and a say in when to die. New professions and products will appear. Their massive spending will shift and innovators will follow. (Ansberry, 4/13)
7. Ohio Nursing Homes Put Frail Patients In Homeless Shelters, CMS Data Reveal
Inspectors for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have faulted seven Ohio facilities for discharging people to homeless shelters, which aren't capable of caring for seniors with medical needs. Often, the issues trace back to insurers that cut off residents’ benefits, Signal Ohio reported.
Signal Ohio: Ohio’s Nursing Homes Are Dumping Patients At Homeless Shelters
The scene was concerning enough to prompt the homeless shelter staff to call the fire department. A woman using a walker had shown up, incontinent and carrying “a large bag of medications.” She was diabetic, managing a tibia fracture and alcohol-related dementia, and she was “dumped” at the shelter, according to federal inspectors. (Zuckerman, 4/13)
The Washington Post: Nursing Homes' Workforce Would Be Harmed By Deporting Haitians, Industry Says
Lower courts blocked the effort to send home Haitian immigrants, part of an already shrinking workforce in nursing homes. The Supreme Court will hear the case this month. (Rowland, 4/14)
Medicaid news from New York and Nebraska —
The New York Times: Trump And New York Are In A Tug Of War Over Medicaid Coverage
With tough new regulations looming in the president’s domestic policy bill, officials are coming up with plans to keep New Yorkers insured. (Goldstein, 4/14)
Politico: ‘A Crisis In The Making’: Nebraska Races To Impose Work Requirements On Medicaid
Nebraska is racing to implement Medicaid work requirements by May 1 — eight months before the national deadline set by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress last summer. And not only is the state first out of the gate, its government plans to do it without hiring any additional staff, even as other state health departments prepare to bring aboard dozens if not hundreds of new employees to determine who should remain enrolled and who should be booted from the safety net health insurance program. (Ollstein, 4/14)
More news from across the U.S. —
Military.com: Tennessee Lawmakers Concerned Over Planned VA Clinic Closure
More than 2,000 military veterans in Middle Tennessee will have to transition to a new care facility after a recent announcement that their current facility is closing. The McMinnville VA Clinic, about 75 miles southeast of Nashville, is winding down operations and will close May 31. “We understand the decision to transition services at this facility reflects broader efforts to address staffing challenges and improve the delivery of care,” read a joint statement sent to Military.com from Tennessee U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn, Bill Hagerty, and Congressman Scott DesJarlais. (Dennis, 4/13)
Stat: Maryland Affordability Board Sets Price Cap For Diabetes Medicine
Seeking to cap the cost of medicines, the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board set an upper payment limit for a widely prescribed diabetes treatment, marking only the second time a state panel has taken such a step. (Silverman, 4/13)
The Washington Post: Mamdani Says New York Will Have A City-Run Grocery Store In Every Borough
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday he’ll move ahead with plans to open five city-run grocery stores, with the first set to debut next year in East Harlem. The first store will be constructed on city-owned land next to a food hall in East Harlem in northern Manhattan, an area where nearly 40 percent of residents receive public assistance benefits. “At our stores, eggs will be cheaper. Bread will be cheaper. Grocery shopping will no longer be an unsolvable equation,” Mamdani said. (Craig, 4/13)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Sees Sharp Drop In Sexually Transmitted Infections
San Francisco saw a “significant decline” in sexually transmitted infections in 2025, city health officials said Monday, crediting expanded prevention efforts and the growing use of a post-exposure antibiotic. Cases of syphilis fell 24%, chlamydia dropped 18% and gonorrhea declined 5% compared with 2024, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. (Vaziri, 4/13)
San Francisco Chronicle: Amid A Kidney Shortage, One Bay Area Priest Donates To Another
A Catholic priest is called to serve. But for Father Ray, that call was getting harder to answer. After seven years as pastor at St. Augustine Parish in South San Francisco, the Rev. Raymund Reyes, 62, was in kidney failure. He was tired all the time, and dialysis three days a week wiped out what little energy he had left. He was put on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, but told it could take eight years. (Allday, 4/13)
Bloomberg: Texas Probes Lululemon For Alleged ‘Forever Chemicals’ Use
The Texas attorney general’s office is investigating Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s apparel for the presence of so-called “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to health problems. “Emerging research and consumer concerns have raised questions about the potential presence of certain synthetic materials and chemical compounds in their apparel,” the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. The probe “will examine whether Lululemon’s athletic apparel contains PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ that their health-conscious customers would not expect based on the brand’s marketing.” (Roeder and Meier, 4/13)
Roll Call: Victims Of Camp Lejeune’s Tainted Water Inch Closer To Amends
Decades of anger and frustration are turning into cautious optimism for some victims of contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, as about two dozen of more than 3,700 lawsuits seeking compensation for damages appear headed for trial later this year in federal court in North Carolina. (Magner, 4/13)
The Colorado Sun: Troubling Signs For Mental Health In The High Country This Offseason
The mountains closed early. The skiing was not great. Workers dependent on ski crowds didn’t bank the cash they wanted to cover things like the soaring cost of health insurance and housing. The pressures on mountain-town workers are high this spring as the high-country transition season descends. (Blevins, 4/13)
KFF Health News: New Orleans Takes Steps To Assess And Clean Lead In Playgrounds After Investigation
New Orleans plans to revamp the commission that oversees city parks and playgrounds and is seeking $5 million in federal aid after an investigation published by Verite News and KFF Health News found high levels of lead contamination in playgrounds throughout the city. Mayor Helena Moreno signed an executive order on April 7 that creates a task force to improve the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission. (Parker, 4/14)
8. White House To Voters: We're Fixing Health Care With Doc-Focused Strategy
Heading toward the midterm elections, the Trump administration will argue that its agenda is addressing issues including too few physicians and too much paperwork, The Washington Post reported. But critics have pointed to other administration policies, including the significant reductions to Medicaid funding, as harmful.
The Washington Post: White House Says It’s Boosting Affordability Through Physician Reforms
The White House will make the case Monday to Congress — and to voters — that it has developed a strategy to address frequent frustrations involving U.S. medical care, such as too few physicians and too much paperwork. The Trump administration casts its physician-focused agenda as a fix for a strained health care system — pointing to a $50 billion funding program for rural health it contends will boost the number of doctors in remote areas, efforts to reduce payment distortions that favor hospitals rather than doctors, and regulatory changes intended to speed insurance approvals for tests and follow-up care. (Diamond, 4/13)
More news from Capitol Hill —
Axios: Exclusive: GOP Pushes Sweetener For Cash-Pay Drugs
Republicans in Congress are trying to attract more people to direct-to-consumer drug purchases on platforms like TrumpRx by requiring insurers to count that spending toward patients' deductibles and out-of-pocket limits. Paying cash for drugs has limited appeal for insured patients, in part because it doesn't help them get to the point where insurance picks up a bigger portion of their health costs. (Goldman, 4/14)
The Washington Post: Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales Say They’ll Leave Congress Ahead Of Possible Expulsion Votes
Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-California) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) separately announced plans to depart from Congress on Monday ahead of possible expulsion votes related to allegations of sexual misconduct. ... The departures of Swalwell and Gonzales — one Democrat and one Republican — would mean the Republicans’ narrow majority in the House remains unchanged if they leave the chamber at the same time. (Alfaro and Wang, 4/13)
More news about the Trump administration —
MedPage Today: FDA Urges Pharma To Publish Trial Data, Warns Of 'Distorted' Evidence Base
The FDA said it reminded more than 2,000 pharmaceutical companies and researchers about legal requirements to publish clinical trial data, warning that a publication preference for positive trials could be skewing the available evidence on therapies. (Ingram, 4/13)
AP: OSHA Cites 3 Companies After Death Of Worker Building ICE Detention Camp
Federal regulators have cited three contractors, including one owned by a campaign donor to President Donald Trump, for safety violations stemming from the death of a worker helping build a major immigration detention center last year. Violations deemed serious by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration were found in its investigation into the July 21, 2025, death of Hector Gonzalez, 38, who was crushed by falling materials in a construction accident as contractors raced to build Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. (Foley, 4/13)
KFF Health News: States Change Custody Laws To Keep Children Of Detained Immigrants Out Of Foster Care
As immigration authorities carry out what President Donald Trump has promised will be the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, several states are passing laws to keep children out of foster care when their detained parents have no family or friends available to take temporary custody of them. The federal government doesn’t track how many children have entered foster care because of immigration enforcement actions, leaving it unclear how often it happens. In Oregon, as of February two children had been placed in foster care after being separated from their parents in immigration detention cases, according to Jake Sunderland, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Human Services. (Orozco Rodriguez, 4/14)
9. AI Streamlines Prior Authorizations And Billing But Raises Costs: Report
Meanwhile, a proposed rule from CMS would require Medicare Advantage plans to respond to medication prior authorization requests within 24 or 72 hours, depending on urgency.
Fierce Healthcare: AI Speeds Up Prior Auth But Also Drives Up Costs: Report
While artificial intelligence solutions can reduce administrative burden in prior authorizations and billing, organizations are reporting increased transaction volumes and higher costs, according to a new report. The Peterson Health Technology Institute took insights from a January 2026 workshop featuring senior leaders from a spectrum of organizations, ranging from health systems to federal agencies. Leaders discussed ways in which technology and policy can enable AI to reduce administrative costs, accelerate payment cycles and promote high-value care. (Gleeson, 4/13)
MedPage Today: CMS Proposes Deadlines For Prior Authorization Requests In Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans would have to respond to urgent prior authorization requests for medications within 24 hours, and standard requests within 72 hours, under a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Issued Friday, the proposed rule also would require full disclosure of claims denials and appeals outcomes, according to a CMS press release. (Frieden, 4/13)
More news about the high cost of health care —
Modern Healthcare: Elevance Health's No Surprises Act Lawsuit Dismissed By Judge
A federal judge dismissed an Elevance Health subsidiary’s No Surprises Act lawsuit against billing dispute consultant company HaloMD and several California-headquartered providers. Anthem Blue Cross in July 2025 filed suit in the Central District Court of California. The complaint accused HaloMD and the providers of allegedly inappropriately winning higher reimbursements through the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution system. (DeSilva, 4/13)
MedPage Today: Huge Rates Of Insurance Denials Get Overturned By Independent Review Experts
Persistence in appealing denied health insurance claims resulted in overturned decisions between 30% and 78% percent of the time, when the case reached independent review organizations (IROs), an analysis of completed external appeals showed. (Clark, 4/13)
Bloomberg: US Hospitals Face Renewed Financial Strain After Exiting Bankruptcy
The hospitals that emerged from the bankruptcies of Steward Health Care System and Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. were supposed to help stabilize one of the world’s largest hospital landlords by restoring a battered tenant base after two years of industry stress. Instead, many are already showing signs of renewed distress. Several hospitals in Florida, California and other states — all important tenants of Medical Properties Trust Inc., the hospital landlord known as MPT — have fallen behind on payments to vendors and other creditors, court filings and other records show. (Biswas, 4/13)
Jackson Hole Community Radio: Jackson Hospital Considers Cutting Services, Raising Taxes To Fix Budget
St. John’s Health Board of Trustees is looking at various strategies to keep the Jackson hospital afloat ahead of a fall property tax vote that could decimate its tax income. That’s after an already tough year for rural hospitals, which battled high rates of uncompensated care and delayed federal funding that is expected to shrink from past years. (McMurtry, 4/13)
Fierce Healthcare: CMS Taps 150 Participants For ACCESS Model, Extends Deadline
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services picked 150 digital health companies and healthcare providers to participate in the launch of its tech-enabled chronic care model. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced in December the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model as a 10-year payment program to encourage the use of technology to treat chronic diseases. CMS aims for the ACCESS Model to provide stable, recurring payments for technology used to treat diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, obesity, depression and anxiety. The model will help pay for telehealth software, wearables and wellness apps that address the conditions. (Landi, 4/13)
10. Viewpoints: Age Limits Shouldn't Block Access To Breakthrough Drugs; Good Riddance To Illegal NIH Funding Cuts
Editorial writers discuss these public health issues.
Stat: Age-Based Approvals For Rare Diseases Can Be Devastating
For most of my life, my family has been advocating for therapies to help my twin brother. While the recent approval of a new drug should give us reason to celebrate, there is still more work to do. (Nathan Grant, 4/14)
The Washington Post: DOGE Funding Cuts For NIH Research Grants Are Officially Dead
The Trump administration quietly conceded defeat last week on its misguided push to slash research funding from the National Institutes of Health. That’s a relief to researchers, but all Americans benefit from the basic and applied research that would have been disrupted by permanent cuts. (4/13)
The Boston Globe: Mass. Must Eliminate Nonmedical Vaccine Exemptions
Amid a dangerous upswing in vaccine disinformation, exacerbated by the anti-vaccine rhetoric of US Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., parents are increasingly turning to nonmedical exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children. (John Snyder, 4/12)
Bloomberg: The UK Has A Dentist Problem, But It's Not About Private Care
When you’ve got a bad toothache and there’s no immediate relief available, you need something to take your mind off the pain. The Competition and Markets Authority’s study into the supply of private dental services in the UK has the look of a distraction. (Matthew Brooker, 4/14)
The Washington Post: Kennedy’s Raw Milk Movement Is Dangerous, But Don’t Overreact
Last month, Utah passed a law to increase the amount of raw milk producers can sell and ease testing requirements. Legislatures in Iowa, Oklahoma and Michigan are considering similar bills to expand access to these products. (Leana S. Wen, 4/14)
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