outbreak

The latest on Ebola: A travel ban and an old vaccine

Hajarah Nalwadda/AP

The Trump administration is banning foreign travelers from entering the U.S. if they’ve been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days, according to a CDC order issued yesterday. The ban — the first ever imposed by the U.S. in response to an Ebola outbreak — is in effect for 30 days. Read more from STAT’s Annalisa Merelli and Helen Branswell on the details, including updates on the American doctor who is confirmed to have been infected.

Meanwhile, experts are looking for potential strategies to contain the outbreak, which has already become the fourth largest on record. The World Health Organization and expert scientists are debating whether an existing vaccine for a different species of Ebola could help. But as Helen reports in her latest, any decision about using the drug will be left to the affected countries. “It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation,” said virologist Darryl Falzarano, who worked on an animal study that showed the vaccine had some cross-protection potential. Read more from Helen on what might be possible.

Lastly, this morning at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opened his remarks with an update on the outbreak, with more than 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths. He outlined the numerous reasons for concern — from cases in health care workers to infections in cities — and noted how the conflict in the region has escalated in the last two months. “Over 100,000 people have been newly displaced, and in Ebola outbreaks, you know what displacement means,” Tedros said.

Tedros said the Ebola cases, as well as the recent hantavirus infections on a cruise ship, pointed to “why international threats need an international response,” and why the world “needs WHO.” The agency, however, has been grappling with a shrunken budget, in part because of the withdrawal of the U.S. from WHO under the Trump administration.

courts

Supreme Court rejects challenge on price negotiation

Yesterday the Supreme Court declined to take up lawsuits against the Medicare drug price negotiation program, dealing a major blow to the industry’s legal campaign against the program. The decision was not exactly a surprise, but the justices did not give a reason for their decision. STAT’s John Wilkerson has the details.

one big number

$1,000

That’s how much the average Affordable Care Act Marketplace deductible increased from 2025 to 2026, according to a new KFF analysis. That’s about a 37% increase, from $2,759 to $3,786.

After the enhanced tax credits established during the pandemic expired last year, more people opted for plans with lower monthly bills and higher out-of-pocket commitments. These “Bronze” plans saw a jump from 7.3 to 9.2 million enrollees, while “Silver” plans with higher monthly costs and lower deductibles saw a major decrease from 13.7 to 9.8 million people.

By the end of the year, total Marketplace enrollment could drop by 21.5% from last year’s numbers, per the analysis. Initial estimates accounted for only the people who didn’t sign up or get automatically re-enrolled. As we’ve mentioned before in this newsletter, we’ll have to see how many people are disenrolled if they can’t pay the premiums. Revisit this great explainer from Wilkerson for a rundown on the expected impact of the expired subsidies.