Health News Clips, 8/9 – by Timothy McBride

August 9 — Selected News Clips on Health Policy and Health Economics

NIH head quarrels with CBS host over loss in public trust on health issues – POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/09/bhattacharya-brennan-vaccination-health-issues-01030313

America’s Least-Discussed Physician Shortage Is Getting Worse https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnsamuels/2026/08/04/americas-least-discussed-physician-shortage-is-getting-worse/

Farm Bills have been a farce for years. This one seems tragic
https://missouriindependent.com/2026/08/06/farm-bills-have-been-a-farce-for-years-this-one-seems-tragic/

Fiscal Trouble Ahead For Hospitals Due To Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2026/08/09/fiscal-trouble-ahead-for-hospitals–due-to-trumps-big-beautiful-bill/

The Growing Number of Patients Without Health Insurance Is Costing Hospitals – What’s News – WSJ Podcasts https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/whats-news/the-growing-number-of-patients-without-health-insurance-is-costing-hospitals/fb00d859-b6cc-4d45-82ff-e4ce43644562

Senate passes stopgap to avert pre-election shutdown
https://www.axios.com/2026/08/08/senate-government-funding-shutdown-stopgap

Senate passes funding bill to avert October shutdown
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/08/senate-government-funding-01030015

Republicans face likely year-end test after punting Trump spending bill
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/08/senate-republicans-punt-trump-bill-01030021

New bipartisan 340B reform bill curbs HHS’ rebate pilot
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/new-bipartisan-340b-reform-bill-curbs-hhs-rebate-pilot

NIH plans to block international researchers on visas from accessing key funding avenue https://www.statnews.com/2026/08/07/nih-k99-pathways-independence-awards-scientists-on-visas-barred/

The Looming Medicaid Crisis: Administrative Hurdles to Strip Millions of Working Americans of Vital Coverage in 2027

Opinion | Trump Fixes a Biden Medicare Trick
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/medicare-part-d-cost-cbo-trump-administration-congress-da395942?mod=rss_usnews

HRSA-funded health centers saw ‘record’ 32.7M patients in 2025: HHS
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/hrsa-funded-health-centers-saw-record-327m-patients-2025-hhs

Mark Cruz to lead Indian Health Service amid staffing and infrastructure challenges
https://abcnews.com/Health/wireStory/mark-cruz-lead-indian-health-service-amid-staffing-135472076

Acetaminophen Unlikely to Cause Neurodevelopmental Effects
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2851690

Fear of lettuce is making RFK Jr.’s food messaging harder for consumers to swallow
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/08/cyclospora-outbreak-rfk-maha-realfood-01027408

RFK Jr. Has a Point About Psychiatry. It’s Not the One He’s Making. https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/122529

The Trump admin offered sick Medicaid patients a 1-year lifeline. These red states are rejecting it. – POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/09/medicaid-work-requirements-exemptions-medical-frailty-01029777

Fauci Contempt Vote Reflects the Enduring Politics of COVID
https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/122539

Why Evidence Is Not Enough: Power, Politics, and a Strategy Shift for Public Health
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-0009.70116?af=R

Opinion: I was in my office when bullets hit the CDC. A year later, the agency remains under attack
https://www.statnews.com/2026/08/07/cdc-shooting-anniversary-public-health-threats/

How data centers in Missouri converted neighbors into activists, from cities to farms https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_8d27caf6-8ec3-4124-8aa4-bd8bbfca6cc7.html

Online Prescribing of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2851149

Missouri and Kansas can expect double-digit Obamacare premium hikes again
https://missouriindependent.com/2026/08/06/missouri-and-kansas-will-see-double-digit-obamacare-premium-hikes-again/

How Much and Why Premiums Are Going Up for Small Businesses in 2027
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/how-much-and-why-premiums-are-going-up-for-small-businesses-in-2027/

Type 1 Diabetes Cases and Care Vary Widely Across States
https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/type1diabetes/122538

Democratic AGs file suit challenging 2027 ACA rule https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/democratic-ags-file-suit-challenging-2027-aca-rule

Senate Democrats Release Memo On Reforms To Make Health Insurance More Affordable https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2026/08/04/senate-democrats-release-memo-on-reforms-to-make-health-insurance-more-affordable/

On the heels of star rating win, Clover Health boosts outlook on strength of MA membership growth in Q2 https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/finance/clover-health-reaffirms-ai-commitments-discusses-star-rating-amid-strong-q2-performance

Obamacare Shenanigans: When Gold Is Cheaper Than Silver | RealClearHealth https://www.realclearhealth.com/articles/2026/08/07/obamacare_shenanigans_when_gold_is_cheaper_than_silver_1199052.html

Amid spending growth scrutiny, CMS unveils toolkit for states to safeguard autism care
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/cms-unveils-toolkit-states-safeguard-autism-care-amid-aba-spending-growth

As Numbers Of Abortions Rise, Neverending Mifepristone Fight Heats Up
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2026/08/05/as-numbers-of-abortions-rise-neverending-mifepristone-fight-heats-up/