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Yet another scheduled meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has been postponed, HHS confirmed Tuesday. The task force, which typically meets three times a year, hasn't convened since March of last year, with meetings in July and November abruptly canceled. (Henderson, 3/3)

One of the most powerful voices in the biopharma industry, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, Ph.D., has weighed in with sharp criticism of the FDA’s Vinay Prasad, M.D., and his performance as the chief of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), which regulates vaccines in the U.S. “We have a problem with the leadership of CBER,” Bourla said Monday at the TD Cowen healthcare conference. “I think the current director is not following the recommendations of his staff.” (Dunleavy, 3/3)

Moderna Inc. agreed to pay $950 million to settle litigation related to the delivery technology behind its Covid shot, removing a looming financial risk for the struggling vaccine maker. The company has settled all litigation worldwide with Arbutus Biopharma Corp. and Genevant Sciences GmbH over its existing and future vaccines, with no future royalties owed. At issue were claims that Moderna had infringed on patents owned by Genevant and Arbutus related to lipid nanoparticles, or tiny bubbles of fat that Moderna used to deliver its Covid shot inside patients. (Smith and Muller, 3/3)

On the spread of measles —

A large immigration detention camp in Texas has been closed to visitors and attorneys due to a measles outbreak, a lawmaker said Tuesday. There are 14 active measles cases at the detention center on the Fort Bliss Army base and 112 people are being isolated, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat whose district includes the facility, known as Camp East Montana. It will remain closed to visitors and attorneys until March 19 or March 20. (3/4)

The Global Academy of South Carolina, a public charter school, is housed in a glittering modern building on a sprawling campus, a 10-minute drive from the spunky downtown Spartanburg. It has Ukrainian- and Russian-language teachers on staff, reflecting that many of its roughly 600 students belong to a thriving Slavic community, whose lives revolve around the evangelical churches in surrounding Spartanburg County. But on Oct. 8, South Carolina’s public health department made an ominous announcement: Global Academy was one of two schools in Spartanburg County where measles had been detected. Only 21 percent of its students were vaccinated, one of the worst rates for a public school in the state. (Hartocollis, 3/3)

On covid, RSV, flu, and swine flu —

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was associated with 190,000 to 350,000 hospitalizations from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, as well as 10,000 to 23,000 deaths, according to data published last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the same time, COVID-19 was associated with an estimated 290,000 to 450,000 hospitalizations and 34,000 to 53,000 deaths. (Szabo, 3/3)

The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends adults age 75 and older receive one dose of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, according to a statement yesterday. In its guidelines, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the ACP said that adults age 60 to 74 may consider receiving an RSV vaccine if they have medical conditions that increase their risk of serious disease. (Szabo, 3/3)

COVID-19 infection is a significant predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD), acute kidney injury (AKI), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and kidney failure, suggests a study by Penn State researchers published in Communications Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 3/3)

More than half of people in a cross-sectional study reporting on post-COVID condition (PCC) symptoms, or long COVID, in 2021 said their ability to work was poor, yet most were still working, suggesting a substantial burden of “presenteeism,” or reduced productivity while on the job. (Bergeson, 3/2)

In spite of fears of immune evasion by a widely circulating H3N2 influenza variant called subclade K, a Public Health Alerts report published today shows that the current flu vaccine produces antibodies that efficiently recognize subclade K in almost 40% of people. (Wappes, 3/3)

Over the weekend, health officials in Spain reportedly informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of a possible human case of swine flu that may have been caused by person-to-person transmission. The WHO's reference laboratory for influenza in Britain is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis, according to Reuters. The patient in Spain did not have direct contact with pigs, according to the wire agency. (Kekatos, 3/3)

A group of prominent scientists launched an independent autism advisory panel Tuesday over fears that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has politicized the key federal autism advisory board he oversees. The shadow committee will focus on developing a coordinated scientific agenda for autism research and will function as a counterweight to the advisory board Kennedy reshaped in January by appointing new members. Many of those members have echoed his controversial views, including promoting debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and advocating for unproven treatments. (Sun, 3/3)

Health tech companies specializing in autism care find themselves under the microscope, navigating a world where private and public insurers are scrutinizing treatments and therapies. In the past year, state Medicaid plans in North Carolina, Nebraska, Idaho and Indiana either have attempted to or been successful at cutting payments to providers offering applied behavioral analysis. Private insurers such as UnitedHealth Group have limited coverage for autism care in some states. (Perna, 3/3)

More news about people with disabilities —

The number of college students reporting disabilities rose more than 50 percent over the last decade across a wide swath of schools, including at some of the most selective universities in the nation, according to a New York Times analysis of government data. The rise, which has corresponded with an increase in A.D.H.D., autism and other diagnoses, has also meant an increase in the number of students requiring accommodations, such as more time to take tests. While some colleges and students have embraced the trend, saying it shows schools are opening their doors to students who might previously have been shut out, it has raised worries that some could be gaming the system. (Arsenault and Rich, 3/2)

A bipartisan group of Maryland lawmakers are introducing a bundle of five bills to better locate people with disabilities who elope from their homes. The LEAD Act focuses on people throughout their lifetimes that may be at risk for elopement, ranging from children with autism to adults with disabilities to older adults living with dementia. (Maucione, 3/3)

Illinois will phase out subminimum wages for workers with disabilities by 2029. Easterseals' HB Threads apparel company has always paid its workers above minimum wage, and all associates make at least Chicago's $15 hourly minimum wage, director Korrey Kooistra told Axios during a visit. (Shepherd, 3/3)

For Black people living with Tourette syndrome, the British Academy Film and Television Arts Awards incident earlier this week where a vocal tic manifested as a racial slur while two Black stars of the movie “Sinners” were onstage has left them with complicated feelings. “It’s been pretty difficult because I feel like there’s such a clash between both sides,” said Chloe Winston, 24, who experiences coprolalia, the same verbal tic as John Davidson, the BAFTA nominee and Tourette syndrome advocate who yelled the slur. “A tic is not intentional, but it still causes harm. And I think that does require accountability.” (Tang, 2/28)

Wearing an oxygen pack on her back for her COPD, Marcia OBara is leading a group of nature enthusiasts on a mission to see birds. They carry walking sticks on the flat trails, moving at their own pace, without pressure or competition and enjoying a sense of community. This is Birding for Every BODY, one of numerous such excursions offered each month by the nonprofit Tucson Bird Alliance with Arizona’s Pima County. (Snow, 3/1)

Maternal mortality rates in the United States have dropped to their lowest levels in recent years, according to new data published on Thursday. The report, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, compared maternal deaths in 2023 and 2024, with maternal deaths defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of pregnancy termination. In 2024, 649 women died of maternal causes in the U.S., with a rate of 17.9 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the report. (Kekatos, 3/3)

The American Medical Association is overhauling how U.S. doctors report and bill for pregnancy services, bulldozing the current system of bundled payments and replacing it with more granular, itemized codes next year. The changes, shared exclusively with Healthcare Dive, could help improve poor maternity health outcomes in the U.S. But it’s also an acquiescence to specialty groups, which have long lobbied the powerful medical association that modern obstetric services are more complex than the current coding system is able to reflect. (Pifer Parduhn, 3/2)

Cradling his newborn daughter in his lap in their Indianapolis home, JaKobi Burton’s love for the new lady in his life is evident with each caress. The first-time dad’s commitment started months earlier. Burton attended every medical appointment and took classes with Dads to Doulas, a program created by the organization Dear Fathers that teaches Black fathers-to-be how to provide physical, mental and spiritual support up to and after childbirth. (Tang and Lamy, 2/27)

���ϳԹ��� News: Listen To The Latest '���ϳԹ��� News Minute'
Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: Some places are bringing back house calls to try to fight maternal and infant mortality, and almost all Americans benefit from health care subsidies in different forms. (Cook, 3/3)

Also —

When Brittany Allen takes her 17-month-old son to her sister’s house to play, she heads straight for the big pile of dirt in the backyard. For his health. When Leonidas was just a month old, he was fussy and often constipated. He wasn’t gaining enough weight. Allen had a test run on her infant’s gut microbiome—the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit the digestive tract. (Petersen, 3/3)

State lawmakers are discussing "conflict of interest" in the pharmaceutical industry Wednesday that could result in CVS closing more than 100 locations. State Sen. Bobby Harshbarger proposed a bill that would not allow pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from owning or controlling pharmacies in Tennessee. CVS Health is now threatening to close all 134 of its pharmacies in Tennessee if this bill passes. (Maffei, 3/4)

Two major pharmacy chains are closing hundreds of stores across the U.S., reshaping access to everyday health care in many communities. Pharmacy chains have been under pressure for years as shopping habits change and costs rise. (Stevenson, 3/3)

More pharmaceutical industry news —

Disc Medicine is laying off a fifth of its workforce as the biotech reels from the FDA’s rejection of its rare blood disease candidate. Last month, the agency knocked back an approval application for the glycine reuptake inhibitor bitopertin in erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked protoporphyria. (Waldron, 3/3)

Prime Medicine said Tuesday it will ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve a gene-editing treatment that has been given to only two patients. The application will test an agency that has promised to speed new gene-editing treatments to patients but has recently come under scrutiny from regulators, executives, and advocates for spurring a string of gene therapies for neurological diseases. (Mast, 3/3)

Less than a month after the US Food and Drug Administration said a TV advertisement for Novo Nordisk A/S’ Wegovy weight-loss pill included “false or misleading” claims, the company was hit with a notice for its original blockbuster Ozempic. (Thornton, 3/3)

Two of the largest charities that provide hundreds of millions of dollars in financial assistance to help Americans pay for medical treatments merged in one of the biggest combinations in the nonprofit healthcare sector. The Patient Advocate Foundation combined with the Patient Access Network Foundation, and will operate as the Patient Advocate Foundation, the groups said Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Tuesday that an announcement of the deal was imminent. (Loftus, 3/3)

Medicare Advantage insurers warn that a plan to hold their federal payments virtually flat next year will have negative consequences for the program and its beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed raising Medicare Advantage rates by just 0.09% in 2027 as the agency continues a multiyear effort to rein in Medicare Advantage spending. The draft regulation issued last month also would tighten the Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment program, costing insurers revenue. (Early, 3/3)

Amid financial and reputational turmoil, top executives at UnitedHeath Group have promised to bring more transparency. A new reporting policy from the health care giant is doing the opposite. This week, UnitedHealth listed just 10 subsidiaries in its annual report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A year ago, the company disclosed nearly 3,100. (Herman, 3/4)

CommonSpirit Health is betting it will save money from cutting ties with Conifer Health Solutions, Tenet Healthcare’s revenue cycle management subsidiary. Chicago-based CommonSpirit said in February it sold its 24% stake in Conifer back to Tenet and would move its revenue cycle functions in-house over the course of 2026. CommonSpirit agreed to pay $1.9 billion to Dallas-based Tenet over the next three years, offset by $540 million Conifer will pay for CommonSpirit’s stake. (Hudson, 3/3)

ChatGPT Health — OpenAI’s new health-focused chatbot — frequently underestimated the severity of medical emergencies, according to a study published last week in the journal Nature Medicine. In the study, researchers tested ChatGPT Health’s ability to triage, or assess the severity of, medical cases based on real-life scenarios. (Ozcan, 3/3)

On health care personnel —

The New York attorney general is investigating Columbia University for its handling of allegations against Robert Hadden, a former university gynecologist who continued to work at one of its hospitals for weeks after his 2012 arrest on sex crimes. A spokeswoman for the attorney general, Letitia James, confirmed the investigation into the university on Monday. About 1,000 women have accused Mr. Hadden of sexually assaulting them during medical exams between 1993 and 2012. So far, Columbia has settled about $1 billion in claims. (Meko, 3/3)

Doctors' distrust of insurers is one reason instantaneous prior authorization hasn't happened yet, according to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA. "When I ask insurance companies about why they don't accelerate prior authorization and do it instantaneously, the answer they give me -- and we've done this with all the big players -- is that doctors won't share data," Oz said here Tuesday at a conference sponsored by Accountable for Health, an advocacy group that promotes the adoption of accountable care programs. (Frieden, 3/3)

Cigna Group Chief Executive Officer David Cordani is stepping back from the top job on July 1 and will be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Brian Evanko, who will execute the insurer’s business overhaul that spooked investors when it was announced last year. Evanko, 49, has long been seen as CEO-in-waiting. (Tozzi, 3/3)

Also —

Under pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dozens of American medical schools have agreed to rework their curriculums to teach more about nutrition, according to federal officials, records and interviews with medical leaders. Mr. Kennedy, who has made healthy eating a centerpiece of his campaign to address what he calls an epidemic of chronic disease, has spent months pressuring medical schools to adopt his ideas, threatening funding cuts and promising public recognition. (Blinder, Callahan and Stolberg, 3/4)

A Georgia man who gave his teenage son the gun he’s accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a high school was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray guilty of all charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta. Gray now joins a growing number of parents being held responsible in court after their children were accused in shootings. (Martin, 3/3)

More health news from across the U.S. —

As more states look to contain the cost of prescription drugs, Virginia lawmakers are pushing an affordability board that they believe will go further than similar efforts attempted by other states. At the heart of the approach is a plan to use Medicare as a benchmark. Rather than start from scratch to identify medicines that are considered expensive, each year the board would target the same drugs that have been chosen by Medicare for price negotiations. The board would also set upper payment limits to create a ceiling on what would be paid. (Silverman, 3/3)

Frustrated by the slow adoption of one of his signature efforts to get Californians with severe mental illness off the streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday threatened to take funding from counties he said aren’t doing enough. Newsom called out 10 counties that he said are underperforming when it comes to CARE Court – a program he launched in 2023 that uses the courts to get people into mental health treatment. Counties that “haven’t gotten it done” in his view are: Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside, Yolo, Monterey and Fresno. (Kendall, 3/3)

A California family whose home was surrounded by FBI agents and SWAT Team members after “suspicious” items were found in its garage says there is nothing nefarious about the discovery. The investigation started on Feb. 23 when the landlord of the property, located in the gated Altair community in Irvine, called police to report “suspicious” materials. (Conybeare, 3/3)

Bay Area officials are warning residents to clear their yards of any items that carry standing water, as the non-native yellow fever mosquito — known as “ankle biters” for their penchant for biting the lower extremities — continues to spread across California, including parts of the Bay Area. The yellow fever mosquito, or Aedes aegypti, was first found in Southern California about 15 years ago and has since spread to about 25 counties, including Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano, with detection in cities such as San Jose, Antioch, Livermore and Dixon, according to the California Department of Public Health. (Ho, 3/3)

As darkness settled over New York City on Sunday night, a hulking white van raced through Lower Manhattan. Its driver, Christians Perez, peered through the windows, looking for the subtle signs of hidden life on city streets. It’s something you can’t exactly teach: how to spot the homeless New Yorkers trying to blend into the night — people resting on bus stop benches, curled up on doorsteps, tucked into the shadows of scaffolding. (Goldberg, 3/3)

A federal court on Tuesday ruled against the Trump administration’s bid to halt New York City’s congestion pricing. The MTA’s congestion pricing program launched last January and is a first-in-the-nation tolling program for a defined area. The program aims to raise revenue for the MTA while reducing traffic and pollution. While initially controversial, public opinion has shifted in the year following the program’s implementation. Polls have found that even drivers — who were overwhelmingly against it — are increasingly supportive of the program thanks to its impacts on traffic. (Zhang, 3/3)

���ϳԹ��� News: Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans
In the final days of 2025, governors around the country trumpeted the hundreds of millions of federal dollars they won from a new, $50 billion rural health fund. But plans to spend those nine-digit awards aren’t all warmly received. At least one group of Republican state lawmakers appears to have scuttled an initiative preapproved by federal officials. And at least one hospital association persuaded its state health leaders to alter who greenlights spending. Other critics are taking a more cautious approach. (Zionts and Tribble, 3/4)

���ϳԹ��� News: Despite Their Successes, Some Mobile Crisis Response Teams Are In Crisis
It was a snowy afternoon in Bozeman, a city of nearly 60,000 nestled among the mountains of southern Montana. Temperatures hovered in the mid-30s. The city’s mobile crisis team had just gotten a call about a man walking around outside without shoes. The man’s family told the team he was having a mental health crisis and wouldn’t come inside. As they drove down the highway toward the city’s outskirts, team member Evan Thiessen spoke with the relative who had reached out. (Bolton, 3/4)

When we are ill, we need expertise more than ever, yet our agency feels fragile. The best clinicians recognize this. (Scott Hamilton, 3/4)

CMS could help patients and taxpayers by only paying for oncology drug dosages that are reasonable and necessary. (Mark J. Ratain and David A. Hyman, 3/3)

A new Ohio bill won't expand the 340B program, but it will protect patients' ability to fill prescriptions at their pharmacy of choice. (Julie DiRossi-King, 3/4)

Two years ago Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare launched a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. (Katy Adams and Philip Smith, 3/4)

When I first read the news of [former NFL wideout Rondale] Moore’s passing, I began thinking about the troubling increase in suicide among Gen Z men. An October Stateline report from last year showed that Black and Hispanic men account for 85% of the rising Gen Z suicide rates, and that many of them are experiencing deep depression and hopelessness. (Jessica A. Johnson, 3/4)