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The CDC center that tracks accidental deaths in the U.S. could see much of its work zeroed out under the Trump administration's 2026 budget after being hit hard by staff cuts this spring.

Why it matters: Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans younger than 45, and the data the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control churns on fatal car accidents, drug overdose deaths, firearm injuries and even dog bites help inform public health strategies.

• The Trump budget targets the CDC with more than $3.5 billion in proposed cuts and lists the injury center under "duplicative, DEI or simply unnecessary programs" that can be conducted more effectively by states.

Where things stand: The center was hit by layoffs under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s reorganization of federal health agencies, losing about 200 staffers in April who primarily worked on violence prevention and unintentional injuries.

• That crippled key data repositories, with few data scientists and other technicians left to crunch the numbers, current employees and advocates say.
• Trump's 2026 budget request would eliminate funding for both data repositories and the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS).

Between the lines: Also potentially at risk is the CDC's federal surveillance report of drowning statistics, which found the number of drowning deaths among kids 4 and younger increased 28% during the pandemic.

• That kind of data, as well as $5 million in funding for drowning prevention efforts from groups such as the YMCA, has been cut.
• "Why wouldn't the federal government have a role in [addressing] the leading cause of death in our babies?" said Katie Adamson, vice president of health partnerships and policy for YMCA.

The other side: "HHS and CDC remain firmly committed to maintaining the availability of high-quality public health data essential to injury prevention and response nationwide," an HHS spokesman said.

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More than 50 health insurers today are committing to simplifying pre-treatment reviews and address a practice widely despised by health care providers and patients.

Why it matters: Insurers maintain that requiring a sign-off before patients care get care is necessary to control costs and make sure treatments and medications are safe and effective.

• But more than 8 in 10 physicians said that issues with prior authorization requirements led patients to abandon treatment, according to an American Medical Association survey last year. Nearly 90% said prior authorizations contribute to burnout.

State of play: Leading health plans today will voluntarily commit to answer at least 80% of electronic prior authorization requests that have the necessary clinical documentation in real time by 2027.

• The insurers also said they'll work to create common electronic prior authorization submission requirements for plans and providers by Jan. 1, 2027.
• The commitments cover all insurance markets, including private health plans and Medicare Advantage.

AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association are being joined in the pledge by UnitedHealthcare, Aetna CVS Health, Cigna, Elevance and Kaiser Permanente.

• Each is committing to reduce the claims subject to prior authorization "as appropriate for the local market" by the start of next year, according to a joint news release.

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The Trump administration on Friday narrowed the period to sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage and imposed other restrictions aimed at rolling back Biden-era flexibilities for the program.

Why it matters: CMS expects the new policies to lower marketplace premiums by about 5% on average and save $12 billion next year.

• But between 725,000 and 1.8 million people are expected to lose coverage, per CMS projections.

The big picture: Congress is considering codifying many of the same provisions in the massive GOP budget bill that's now before the Senate. That would make loosening enrollment policies harder to pull off for a future administration.

State of play: CMS is shortening the period for enrolling in marketplace insurance by two weeks, starting for plan year 2027. Federal exchanges will then be open for sign-ups from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 of each year.

• It's also repealing the monthly opportunity started under the Biden administration for lower-income people to get marketplace coverage.
• The new rule limits plans' ability to cover gender-affirming care beginning next year.
• It also excludes Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from obtaining ACA coverage.

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A national survey found that 86% of American voters are more likely to support congressional candidates who will:

• Hold Big Pharma accountable.
• Lower the price of prescription Rx drugs.

Learn more.

Melanoma cases are rising in younger people, especially women 50 and younger, a National Cancer Institute study found.

Why it matters: Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S., and melanoma is the deadliest type.

Between the lines: Many cases are preventable.

• Exposure to UV light from the sun or indoor tanning beds causes most melanoma cases, per NCI data.
• Young women are still most likely to indoor-tan, even though their tanning rates declined after 2010, per the most recent data available.

Yes, but: Overdiagnosis could be contributing to the melanoma rate increase, according to the report.

• A New England Journal of Medicine study found that routine skin exams have increased and pathologists now more often classify ambiguous lesions as melanoma.

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✂️ NIH's support for federal guidelines that steer the treatment of more than 1 million HIV patients in the U.S. will be phased out by next June. (WaPo)