Site icon TheVoiceOfJoyce

TheVoiceOfJoyce KFF News informs us PFAS chemicals will remain in our Water. Premiums for health insurance going up and we need our Vaccine access and drug negotiations for cheaper prices. The Supreme Court won’t take up drug pricing negotiations and no reason was given. Perhaps they didn’t want to interfere in Trump’s business? Is it time to vote Trumps representatives in Congress out of office? Who says , YES?

jaslvr

Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Visit KFF Health News for the latest headlines

Morning Briefing 

FIND US ON SOCIAL

No matter which app you’re into, KFF Health News has you covered: Follow along on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn as we break down healthcare headlines and policy.

In This Edition:

From KFF Health News:

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES1. Eroding ACA Enrollment Portends Higher Insurance Rates An uptick in people skipping Obamacare premium payments in many states suggests the Affordable Care Act’s rising costs — driven partly by lower subsidies to help people buy plans — are hitting home for 2026 enrollees. The trend adds to voter concerns about affordability ahead of the midterm elections. (Julie Appleby, 5/19)

2. Efforts To Understand the Nation’s Drugged Driving Problem Stall Under Trump The data behind alcohol-related traffic deaths is well studied. Less understood is the toll of vehicle deaths involving drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. Attempts to fix that have been stymied by federal budget and staffing cuts. (Jace DiCola, 5/19)

Here’s today’s health policy haiku:

FEELING UNASSURED

Trump’s hanta response:
“We have it under control.”
More info needed!

– Barbara Pease

If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Usand 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:

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS3. US Doctor Tests Positive For Ebola; CDC Shuts Border To Most Travelers From Congo Area 

Dr. Peter Stafford has been taken to Germany for treatment while fellow doctors, including his wife, are in quarantine after being exposed to the virus. The scale and spread of this particular Ebola virus is alarming global health officials. More than 130 people have died since the outbreak emerged in late April, and more than 500 other cases are suspected, local health officials have reported.

BBC: American Doctor Who Contracted Ebola In DR Congo Evacuated For Treatment Medical missionary group Serge said Monday that one of its US doctors, Peter Stafford, had tested positive for Ebola. He was exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in Bunia, where he has worked since 2023, said the charity. Two other doctors from the group who were exposed while treating patients, including Stafford’s wife, Dr Rebekah Stafford, did not have symptoms and were following quarantine protocols, the group said in a statement. The Staffords met in medical school at Ohio State University. (Halpert, 5/19)

Politico: CDC Announces 30-Day Travel Restrictions In Response To Ebola Outbreak The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is suspending entry into the U.S. for 30 days for travelers who have visited areas where there is an ongoing outbreak of the Ebola virus, the agency announced on Monday. That restriction does not apply to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals or lawful permanent residents returning from Ebola outbreak areas. In a statement posted to its website, the agency said it would impose “entry restrictions” on passengers who do not hold a U.S. passport if they have been to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or South Sudan in the previous 21 days. (Gardner, 5/18)

BBC: At Least 131 Dead In Ebola Outbreak In DR Congo, Official Says At least 131 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 513 cases suspected, local officials have said. A spokesman for the DR Congo government said cases were now being reported over a wider area. There are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Santos, 5/19)

The New York Times: W.H.O. Chief Is ‘Deeply Concerned’ By Speed And Scale Of Ebola Outbreak As Cases Rise  The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday that he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, as the suspected death toll in Congo climbed to over 130 people. (Zhuang, 5/19)

Stat: WHO Ebola Experts Weigh Trying Old Vaccine In New Outbreak The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was only confirmed to be underway at the end of last week, is already the fourth largest on record. The deadly virus is spreading in a conflict zone where recent Ebola experience has shown containment will be a challenge. There is no vaccine that targets the species of the virus that is spreading there, Bundibugyo. (Branswell, 5/18)

AP: The Ebola Virus Spreading In Congo Is A Rare Species With No Vaccines Or Treatments The species of Ebola virus causing an outbreak in Congo that has killed nearly 120 people is less common than other Ebola viruses, which is complicating the response because there are no specific treatments or vaccines. “There’s nothing even close to ready for clinical trials,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist who treated patients in West Africa during the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic. “And so that means responders, healthcare workers and other aid workers are really back to the basics.” (Shastri, 5/19)

Updates on the hantavirus outbreak —

AP: Hantavirus-Stricken Ship Docks In Netherlands For Disinfection The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put international health authorities on alert. The MV Hondius was still carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel as it reached Europe’s largest port on Monday morning, after its passengers disembarked on the Spanish island of Tenerife last week. (Quell, 5/18)

Newsweek: Hantavirus Death In Colorado Unrelated To Cruise Ship Outbreak, Officials Confirm A hantavirus death in Colorado has been confirmed as unrelated to the high-profile cruise ship outbreak that has raised global concern, health officials said. An adult in Douglas County, Colorado, died after contracting the virus through local exposure to rodents, according to state health authorities. Officials emphasized that the case is not connected to the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, where multiple infections and deaths have been reported. (Blake, 5/18)

ADMINISTRATION NEWS4. Hastily Revised ACIP Charter Rescinded Because HHS Did Not Meet Legal Requirements 

The charter governing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will be returned to its previous framework for two years because the Department of Health and Human Services didn’t allow sufficient time for public comment after Robert F. Kennedy crafted a charter more favorable to his policy preferences, Bloomberg reports.

Bloomberg: HHS Rescinds Vaccine Panel Charter After Administrative Error The US Department of Health and Human Services has rescinded the committee charter for a key vaccine advisory panel after previously changing the rules to allow Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remake the group. In a notice posted on Monday, the agency said it is returning the group to its original framework for the next two years following an administrative error. HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t provide the appropriate amount of time for public comment before issuing the new charter on April 6, the notice said. (Nix, 5/18)

On the healthcare system —

MedPage Today: HHS Panel That Aims To Reshape U.S. Healthcare Holds Its First Meeting A new HHS health advisory committee met very briefly Monday to introduce its members and outline its broad goals for reshaping large parts of the healthcare system. The Healthcare Advisory Committee, whose existence was announced on March 26, says on its website that its purpose is to “advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator [Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA] on ways to improve how care is financed and delivered across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program [CHIP], and the [Affordable Care Act] Health Insurance Marketplace. The committee will provide non-binding recommendations to inform federal healthcare policy and program administration.” (Frieden, 5/18)

The New York Times: Insurers’ Delays In Approving Medical Care Persist, Despite Promises Nearly a year after the nation’s health insurers pledged to overhaul their much-criticized practice of prior approval for medical care, patients and doctors say there is little evidence that delays and denials for necessary treatment have eased. Just ask Candace Rond. She tried for weeks to get medication for her 15-year-old daughter, Gabby, who has two autoimmune diseases. “The whole prior authorization experience is a nightmare,” Ms. Rond said. (Abelson, 5/18)

KFF Health News: Eroding ACA Enrollment Portends Higher Insurance Rates Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act continues to erode as some customers struggle to make premium payments, with the declining numbers churning market uncertainty for insurers. In response, insurers are likely to raise rates again next year, following this year’s larger-than-typical hikes. Sign-ups were already down in January by about 1.2 million from last year’s record enrollment. For this year, enrollees then faced premiums that increased, on average, by 26%. On top of that, subsidies that help people purchase coverage shrank or vanished. (Appleby, 5/19)

On MAHA —

Modern Healthcare: RWJBarnabas Health Launches Food-Is-Medicine Hub In Newark RWJBarnabas Health has opened a $7 million food-is-medicine hub to take on chronic disease, making it a potential standard bearer in the Make America Healthy Again movement. Last week, the New Jersey academic health system opened Harvest — an 8,000-square-foot facility in Newark that is a combination food bank, commercial kitchen and classroom. The center is designed to teach people living in nearby food deserts how to eat healthier and provide them with the food to do it. (Eastabrook, 5/18)

The New York Times: Calls For ‘No Seed Oil’ Push Companies To Order Up Butter And Beef Tallow Businesses are finding different (and more costly) ways to fry foods as shoppers demand alternatives to seed oils as part of the Make America Healthy Again movement. (Creswell, 5/19)

On the immigration crisis —

The Washington Post: ICE Agent Charged In Shooting Of Immigrant During Minneapolis Crackdown  Minnesota prosecutors issued a warrant for the arrest of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who allegedly shot a Venezuelan immigrant during the federal government’s enforcement surge in Minneapolis early this year. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty identified Christian J. Castro, 52, as the ICE agent alleged to have shot Julio C. Sosa-Celis in the leg on Jan. 14, as agents chased after another man. Minnesota authorities described it as a “case of mistaken identity.” (Hernandez, 5/18)

AP: Autopsy Released On Haitian Man Who Died After Being Detained At Arizona Facility An autopsy report released Monday confirmed that the death of a Haitian man after spending months at an Arizona immigration detention facility was related to his dental problems, as a family member had contended. But the report also said 56-year-old Emmanuel Damas, whose brother previously said had died from an untreated tooth infection, declined recommendations at dental appointments to have his problematic teeth removed. (Billeaud, 5/19)

ProPublica: Over 100,000 American Kids Had Parents Detained In Immigration Sweeps, Report Estimates Far more American children have likely been separated from their parents during immigration sweeps than previously understood, according to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Brookings. The report published Monday estimates more than 100,000 U.S. citizen children have had a parent detained since President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign began last year. The analysis cites reporting from ProPublica on the detention of parents, which can often lead to family separations. (Rosenberg, 5/18)

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH5. EPA Aims To Repeal, Delay Some Limits On PFAS In Drinking Water 

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to rescind four of the six types of forever chemicals covered under a regulation put into place under former President Joe Biden, The Hill reports.

The Hill: Trump Proposes Partial Rollback Of ‘Forever Chemical’ Drinking Water Protections The Trump administration on Monday moved to partially roll back drinking water protections from toxic “forever chemicals.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to allow some delays for water systems to regulate these chemicals. It also said it would rescind four of the six types of forever chemicals covered under a Biden-era rule. (Frazin, 5/18)

AP: AP Fact Check: Trump Distorts Recent Revisions Of Scientific Projections Of Global Warming President Donald Trump recently blasted the accuracy of global warming projections in a Truth Social post that itself painted a distorted view of the science, projections and how the international community discusses climate policy. Every several years, the United Nations produces massive scientific reports on what’s happening and likely to happen with human-caused global warming. Scientists update some of the scenarios used to make future projections. One key control knob, which determines the amount and impact of future climate change, is carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. The more carbon pollution, the more global warming, so scientists base their projections on a buffet of potential scenarios. (Borenstein, 5/18)

More environmental health news —

VTDigger: Vermont Officials Respond To Ongoing PFAS Contamination Concerns The state of Vermont is offering well testing, free water and other support for southern Bennington and Shaftsbury in the wake of research last year that found PFAS contamination in the Bennington area has spread and worsened over time. The state is also in active negotiations with the current corporate owner of the now shuttered ChemFab factory in Bennington, which produced Teflon-coated fiberglass fabrics, containing PFOA, perfluorooctanoic acid. (Solsaa, 5/18)

AP: New Mexico Wildfire Sparked By Medical Plane Crash Spurs Evacuations A fast-growing wildfire sparked by the fatal crash of a small medical plane outside Ruidoso, New Mexico, has triggered evacuations for a rural area north of the Capitan Mountains and closures in the Lincoln National Forest, officials said Monday. The plane was en route from Roswell Air Center to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport when it crashed before dawn Thursday, killing the four people aboard. They were identified as pilots Keelan Clark and Ali Kawsara with the company Generation Jets and flight nurses Jamie Novick and Sarah Clark with Trans Aero MedEvac. (Peters, 5/18)

Mountain State Spotlight: OSHA Has 6 Inspectors To Keep 60,000 West Virginia Workplaces Safe When two workers died last month in a violent chemical reaction at Ames Goldsmith Catalyst Refiners near Charleston, federal records showed the facility had previously been cited for safety violations in 2018. But that doesn’t mean inspectors had regularly checked on the operation in the years between. In fact, the facility had not been inspected again before the fatal incident, highlighting a problem with workplace safety in West Virginia and across the country: federal inspectors do not regularly inspect the most dangerous workplaces. (Spencer, 5/18)

The Frontier, ProPublica: Oklahoma Family Fights Regulators Over Oily Sludge Flooding Their Home The Frontier and ProPublica’s reporting on oil and gas pollution in Oklahoma over the last year has shown how old oil wells abandoned by the industry pose severe public and environmental health risks. Officially, the state lists 19,000 orphan wells that state regulators are responsible for cleaning up, but the true figure is likely over 300,000, according to federal researchers. State records suggest that the Merediths’ house may have been built on top of an improperly plugged oil well drilled in the 1940s. … State regulators, according to the family, have done little to help them. (Bowlin and Campbell, 5/18)

The Washington Post: Scientists Now Say This Worst-Case Climate Scenario Is ‘Implausible.’ Here’s What It Means. A U.N. panel on climate change seems poised to retire RCP 8.5, a scenario in which the world does nothing to curb planet-warming emissions, in its projections. (Dennis, 5/19)

PHARMACEUTICALS6. Supreme Court Declines To Hear Drugmakers’ Bid To End Medicare Bargaining 

Lower courts have ruled against the pharmaceutical companies that challenged a law that lets Medicare negotiate for reduced prices on some prescription medications. Other cases are still pending. Also: More than 600 generic drugs have been added to the TrumpRx website.

Stat: SCOTUS Rejects Pharma Challenge To Medicare Drug Price Negotiations  The Supreme Court on Monday dealt a major blow to the brand drug industry’s legal campaign against the Medicare drug price negotiation program. The court declined to take up lawsuits against the program by AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Novartis, and Novo Nordisk. The justices did not give a reason for their decision. (Wilkerson, 5/18)

More on the high cost of prescription drugs —

Stat: Generic Drugs Added To TrumpRx Via Amazon, Mark Cuban Deals  The White House announced an expansion of its prescription drug discount platform, TrumpRx, on Monday, adding more than 600 generic drugs to the website. The expansion comes via a partnership with entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company, as well as Amazon Pharmacy and GoodRx, which both also provide drug savings or low-cost prescription medicines. (Cirruzzo and Payne, 5/18)

Stat: Maryland State Affordability Board Places A Price Cap On Ozempic  The Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board agreed to set an upper payment limit for the Ozempic diabetes treatment, marking the second time that the state panel has taken such a step in recent weeks. (Silverman, 5/18)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Fox News: Pancreatic Cancer Drug Achieves 90% Disease Control, Heads To Phase 3 A new drug for pancreatic cancer is showing promise in early testing. Daraxonrasib is a daily pill designed to block cancer signals linked to the RAS gene. It has now finished an early-stage clinical trial — the first time it was tested in people — to evaluate both its safety and effectiveness. (Stabile, 5/18)

MedPage Today: Leucovorin Scripts Surged Even Before White House Autism Push P

Exit mobile version