RFK Jr.’s plan to curb America’s appetite for ultra-processed foods and artificial dyes blocked by the White House Wall Street Journal | October 8, 2026

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/10/08/rfk-jr-s-plan-to-curb-americas-appetite-for-ultra-processed-foods-and-artificial-dyes-blocked-by-the-white-house/ RFK Jr.’s push to rein in ultraprocessed foods and artificial dyes has hit its biggest roadblock yet: the White House. As The Wall Street Journal reports, internal clashes have stalled three separate efforts at the heart of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) food agenda.

Utah becomes first state to empower AI to bypass doctors and prescribe certain drugs Healthcare Dive | October 9, 2026

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/10/09/utah-becomes-first-state-to-empower-ai-to-bypass-doctors-and-prescribe-certain-drugs/ Utah is letting artificial intelligence slide a little further into the doctor’s chair. The state’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy has approved three new pilots that could eventually let AI systems issue and refill certain prescriptions with less human oversight, as Healthcare Dive’s Anuja Vaidya reports. None of the programs has launched yet.

GAHA: The corporate-created “healthier America” movement challenging what it claims is MAHA misinformation about modern farming, chemicals, and food The Guardian | October 9, 2026

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/10/09/gaha-the-corporate-created-healthier-america-movement-challenging-what-it-claims-is-maha-misinformation-about-modern-farming-chemicals-and-food/ Some of America’s biggest food and farm interests have decided the best way to answer the Make America Healthy Again movement is to beat it on its home turf: social media. An industry-funded campaign called Growing a Healthier America, or GAHA, is paying influencers to push back on MAHA claims about seed oils, pesticides, raw milk and “big ag,” as The Guardian’s Rachel Leingang and Riley Messer report in an investigation conducted with the watchdog project Documented.

Abortion rights opponents outraged after FDA says its “safety review” of the already-found-safe mifepristone abortion pill will continue into 2027 CBS News | October 9, 2026

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/10/09/abortion-rights-opponents-outraged-after-fda-says-its-safety-review-of-the-already-found-safe-mifepristone-abortion-pill-will-continue-into-2027/ The FDA’s reevaluation of mifepristone, the nation’s most widely used abortion pill, won’t wrap up until next year — and the anti-abortion movement is not pleased. As CBS News reports, with contributions from the Associated Press, the agency laid out its timeline in a court-ordered filing late on October 7, 2026.

KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements Published: Oct 8, 2026

https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/kff-tracker-america-first-mou-bilateral-global-health-agreements/ This tracker provides up-to-date information on countries with signed bilateral MOU global health agreements with the U.S.

Medicare Open Enrollment and Coverage Options: Key Questions and Answers Authors: Alex Cottrill, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Juliette Cubanski, and Meredith Freed Published: Oct 9, 2026

https://www.kff.org/medicare/medicare-open-enrollment-and-coverage-options-key-questions-and-answers/ Each year, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to make changes to how they receive their Medicare coverage during the nearly 8-week annual open enrollment period. This brief answers key questions about the Medicare open enrollment period and Medicare coverage options.

Medicare Advantage Plan Availability Varies Widely by County for 2027 One in five (20%) Medicare beneficiaries have more than 40 Medicare Advantage drug plan options, while 1% of beneficiaries have none. Authors: Meredith Freed, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Nancy Ochieng, and Juliette Cubanski Published: Oct 9, 2026

https://www.kff.org/medicare/medicare-advantage-plan-availability-varies-widely-by-county-for-2027/ The analysis shows that plan level Medicare Advantage prescription drug availability varies widely across the country in 2027, with a modest reduction in the share of enrollees having more than 40 MA-PDs to choose from compared to 2026, and some major insurers exiting a much larger number of counties than they are entering.