February 8, 2026

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First Opinion editor

This week, I learned that I forgot to sign my toddler up for dental coverage during open enrollment. My congenital guilt compels me to share that failure with all of you.

In better news, First Opinion published a fantastic range of authors. We had the big names: FormerHealth and Human Services Secretaries Donna Shalala and Tommy Thompson wrote an op-ed on Medicare Advantage, while former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf weighed in on the current administration's approach to evidence. And we also had some powerful first-person op-eds: from a public health researcher whose husband, a former NFL player, was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalitis after death; from a patient whose restless-leg syndrome medication apparently drove him to compulsive gambling; and from a pediatrician with a rare perspective: He has worked in both Denmark and the U.S., and argues that Denmark should learn from the U.S. on childhood vaccines, not the other way around.

Recommendation of the week: "Bugonia," with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons — two of my favorite actors — is weird in the best way possible. (And don't miss Plemons' terrifying scene in "Civil War," either.)

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

I treated children for rotavirus in Denmark. The Danish vaccine schedule is no model for the U.S.

This pediatrician has worked in Denmark and the U.S. He thinks Denmark should learn from the U.S. on vaccines, not the other way around.

By Michael Thwing

Former FDA commissioner: HHS leadership is focused on policy-based evidence, not evidence-based policy

HHS leadership is focused on policy-based evidence, not evidence-based policy, writes former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf.

By Robert M. Califf

TrumpRx has a fundamental flaw

TrumpRx won't help the vast majority of Americans because it is designed for cash-paying, uninsured patients, experts write.

By Sean D. Sullivan and Ryan N. Hansen

Adobe

We helped create Medicare Advantage. Here's how to fix it

Two former HHS secretaries say Medicare Advantage is a vital program and policymakers must work to stabilize the program, not undermine it.

By Donna Shalala and Tommy G. Thompson

As a scientist and NFL widow, I am furious about a recent NFL Players Association-funded CTE study

Ahead of the Super Bowl, a scientist looks at an NFL Players Association funded study suggesting CTE "awareness" is the real problem.

By Eleanor M. Perfetto

Measles in an ICE facility is a public health failure

A measles outbreak in a Texas immigration detention center was foreseeable, preventable, and rooted in policy choices that neglect basic public health.