Mandy Oaklander | August 06, 2026

It might feel like a million degrees outside, but cold-and-flu season is right around the corner. Come this fall, you might have a new way to protect yourself.

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first mRNA-based influenza vaccine, made by Moderna, for adults 50 and older. Because mRNA-based flu shots can be produced much faster than traditional flu vaccines, they could be updated more quickly to better match the strains that ultimately circulate, my colleague Alice Park explains in a new piece for TIME.

TODAY’S TOPICS

Morning light for better sleep
Rising health care costs
Let's take aliens seriously

ONE SMALL CHANGE

Get some morning light

Before you reach for your coffee tomorrow, step into some sunlight. Experts recommend getting morning light within an hour of waking—ideally by spending about 30 minutes outside—for better sleep at night.

Can’t get outdoors? Have breakfast facing a window. Even a cloudy morning confers benefits. —Angela Haupt

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BIG NUMBER

14%

The median proposed premium increase for 2027 among nearly 300 small-group insurers across the U.S., according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker.

Health insurance is projected to get even more expensive next year. Insurers face rising health care costs and a shrinking, sicker insurance pool as healthier people drop coverage. —Alana Semuels

SOURCE: Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

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PLEASE ADVISE

Ask the health team

Have a burning health or wellness question? Wondering how to handle a tricky social situation? Email us at healthmatters@time.com, and we may tackle it in a future edition of the newsletter.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

One man started sitting in parks with a sign inviting strangers to chat. Now the idea has grown into a global movement to combat loneliness, reports Mathylda Dulian for the Wall Street Journal.
Many people experiencing homelessness depend on Medicaid for medications, but that’s in jeopardy with the federal government’s stringent new work requirements, Katheryn Houghton reports for KFF Health News.
Our friend and colleague Jeffrey Kluger, who is celebrating 30 years at TIME this week, wrote the latest cover story making the case for taking aliens seriously.