Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: AI Is Being Used To Boost Medicaid Enrollment, But Not Without Concerns Vanessa Barahona received a call this past spring from Angelica at Kern Family Health Care in Bakersfield, California, telling her it was time to renew her coverage under Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid. Angelica helped Barahona, 41, schedule an appointment to complete her paperwork in person at Kern Family’s offices before she submitted it to Kern County officials for approval. When Barahona had a conflict with her office-cleaning job, Angelica rescheduled the appointment. Barahona finished the process a little later than she’d planned but early enough to avoid an interruption in her coverage. (Kreidler, 8/4)
KFF Health News: Nurses Chase Cyclospora, Aided By Interviews, Fast-Food Receipts — And The Messy Details More than 900 people in Washtenaw County, Michigan, have been sickened with cyclosporiasis since mid-June. Linda Kim, a public health nurse, has called more than 100 of them. Almost everyone has said the same thing: It’s excruciating, and one of the worst illnesses they’ve experienced. But on a Wednesday in July, she called one man who said he wouldn’t mind having it again, actually. (Wells, 8/4)
CYCLOSPORIASIS OUTBREAK
AP: Michigan Reports First 2 US Deaths In Cyclospora Outbreak Two people have died in the cyclospora outbreak in Michigan, state health officials announced Monday, the first deaths confirmed in the U.S. related to the microscopic parasite. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said both people had underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by the intestinal illness and dehydration. The department said it would not provide additional information about the deaths. (Householder and Thanawala, 8/3)
Bloomberg: Taco Bell Met With Michigan on Parasite Weeks Before Recall Michigan health authorities were in touch with Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands Inc., about a parasitic outbreak in early July, weeks before the company officially alerted consumers. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services held a call with Yum on July 2 to discuss cyclospora, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News through a public records request. In a follow-up email, officials asked to connect with the company’s supply chain quality assurance and communications teams “for a discussion about any intervention or notification that could be taken this week to aid in reducing the number of cases in the future.” (Sirtori, 8/3)
STLPR: Missouri Reports More Than 1,000 Cyclosporiasis Cases More than 1,000 Missourians have now been diagnosed with cyclosporiasis, as health officials continue investigating the source of the foodborne parasite. (Edwards, 8/3)
WUSF: Florida Records Nearly 100 More Cases Of Cyclosporiasis In A Week Florida added nearly 100 cases of the foodborne parasitic infection cyclosporiasis in the most recent week of reporting data available by the state health department. (Mayer, 8/4)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Stat: Medicare Eliminates Key Pathways Used By 'Breakthrough' Devices For Extra Payments Medicare is removing flexibilities that have allowed medical devices designated as “breakthroughs” by the Food and Drug Administration to leapfrog qualifications for extra payments. (Palmer, 8/3)
AP: Trump Overhaul Could Gut Head Start Preschool Quality Standards President Donald Trump’s administration is planning a dramatic overhaul of Head Start that would gut its quality standards, upending the hallmarks of the early education program for impoverished children, two people familiar with the deliberations said. Head Start, established in the 1960s to help fight poverty, has long been considered by experts to be a gold standard early learning program. Its regulations, which stretch more than 100 pages, outline requirements on everything from child-to-teacher ratios and child health screenings to family engagement. (Balingit, 8/4)
Stat: As Trump Administration Pushes Court-Ordered Mental Health Care, A New Report Raises Questions In the last three decades, as involuntary outpatient treatment for people with serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia have expanded to almost every state, the evidence for these programs’ efficacy has remained murky. (Broderick, 8/4)
The Hill: OMB's Proposed Grantmaking Rule Will Destabilize Biomedical Research, Experts Warn A proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget to revise the federal grantmaking process is drawing widespread opposition from across multiple industries. Members of the medical research community warn the additional red tape will only serve to impede U.S. biomedical research. The Office of Management and Budget published a proposed rule in May that would, among several actions, instate a pre-issuance review on federal grants and give the awarding offices greater authority in terminating grants. (Choi, 8/3)
Becker's Hospital Review: White House To Meet With OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta On AI Oversight The White House will meet Aug. 4 with representatives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta to discuss a new framework for government review of frontier AI models before public release, CNN reported. The meeting follows President Donald Trump’s June 2 executive order, which set up a voluntary system letting the government access advanced AI models up to 30 days before launch. (Diaz, 8/3)
The New York Times: Spotlight On Fauci Said To Boost Book Sales For Kennedy And His Publisher A few hours after Dr. Anthony S. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right in refusing to answer questions from Senate Republicans last week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took to social media to plug a book he published about Dr. Fauci in 2021, declaring it “the #1 non-fiction hardcover best-seller.” Later that day, Mr. Kennedy went on television to say much the same thing. “I wrote a book about Anthony Fauci in 2021,” he told the Fox News host Sean Hannity. “It was the biggest selling book of 2021. It sold 1.4 million copies.” (Stolberg, 8/3)
Stat: RFK Jr. Says Medicaid Cuts Are A Myth. Here's How Experts See It Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was talking about healthy eating on a farm in Michigan, as part of a national tour he’s taking to promote his Make America Healthy Again agenda, when two hecklers demanded to know why the Trump administration was cutting Medicaid. We aren’t cutting Medicaid, he responded. That’s just a “myth people believe,” he said. (Cirruzzo, 8/4)
ABORTION
Politico: Blanche Assures Anti-Abortion Supporters That Dobbs Will Be ‘Permanent In Every Single State' As his confirmation to lead the Justice Department hung by a thread last week, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told faith leaders on a private call that he was preparing to take action to roll back abortion access nationwide. On a recording of the call posted online Thursday by the religious group Intercessors for America and hosted by the White House Faith Office, Blanche lamented that the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict abortion are “taking longer than we want” but said the Justice Department was “working hand in hand” with federal health agencies and the White House “so that the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state.” (Ollstein and Gerstein, 8/3)
DISABILITIES
The Washington Post: In Letter To Cousin RFK Jr., Health Advocate Warns About Threats To Disability Care In a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and acting attorney general Todd Blanche, the chairman of the Special Olympics — who is also Kennedy’s cousin — called on the administration to reverse course on a Justice Department memorandum that could narrow federal protections for disability care. (Wu, 8/3)
Military.com: Lawsuit Against Company Accused Of Charging Disabled Veterans $20K For Benefits Halted By Bankruptcy A federal class-action lawsuit accusing a medical company of deceptive practices and upcharging disabled veterans up to $20,000 for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits is halted due to the company filing for bankruptcy. Trajector Holdings, LLC and 21 affiliated entities filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 23, in the midst of a pending nationwide class-action lawsuit filed by the law firm Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz. Trajector is accused of excessively charging disabled veterans for VA disability claims assistance that federal law requires be provided free of charge. Court records show the company's estimated liabilities significantly exceed its assets, according to the suit. (Mordowanec, 8/3)
IMMIGRATION CRISIS
ABC News: Man Detained At New Jersey Immigration Facility Dies After 'Medical Emergency' A Salvadoran migrant who was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in New Jersey died following a "medical emergency" over the weekend, federal officials said Monday. Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, had been detained at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead Saturday, the agency said. (Deliso, 8/3)
The Washington Post: ICE Begins Outfitting Haitian Immigrants With Ankle Monitors, Attorneys Say The Department of Homeland Security has begun summoning Haitian immigrants in Ohio to check-in appointments with federal officers who are outfitting them with ankle monitors, in what appears to be a new enforcement effort after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end their humanitarian protections. Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said about 50 Haitians with temporary protected status in Springfield, Ohio, were called into Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices on Friday. Local attorneys said the immigrants were arrested and then conditionally released with electronic monitoring devices. They were instructed not to travel anywhere outside a 75-mile radius from their homes. (Hernandez, Hesson and Gurley, 8/3)
The Washington Post: Deported By The U.S., Detained In Venezuela — Then Lost In The Earthquakes The immigrants aboard Flight 164 were pursuing lives in the U.S. when ICE detained them. In Venezuela, they were held in a building that collapsed hours later. (Hernandez and Paul, 8/2)
HIV/AIDS
Stat: California Supreme Court Sides With Gilead In ‘Duty’ To Innovate Case The California Supreme Court sided with Gilead Sciences in a closely watched case brought by thousands of patients who argued the company was negligent for slow-walking development of an HIV medicine that was safer than another drug it was already selling. (Silverman, 8/3)
The 19th: Communities Are Losing HIV Prevention Efforts Due To Federal Funding Cuts The red van hands out food, water, clothes, first aid and free HIV tests. Locals recognize it across the Twin Cities: the van, nicknamed “Thrivey,” visits St. Paul on Mondays, drives up and down south Minneapolis on Wednesdays and Thursdays, then heads to north Minneapolis on Fridays. Tuesdays are restock days. (Rummler, 8/3)
MedPage Today: Cabotegravir HIV PrEP Effective Among U.S. Women Despite Treatment Interruptions No women taking long-acting cabotegravir (Apretude) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) developed an HIV infection despite short delays before some maintenance injections, according to a U.S. study of routine clinical care. There were no cases of incident HIV over a median follow-up of 13 months among 315 women who started cabotegravir in 2021-2024 as part of the OPERA longitudinal cohort. (Rudd, 8/3)
The New York Times: Russian Strike Destroyed Millions Of H.I.V. Prevention Supplies In Ukraine A Russian missile struck a warehouse near Kyiv two weeks ago, destroying 62 million items used to prevent H.I.V. in Ukraine, leaving aid groups working urgently to replenish the supplies. The attack was part of a broader campaign of Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including power plants, shopping centers and hospitals, which military analysts say is intended to make civilian life unbearable and inflict a psychological toll on the population. (Mandavilli and Méheut, 8/3)
AUTISM
CIDRAP: No Link Between MMR Vaccination Before Age 2 And Autism, Large US Study Suggests A national retrospective cohort study of more than 2.5 million children found no association between receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine before age 2 years and having an autism diagnosis. “These results reinforce existing evidence supporting the safety of MMR vaccination,” wrote the authors, from the University of Washington. (Holohan, 8/3)
MedPage Today: Circumcision And Autism: What A New Study Found A study of U.S. children found no evidence linking neonatal male circumcision with autism spectrum disorder, prospective data from the ECHO cohort showed. Among nearly 2,800 boys in 14 ECHO sites, 6% of those who were circumcised had autism compared with 9% of uncircumcised males, according to Monica McGrath, ScD, MHS, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and co-authors.After adjusting for confounders, circumcision was not associated with an autism diagnosis ... McGrath and colleagues reported in JAMA Pediatrics. (George, 8/3)
LGBTQ+ HEALTHCARE
The Hill: Human Rights Campaign Foundation Sues Over Gender-Affirming Care Insurance Ban An arm of the Human Rights Campaign launched a class-action lawsuit on Monday challenging the Trump administration’s gender-affirming care coverage ban in federal workers’ health insurance plans. The lawsuit claims the ban violates the federal prohibition on sex discrimination in the workplace. “Our message to the Trump administration is simple: We’ll see you in court,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement. (Schonfeld, 8/3)
MedPage Today: Bone Density Appears To Rebound In Transgender Youth After Puberty Blockers Are Done Bone growth among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents slowed compared with peers during pubertal suppression, but partially recovered after starting gender-affirming hormone therapy, a systematic review and meta-analysis showed. (Monaco, 8/3)
LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH
Stat: Eli Lilly To Offer Retatrutide Access Given Earlier To Just One Patient Six weeks after STAT reported that Eli Lilly granted a single 79-year-old patient special access to retatrutide, an unapproved obesity drug, the company confirmed on Monday that it will allow other patients to apply for early access. (Lawrence and Chen, 8/3)
Bloomberg: TikTok Finalizing Trio Of Settlements Over Addiction Claims TikTok is finalizing agreements to settle three upcoming trials related to allegations that its video product is addictive and harmful to minors. Plaintiffs’ attorneys Joseph VanZandt of Beasley Allen and Emily Jeffcott of Morgan & Morgan confirmed TikTok had resolved in principle with their clients, subject to the finalization of a written settlement agreement. The settlement amounts are confidential, they said in an email. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment. (Carville and Levine, 8/3)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
MedPage Today: Here's Who Topped This Year's 'Best Hospitals' List Familiar hospitals dominated the latest "Best Hospitals" rankings from U.S. News & World Report, which also rolled out several changes this year. There were a couple of newcomers to the 2026-2027 Honor Roll, which for 4 years now, has been ranked alphabetically instead of ordinally. Mayo Clinic–Florida in Jacksonville joined its counterparts in Minnesota and Arizona on the list, and UC San Diego Health made a return after being absent last year. (Henderson, 8/4)
Chicago Tribune: Proposed Settlement Would See West Suburban, Weiss Hospitals Sold An owner of West Suburban and Weiss hospitals is asking a judge to enforce a settlement agreement that would see the hospitals sold to Insight Health Systems for $1 and include a paid consultancy for the hospitals’ current CEO. (Schencker, 8/3)
Modern Healthcare: DispatchHealth Separates Hospital-At-Home Technology Platform DispatchHealth is separating its technology platform from its service offerings in a move to address the changing landscape of home-based care. The shift means the company will market its logistics platform and remote patient monitoring equipment on its own, rather than bundling it with staffing for acute care, skilled nursing and urgent care in the home. (Eastabrook, 8/3)
Modern Healthcare: Summa Health Taps Jennifer Eslinger As President, CEO Jennifer Eslinger has been named president and CEO of Summa Health, effective Sept. 21, the system said Monday. She will succeed Daryl Tol, who has served as interim president and CEO since Jan. 1. Tol succeeded Dr. Cliff Deveny, who stepped down from both roles at the end of last year. Deveny is now CEO emeritus and a strategic advisor for the system, according to a news release. (DeSilva, 8/3)
WUSF: TGH Plans Emergency Drone Delivery Of Whole Blood Trauma patients in parts of Hillsborough County could soon receive lifesaving blood transfusions within minutes of a 911 call under what Tampa General Hospital says is the nation's first emergency medical drone delivery program for whole blood. (Mayer, 8/4)
Modern Healthcare: Hospital AI Use Draws Scrutiny From Nurse Unions Nurse labor unions are pushing for more control over how artificial intelligence is used in hospitals as the technology is increasingly incorporated into clinical care. AI use is rapidly expanding from back-office administrative functions to ambient listening in exam rooms and predictive analytics platforms that flag high-risk patients. The tools are touted as a path to improved efficiency and a way to reduce clinician burnout. But there are concerns about how the technology impacts nurses at the bedside. (Hudson, 8/3)
Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Under Political Scrutiny Fight Back Hospital leaders are not eager to admit they’ve taken a pounding in Washington lately. But as earnings reports trickle in, uninsured numbers rise, provisions of the 2025 tax law kick in and some lawmakers want more cuts, the industry is acknowledging a difficult situation that challenges its storied political clout — and is fighting back. (McAuliff, 8/3)
STATE WATCH
MPR News: Kratom Purchase Age Raised To 21 In Minnesota A new Minnesota law raises the legal age to buy kratom from 18 to 21, marking the state's first major step toward regulating a substance that's become widely available in gas stations and smoke shops. (Ki, 8/3)
NBC News: What Is Rabbit Fever? Cases Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness Reported In NYC Health officials in New York are warning residents about a rare tick-borne illness after three cases were reported on Long Island. Three people in Suffolk County were confirmed to have come down with tularemia, also known as rabbit fever. The disease can cause high fevers and extreme fatigue, and doctors say symptoms can be more severe than those of more common tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease. (Maxfield, 8/3)
WUSF: Locally Acquired Cases Of Mosquito-Borne Dengue Reported In Palm Beach, Miami-Dade Florida health officials have confirmed locally acquired cases of dengue fever in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, prompting mosquito surveillance and prevention efforts. (Mayer, 8/3)
KBIA: Missouri Nonprofit Receives Federal Dollars To Support Prenatal Home Visits The Missouri Children’s Trust Fund has received nearly $600,000 in federal funding to support rural prenatal home visits during pregnancy, as well as follow up visits during the early years of a child’s life. (Bates-Bland, 8/4)
The CT Mirror: Healthcare Access Dominates Complaints From CT's Incarcerated In late 2024, Alexis Rodriguez was complaining of stomach issues while incarcerated at Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield. He wasn’t able to use the bathroom regularly. (Golvala, 8/3)
The Baltimore Sun: Disability Advocates Rally At Maryland Special Session Advocates rallied for a pause on cuts to disability services outside the Maryland State House on Monday as state lawmakers convened in Annapolis for a three-day special session, though legislation to address the issue wasn’t allowed to come up for a vote. (Hacker, 8/3)
ProPublica and Flatwater Free Press: Our Soil Tests Found Lead In Omaha’s Yards Despite EPA Cleanup Shortly after buying her house in 2022, Mary Royers learned from a man across the street that her Omaha, Nebraska, neighborhood was contaminated with lead. But her yard, like thousands of others, had been cleaned up, the neighbor said. Royers wanted to be sure. So the 36-year-old educator checked a website where the city tracks the soil test results of every home in a 27-square-mile area surrounding the site of an old lead smelter. She saw “remediated” written in bright green letters. The federal government had completed the work two decades ago. An expert must have tested the dirt and determined the problem was solved, she thought. (Bowling, Garibay, Herbers and Keinama, 8/4)
Spotlight on Maryland: Maryland’s PFAS Problem Isn’t The Crop Fertilizer, Farmer Says A new state law aims to protect Marylanders from harmful PFAS by limiting the amount of the chemicals in biosolid crop fertilizer, but one Maryland farmer says lawmakers aren’t getting to the root of the problem. “It’s attacking the problem at the wrong end,” said Charles County Farm Bureau President Steve Walter. (Conrad, 8/4)
The New York Times: After Deadly E-Bike Crashes, N.Y. Lawmakers Consider Crackdown New York City legislative leaders are expected on Tuesday to announce a long list of proposed rules designed to better govern the use of electric bikes and scooters and crack down on illegal vehicles after a series of fatal crashes. The plan, set to be presented at a news conference at City Hall, includes 17 bills that the City Council will consider this fall. The announcement begins a long process to shape the proposals, many of which are likely to face opposition from various interest groups, each with its own view of the city’s shared streets. (Chen, 8/4)
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