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Wednesday, April 08, 2026
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Morning Briefing |
In This Edition:
From KFF Health News:
1. Trump’s Personnel Agency Is Asking for Federal Workers’ Medical Records
The administration is asking insurers that cover federal employees and retirees to hand over details about their medical visits, their pharmacy claims, and more. (Amanda Seitz and Maia Rosenfeld, 4/8)
2. Urgent Care Clinics Move To Fill Abortion Care Gaps in Rural Areas
When the only clinic that offered abortions in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula closed, an urgent care facility stepped in to fill the gap. Now, others are considering similar moves as brick-and-mortar clinics close in blue states. (Kate Wells, 4/8)
3. Listen to the Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
The "KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week. (4/7)
Here's today's health policy haiku:
DIFFERENT NEEDS
There's not one health care.
Cultural, personal needs
will shape the future.
- Hawkins Nessler
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. For Now, Abortion Pill May Remain Available By Mail, Judge Rules
The state of Louisiana has argued that allowing the sale of mifepristone at the federal level prevents it from enforcing its strict ban on abortion. Federal Judge David Joseph, a Trump appointee, said that he would follow an FDA study of the drug that is in the works and asked the FDA for an update of its investigation within six months, AP reported.
AP: Judge Refuses To Block Sending Abortion Pills By Mail
A federal judge Tuesday refused to block filling prescriptions for the abortion pill mifepristone by mail across the U.S. — at least for now — in a setback to Louisiana’s effort to stifle groups that send it into states where abortion is banned. U.S. District Judge David Joseph, who sits in Lafayette, Louisiana, ruled against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who asked that U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules that allow mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail be paused while a challenge to those 2023 regulations moves through the courts. (Mulvihill and Kruesi, 4/7)
More abortion news —
Kansas Reflector: Pair Of GOP Anti-Abortion Bills Draw Vetoes From Democratic Kansas Governor
Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill approved by the Kansas Legislature to maneuver around medical objections and legal challenges to state mandates that patients be provided abortion information layered with junk science. She vetoed a second bill that could make it easier for women who had an abortion to sue abortion doctors or clinics. (Carpenter, 4/7)
NPR: Abortion Pills Would Be Safe Even Over-The-Counter, A New Study Says
A paper in JAMA Internal Medicine adds to the growing scientific evidence that medication abortion pills would be safe to sell over-the-counter at the pharmacy. But political opposition means that possibility may not happen anytime soon. (Simmons-Duffin, 4/6)
KFF Health News: Urgent Care Clinics Move To Fill Abortion Care Gaps In Rural Areas
Providing abortions was the last thing Shawn Brown thought she’d be doing when she opened an urgent care clinic in this remote town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. But she also wasn’t expecting the Planned Parenthood in Marquette to shut down last spring. Roughly 1,100 patients relied on that clinic each year for cancer screenings, IUD insertions, and medication abortions. Now the area has no other in-person resource for abortions. “It’s a 500-mile stretch of no access,” Brown said. (Wells, 4/8)
On pregnancy and fertility —
CNN: From ERs To Courtrooms, Trump’s Warning That Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Take Tylenol Is Causing Shockwaves
Six months after President Donald Trump shocked mainstream medicine by saying pregnant women shouldn’t take Tylenol because it is “associated with a very increased risk of autism,” the effects of his comments are still rippling across the country. (Owermohle, 4/6)
The Wall Street Journal: Men Are Obsessed With Their Sperm Health, And Brands Are Cashing In
Julian Prosia, a 31-year-old optometrist in Waterloo, Ontario, was living a healthy life when he and his wife started planning for a baby. Around that time, he started seeing social-media videos discussing the importance of improving sperm health. The posts, featuring influencers urging men to enhance their fertility by exercising to increase testosterone, eating healthy, taking supplements and reducing alcohol intake, made an impression. Prosia popped his vitamins religiously, pushed himself to work out more vigorously and cut out alcohol. Within a couple of months, his wife was pregnant. (O'Brien, 4/7)
5. After Pledging To Change, Insurers Have Cut Prior Authorizations By 11%
There's also been a 15% reduction in prior authorizations for Medicare Advantage since June, when about 50 plans signed on to the reform pledge, Fierce Healthcare reported. In other industry news: Jefferson Health sues Aetna; most Americans still prefer getting medical advice from providers over AI; and more.
Fierce Healthcare: Insurers Have Eliminated 11% Of Prior Auths Under Reform Pledge
Last summer, the insurance industry broadly agreed to reform a major healthcare pain point: prior authorization. Now, two of the industry's leading organizations are offering a look at progress toward those goals. AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association released a report on Tuesday that found leading health plans reduced prior authorizations for an array of services by 11% since the pledge was made. (Minemyer, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare: Jefferson Health Sues Aetna Over ‘Downcoding' Policy
Jefferson Health sued Aetna over an inpatient payment policy the CVS Health subsidiary announced last year. Aetna in January implemented a “downcoding” policy to reduce reimbursement for some Medicare Advantage members’ hospital inpatient stays. The suit, filed Monday in the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania, argues Aetna allegedly violated federal law and its contract with the provider when it rolled out the initiative. (DeSilva, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare: Health Systems Embrace Performance-Based Digital Health Contracts
Health systems and health plans are embracing performance-based contracts with digital health vendors. In 2025, 75% of health plans and 61% of health systems implemented performance-based contracts with digital health vendors, according to a 2025 survey conducted by Peterson Health Technology Institute. In addition, the majority of the organizations that didn’t use performance-based contracts last year expressed interest in doing them. (Famakinwa, 4/7)
CIDRAP: Polls Show Most Americans Still Prefer Providers To AI For Health Advice
A new poll from the Pew Research Center shows that Americans turn to health care providers the most when it comes to accurate medical advice, with only 36% saying they have used social media or artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots (22%) to gather health information. And a national Ohio State Wexner Medical Center poll of 1,007 adults finds that only 42% are open to AI being used as part of their care, compared with 52% when this survey first ran in 2024. (Soucheray, 4/7)
CIDRAP: C Difficile Incidence In Hospitals Fell During The COVID-19 Pandemic, New Data Reveal
Global incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in hospitals declined significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the prepandemic period, Chinese researchers reported late last week in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control. (Dall, 4/7)
6. Many Cancer Patients Are Missing Out On The Most Advanced Treatments
A study in JAMA found that many patients are not receiving genetic sequencing, which can often greatly improve a person's chances of survival. Patients with a low income, Medicare or Medicaid coverage, and those of Black or Hispanic ethnicity were less likely to receive sequencing. Also, advocates worry New York may be rolling back Medicaid coverage of biomarker precision testing.
Stat: Many Cancer Patients Don’t Get Genomic Tests To Guide Treatment, Study Finds
Even as therapies improve, a startling number of cancer patients are not getting genomic tests that could improve their chance of survival. (Chen, 4/7)
CBS News: New York Budget Proposal Threatens To Roll Back Biomarker Testing Coverage, Health Care Advocates Say
Three years ago, New York state took a huge step forward by expanding access to biomarker testing, which is said to be a game changer in cancer care. Now, however, advocates fear the state could be taking a step back for those with Medicaid. (DeAngelis, 4/7)
Bloomberg: Gilead Agrees To Buy Cancer Biotech Tubulis In $5 Billion Deal
Gilead Sciences Inc. agreed to buy private German biotech Tubulis GmbH in a deal worth up to $5 billion as it looks to boost its portfolio in a hot new area of cancer drug development. Gilead will pay $3.15 billion upfront in cash, and as much as $1.85 billion more if certain milestones are met, the companies said in a statement Tuesday, confirming an earlier Bloomberg story. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter. Gilead shares slid 1.2% at 12:30 p.m. in New York on Tuesday. (Kresge, Langreth and Henning, 4/7)
On diabetes —
MedPage Today: FDA Approves First Farxiga Generics For Type 2 Diabetes
The FDA approved the first generics of dapagliflozin (Farxiga) tablets for adults with type 2 diabetes, the agency announced on Tuesday. Generics of the SGLT2 inhibitor are indicated for glycemic control (alongside diet and exercise) and for reducing the risk of heart failure hospitalizations among patients with established cardiovascular disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors. (Monaco, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare: Diabetes Device Recalls Climb As CGM, Insulin Pump Issues Grow
Continuous glucose monitors, automated insulin delivery systems and other devices have improved diabetes care for millions of patients, but a spike in recalls has doctors and patient advocates concerned. The 20 recalls in 2025 were more than the previous four years combined and an almost sevenfold increase from the three recalls in 2024, according to a Food and Drug Administration medical device recall database. This year, there have been at least three recalls. (Dubinsky, 4/7)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Merck’s HIV Prevention Pill Could Be Made For Less Than $5 A Year
An experimental HIV prevention pill being developed by Merck could be mass produced for less than $5 per patient a year according to a new analysis. Advocates argue the low cost means the company should find it easier to license the drug so that low- and middle-income countries can gain easy access. (Silverman, 4/7)
Bloomberg: Novo Prices High-Dose Wegovy At $399 To Challenge Lilly’s Zepbound
Novo Nordisk A/S will price its new high-dose Wegovy shot at $399 a month for cash-pay patients, undercutting the cost of most doses of rival Eli Lilly & Co.’s Zepbound. High-dose Wegovy will be available starting on Tuesday, Novo said. The price is about 40% less than what Lilly charges cash-pay patients for the top three doses of Zepbound. The stronger drug is an important part of Novo’s efforts to catch up with Lilly after a trial showed that Zepbound outperformed the standard dose of Wegovy. The prospect of more weight loss has helped the Lilly drug become the most popular obesity shot in the US. (Muller and Kresge, 4/7)
CIDRAP: Insecticide Resistance In South American Mosquitoes Portends Trouble For Malaria Control
Mosquitoes in South America are evolving to evade insecticides, a troubling implication for the spread of malaria in that part of the world. The Anopheles darlingi mosquito is a major vector of malaria in the Americas, which has seen meaningful progress in combating the parasitic disease: In the past eight years Paraguay, Argentina, El Salvador, Belize, and Suriname were all certified as malaria free by the World Health Organization (WHO). Still, according to the WHO’s Pan American Health Organization, 136 people in the Americas died of malaria in 2024. (Boden, 4/7)
7. New ACIP Charter That Tweaks Criteria For Membership To Go Into Effect Soon
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' amended charter — which calls for a “balance of specialty areas" — was published Monday in the Federal Register and likely will be filed next week after a required seven-day notice is fulfilled. This comes after the previous committee was blocked by a federal judge.
The Hill: RFK Jr. Adjusts CDC Vaccine Panel Eligibility After Federal Judge Found New Members Unqualified
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s amended charter for a vaccine advisory committee was published Monday and is set to go into effect soon, but there are currently no members after a federal judge effectively nullified those handpicked by the secretary. On April 6, Kennedy’s amended charter for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was published in the Federal Register. Kennedy’s charter renewal broadens the criteria for membership to the committee. (Choi, 4/7)
Politico: Poll: Here’s What MAHA Actually Believes
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ideas have gone mainstream, but his Make America Healthy Again movement is struggling to find its footing. MAHA-coded ideas about food and nutrition are broadly popular and a third of Americans now identify as MAHA supporters. But new results from The POLITICO Poll suggest Kennedy’s movement is disjointed. His supporters aren’t political diehards and they have a wide array of priorities that don’t neatly align with those of MAHA leadership, the poll suggests. (Brown and Hooper, 4/6)
KFF Health News: Trump’s Personnel Agency Is Asking For Federal Workers’ Medical Records
The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families. A brief notice from the Office of Personnel Management could dramatically change which personally identifiable medical information the agency obtains, giving it the power to see prescriptions employees had filled or what treatment they sought from doctors. The regulation would require 65 insurance companies that cover more than 8 million Americans — including federal workers, retired members of Congress, mail carriers, and their immediate family members — to provide monthly reports to OPM with identifiable health data on their members. (Seitz and Rosenfeld, 4/8)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Arielle Zionts reads the week’s news: Scientists say staff losses at the National Institutes of Health could lead to fewer medical breakthroughs. Plus, doctors worry they’ll see more kids with potentially deadly complications from measles, as cases surge. (Cook, 4/7)
Also —
CNN: Trump’s Immigration Crackdown May Put Doctors Out Of Jobs
Nearly 1,000 patients come to Dr. Faysal Al Ghoula’s pulmonology clinic in southwestern Indiana every year. Some come to manage chronic lung disease; others reckon with a new lung cancer diagnosis. The 38-year-old doctor also spends weeklong stretches in an understaffed ICU, watching over patients as ventilators hum and conversations tip between survival and loss. On his days off, he volunteers at a clinic for uninsured patients. But even as demand for Al Ghoula grows, he fears that his ability to care for patients is at risk. He’s from Libya, one of the 39 countries officials now call “high-risk.” (Ruprecht, 4/7)
8. Struggling Minnesota Hospital, Facing Imminent Closure, Seeks State's Help
Hennepin County Medical Center has faced a string of financial hardships, and changes in Medicare eligibility under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could cause even more stress. A proposed tax increase, if passed by the Legislature, might stave off a June closure of the safety-net hospital.
MinnPost: Minneapolis Medical Center's Survival Threatened
As a dire financial outlook has pushed Minneapolis’ Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to the brink of closure, health care workers and union leaders are calling for legislative action. HCMC, part of the larger Hennepin Healthcare provider system, is Minnesota’s busiest Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center. It is also a safety-net hospital, meaning it accepts patients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay, and has been a training site for more than half of Minnesota’s practicing physicians. (Robinson, 4/7)
KARE11: North Memorial Hospital Needs The Same Kind Of Help As HCMC, But Will It Get It?
Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) isn't the only level one trauma center in the area that's struggling financially. North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale has been sounding the alarm for several years, but despite sharing so many similarities with HCMC, it has never gotten any kind of extra financial help. (Hoff, 4/7)
KARE11: If HCMC Closes, Pennsylvania Knows All Too Well What Will Happen Next
The large, safety-net hospital in Minneapolis is facing a huge deficit, but the proposal is getting mixed reviews from lawmakers. Hospital leaders say without any help from the state, it could start to close by June. People in Pennsylvania know that situation all too well when five major hospitals closed within six years. "We really believed that it couldn't be possible," said Peggy Monroe, who worked at Crozer-Chester Medical Center for 38 years, which was shuttered in 2025. (Hoff, 4/6)
More news from Minnesota —
CBS News: Minneapolis City Council Holds Hearing On Ordinance That Would Decriminalize Drug Paraphernalia
The Minneapolis City Council on Tuesday morning debated for two hours over a proposed ordinance that would decriminalize drug paraphernalia. Councilmember Jason Chavez authored the ordinance, writing on social media that "it will ensure our local laws are in compliance with state law while also centering the humanity of our shared community. (Grams, 4/7)
CBS News: EMT Attacked By Patient Raises Concerns About Violence Against Hospital Staff
Video from inside Ridges Hospital in Burnsville, Minnesota, shows a violent attack captured on camera. A patient runs into the hall with a bed rail swinging it at people. That was just the beginning. In all, four people were hurt in the February attack. Only one has returned to work full-time. Now one man is sharing his story with WCCO Senior Investigative Reporter Jennifer Mayerle, who found attacks like this don't happen every day, but they are happening more often than they used to. (Mayerle, 4/7)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
CBS News: Georgia Lawmakers Pass Sickle Cell Disease Protection Act, Expanding Care For Thousands Statewide
A major step forward for sickle cell care in Georgia is now awaiting the governor's signature. On the final day of the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers passed House Bill 334 — known as the "Sickle Cell Disease Protection Act" — a measure designed to expand treatment access and modernize care for thousands of Georgians living with the condition. (Bynum, 4/7)
Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawaiʻi Weighs Shorter Probation, Lighter Punishment For Drugs
HawaiÊ»i has the longest average probation terms in the country — more than double the national average — something lawmakers appear poised to change this year as part of a broader slate of revisions to the state’s criminal code. State and national research has shown that a large percentage of people don’t reoffend while on probation, and most people who do commit another crime while under court-ordered supervision do so within the first year. (Thompson, 4/7)
Verite News New Orleans: New Orleans Health, Environment Officials Consider Plans To Clean Up Toxic Lead In Playgrounds
After an investigation by Verite News revealed pervasive lead contamination in playgrounds across New Orleans, city officials have requested federal funding to help address the problem. At an April 1 panel discussion hosted by Verite to highlight the reporting, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Dr. Jennifer Avegno said city officials recently requested $5 million from Congress to pay for additional lead testing and possible cleanup of playgrounds with elevated levels of lead. (Parker, 4/7)
San Francisco Chronicle: The Supreme Court Embraced Conversion Therapy. California Has A Plan
It took Shannon Minter a moment to see the upside in the Supreme Court blowing up conversion therapy bans in California and half the country. On March 31, the court held that a 2019 Colorado law barring licensed counselors from trying to change children’s sexual orientations or gender identities violated a Christian therapist’s religious speech. (Hosseini, 4/7)
The New York Times: The Hamptons Has a Bird Flu Problem
This winter, hundreds of dead geese fell around Georgica Pond. No one knew how to dispose of the infected bodies, so a local landscaper just winged it. (Bernstein, 4/8)
9. Psychiatric Help Ordered For Marine Veteran Charged In NC Mass Shooting
The suspect, who is charged in the deaths of three people at a waterfront bar in Southport on Sept. 27, was evaluated by three separate mental health experts. They concluded that Nigel Max Edge was not fit to stand trial but that he “may be restored to capacity through appropriate treatment, including medication and counseling,” at which point the legal case would resume.
AP: Former Marine In Mass Shooting Case To Undergo Psychiatric Treatment
A judge on Tuesday ordered that a Marine veteran charged with three counts of first-degree murder in a mass shooting at a North Carolina waterfront bar last year undergo psychiatric treatment after it was determined he is unable to understand his legal proceedings enough to help his lawyers. The case of Nigel Max Edge had been scheduled for a Brunswick County court hearing in which the local prosecutor was slated to reveal whether he intended to seek the death penalty. But District Attorney Jon David said in a news release that part of the case was set aside because questions about Edge’s “capacity to proceed” were raised by multiple mental health professionals. (4/8)
More mental health news —
Los Angeles Times: $110-Million Donation Seeks To Address Shortage Of Southern California Mental Health Workers
UCLA, Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills will receive $110 million to bolster their mental health programs, providing financial assistance and clinical resources to students seeking to fill the gaps of a major statewide shortage in the field of social work. (Buchanan, 4/6)
Bloomberg: Google Adds Mental Health Tools To Gemini Chatbot After Lawsuit
Alphabet Inc.’s Google plans to introduce new mental health support features for its Gemini chatbot as the company and rivals, like OpenAI, have faced several lawsuits accusing their artificial intelligence tools of leading to harm. Gemini will add an interface directing chatbot users to a support hotline when the conversation indicates “a potential crisis related to suicide or self-harm,” Google said in a blog post on Tuesday. Additionally, the company is adding a “help is available” module for chats about mental health and design tweaks to discourage self-harm. (Bergen, 4/7)
MedPage Today: Dementia Risk May Be Linked To One's Outlook, Study Suggests
People with a sunnier outlook had less dementia risk, a study of nearly 9,100 people suggested. Over up to 14 years, each standard deviation increase in optimism was tied to a 15% lower risk of developing dementia (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.82-0.88), after adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, depression, and major health conditions, reported Säde Stenlund, MD, PhD, of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues. (George, 4/8)
Bloomberg: Greece To Impose Social Media Ban For Children Under 15
Greece will ban access to social media for children under 15, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. The regulation will come during the summer of 2026 and will enter into force on Jan. 1 2027, Mitsotakis said Wednesday in a message on TikTok. (Tugwell, 4/8)
10. Viewpoints: Surgeries In The US Create Tons More Waste Than In Other Nations; Pharma Tariffs Are Illogical
Opinion writers delve into these public health topics.
Stat: How Hospitals Can Reduce Their Waste And Carbon Footprint
When these medical students visited hospitals in India, they learned that medicine does not have to be so bad for the environment. (Srinidhi Polkampally and Bhav Jain, 4/8)
The Washington Post: Trump’s Pharmaceutical Tariffs Are Grounded In Backwards Logic
Central planners in Washington want to raise prices to lower them. (4/7)
Stat: Former Geisinger CEO: U.S. Health Systems Must Replace Huge Numbers Of People With AI
It sounds harsh, but the reality is the U.S. health care system has spent decades building the electronic scaffolding that makes all the worst parts of health care administration more efficient. Buying an EHR is a lot like buying a suit off the rack: You’ll spend money on the garment, but you’ll spend even more trying to make it fit your body. In the process, we’ve managed to steal more and more time, energy, and resources away from clinical care and reappropriate it to the revenue cycle. Now, we’re dealing with the aftermath: a structural revenue squeeze that is pushing operating margins for even the largest multibillion dollar health systems below 1%. That’s a lower margin than your average grocery store. (Glenn Steele Jr., 4/7)
Bloomberg: Health Care Workers Are Reshaping The US Labor Market’s Future
Fresh data on the US labor market and new research from the Federal Reserve suggest that the conventional wisdom around employment growth being sluggish is wrong. Rather than healthcare being the only industry propping up a labor market that would otherwise be weak, the employment dynamics we are witnessing are the inevitable outcome of a labor force that's barely growing due to sharply reduced immigration. (Conor Sen, 4/7)
The Washington Post: A New Study Shows Simple Ways To Avoid Dementia
Keeping mentally engaged can reduce dementia risk, especially among older adults. (Leana S. Wen, 4/7)
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