In This Edition:
From KFF Health News:
KFF Health News Original Stories
1. As Health Insurance Costs Soar, Healthcare Workers Also Feel the Pinch Like many Americans, Joshua and Ashley Durham saw their health insurance premiums rise by hundreds of dollars a month this year. Despite being healthcare practitioners all too aware of the risks, they chose to go uninsured. Others, though, can’t afford to go without. (Hayat Norimine, 9/22)
Here's today's health policy haiku:
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
Don't be distracted.
Flu, covid, RSV live.
Get vaccinated!
- Paul Hughes-Cromwick
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Summaries Of The News:
Covid-19
3. Pandemic Recovery Continues: Teen Mental Health Is Improving, And Some Americans Are Drinking Less
However, a new study found that public health officials are still facing backlash, with 76% of those surveyed experiencing threats or harassment. Meanwhile, in Ohio, covid is front and center in the race for governor.
The New York Times: Sadness And Suicidal Behavior Among Teenagers Is Declining, C.D.C. Finds A national survey has found that key mental health measures for teenagers have significantly improved from their worst levels during the pandemic. (Ghorayshi, 9/21)
NBC News: Drinking Finally Slows After Pandemic Spike — Especially For Millennials And Gen Z Americans are drinking less for the first time since the pandemic, but alcohol use remains higher than it was before 2020, according to a study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The decline in drinking rates, though modest at roughly 1%, is welcome news after heavy alcohol use spiked sharply during the pandemic, said senior study author Dr. Brian P. Lee, a liver transplant doctor at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. (Sullivan, 9/21)
Healthcare workers and hospitals are still recovering from the pandemic —
Ohio State News: Public Health Leaders Report Widespread Harassment, Threats After COVID-19 Backlash against public health officials, including intimidation and threats of physical harm, has been widespread in the years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and they face ongoing risk in a divisive nation, according to a new study. “The backlash we’re studying is different than people disagreeing about wearing masks or getting a COVID vaccine,” said lead author Marian Moser Jones, associate professor of health services management and policy in The Ohio State University College of Public Health. “This is true hostility. Threats of violence. Undermining these people in ways that harm their ability to do their jobs.” (Crane, 9/21)
The Maine Monitor: Hospital Spending On Contract Staff Almost Back To Pre-COVID Level At the height of the pandemic, hospitals in Maine spent $560 million on contract staffing. This year, that number dropped to $214 million. (Forbes, 9/21)
In Ohio and Pennsylvania, covid still has a leading role in politics —
Stat: Ohio Governor’s Race Is A Battle Over Covid, Health Costs, And Trust In Science Of all the high-profile electoral contests this November, the heated race for Ohio governor could be the most direct test of where public opinion in the heartland currently stands on health care, trust in science, and the lasting legacy of the Covid pandemic. (Todd, 9/22)
Fox News: ‘COVID 2.0’: Lawmakers Push Back On Sweeping Health 'Police Power' In Key Battleground State Pennsylvania lawmakers are warning that proposed changes to the state’s public health rules could usher in "COVID 2.0," giving health officials sweeping "police power" over residents during future disease outbreaks. Lawmakers opposing Pennsylvania's planned 502-page rewrite of state health code rules are urging the public to submit comments before the deadline, warning the proposal could serve as a roadmap to unfettered and intrusive restrictions and surveillance efforts, including the reported ability for agency representatives to enter private homes. (Creitz, 9/18)
Administration News
4. Physician Groups Join Lawsuit Against CMS Over Medicaid Work Requirements
The restrictions on who qualifies for an exemption due to "medical frailty" are arbitrary and capricious, the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics argue. Per the new Medicaid rules, which take effect Jan. 1, most adult enrollees must prove they are meeting an 80-hour-per-week target for work, school, or volunteering to secure and keep coverage.
Modern Healthcare: CMS Faces Lawsuit Over Medicaid Work Requirements, Frailty Rule The American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics have signed onto a lawsuit seeking to repeal key provisions of a Medicaid work requirements regulation. The plaintiffs allege that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ work requirements rule impermissibly restricts verification and exemption policies such as the parameters for the “medical frailty” exemption. The National Health Law Program and Democracy Forward lead the lawsuit, and the plaintiffs include six physician groups, five Medicaid enrollees and the city of Columbus, Ohio. (Early, 9/21)
The Wall Street Journal: Pharmaceutical Companies Push Trump Administration To Protect China Deals Western pharmaceutical companies are urging the administration to allow them to keep doing deals with Chinese companies for promising drug candidates, despite a 2025 law restricting U.S. investment in Chinese technology. The group that represents pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Merck and Eli Lilly has been lobbying to make sure that the new rules the Treasury Department is writing, as part of that 2025 law, maintain the drugmakers’ ability to do deals in China. (Martinez and Lawrence, 9/21)
The Guardian: Brendan Carr Was A Member Of A Rogue Alcoholics Anonymous Group Some Labeled A ‘Cult’ Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), was for about a decade a member of a rogue Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group when he was in his late teens and 20s that some former members compared to a “cult”, according to a Guardian investigation. The Midtown group, which was based in the Washington DC area, attracted young people who were seeking help with addiction, sometimes at the urging of their parents. But while AA groups are traditionally a fellowship of people who come together to solve their drinking problem, former Midtown members say its one-time leader Michael Quinones – who died of cancer in 2007 – came to control nearly every aspect of their lives, including where they lived, worked and went to school. (Kirchgaessner, 9/22)
On troops' health —
Military.com: Air Force Tech Specialist Faces Potential Discharge Over A Prescribed ADHD Medication A 16-year airman at Travis AFB told Military.com that a positive drug test due to a military-doctor prescribed medication puts his career in jeopardy. (Mordowanec, 9/22)
Military.com: Veterans Are Losing Weight And Lowering Their A1C With This Free VA Program For veterans such as Chip Hanson, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ MOVE! program has delivered results that extend far beyond a number on a scale. The other participants said they had lower blood pressure, a substantial reduction in body weight and improved blood sugar levels. Alex Moreno, one of the veterans in the program, said that his average blood sugar fell from 6.0 two years ago to 5.4. (Reisdorf, 9/22)
Health news from Capitol Hill —
Roll Call: Lawmakers Bristle At Trump Effort For Tighter Control Of NIH Key lawmakers are pushing back after reports revealed that the Trump administration is seeking even greater control over the National Institutes of Health grantmaking process. The effort, first reported by The Washington Post, includes potentially issuing an executive order or White House review of grants to weed out research contrary to President Donald Trump’s agenda. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Monday criticized the plan, saying that the Office of Management and Budget shouldn’t be involved in these decisions. (DeGroot, 9/21)
Fierce Healthcare: Sens' Bill Floats New Cyber Standards, $1.3B Hospital Support Democratic senators have reintroduced their bid to tighten healthcare cybersecurity standards and direct $1.3 billion of federal funds toward updating hospitals’ protections and practices. The Health Infrastructure Security and Accountability Act was brought late last week by Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, who serves as vice chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR, ranking member of the budget committee. It treads much of the same ground as the same-named bill they had introduced in 2024, with the senators noting that cyberattacks against healthcare have only increased in frequency and sophistication in the two years since. (Muoio, 9/21)
Axios: Health Care Costs Stoke Midterm Battleground Races The willingness to confront powerful health care interests is becoming a litmus test for candidates in congressional battleground races with six weeks to go before the midterm elections. (Owens and Bettelheim, 9/22)
Stat: What's Up Next In GOP Health Care Plans? Brian Blase Can Tell You Brian Blase, president of Paragon Health Institute, has become a trusted adviser to Republicans in Congress, who passed sweeping changes to federal funding for health care last year. (Payne, 9/22)
State Watch
5. First Death Reported In Dengue Outbreak Spread By Mosquitoes In Florida
An elderly Tampa woman has died and more than 130 people have been sickened in Hillsborough County amid one of Florida's worst outbreaks in decades, HealthDay reported. Other state news is on abortion pills in California, Minnesota's universal school meals program, and more.
HealthDay: Dengue Fever In Florida: First Death Reported In Tampa Outbreak An elderly Tampa woman has died of dengue fever as Florida faces one of its worst outbreaks of the mosquito-borne illness in decades. The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death Friday but didn't share details, the Associated Press reported. The woman died Sept. 4, according to the Tampa Bay Times, which first reported the death. Most of this year's cases are in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa. (Vohnoutka, 9/21)
MPR News: Bat Tests Positive For Rabies After Found In Downtown Minneapolis State health officials say a bat found in downtown Minneapolis last week tested positive for rabies — and they’re trying to find anyone who may have been in contact with it. (9/21)
ABC News: 2nd Possible Measles Exposure Reported In Philadelphia At Airport Philadelphia is facing a second possible measles exposure, the city's Department of Public Health warned over the weekend. Health officials said an individual with measles passed through Philadelphia International Airport and that the case is not connected to the recent exposure that occurred at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). (Kekatos, 9/21)
Health news from California —
CalMatters: California Sues Christian Groups Over Abortion Pill Reversal California is suing two Christian anti-abortion nonprofits over a disputed treatment the groups call “abortion pill reversal” in a case that could reshape the nation’s ongoing battle over abortion rights. An Alameda County judge heard six weeks of arguments in the case, and will ultimately decide whether the First Amendment shields two anti-abortion groups that promote a disputed hormone treatment, or whether their claims violate false advertising laws. (Hwang, 9/21)
Mother Jones: The California Lawmaker Forcing Big Food To Clean Up Its Act While DC dithers, Jesse Gabriel has quietly become America’s de facto food safety chief. (Black, 9/22)
CNN: A String Of Rare Childhood Cancer Cases In This California Suburb Has The Community On Edge Residents of Ladera Ranch have tallied cancer cases and raised concerns about pesticides in parks and playing fields. Scientists say proving a cause is complicated. (Jones, 9/20)
Other health news from across the U.S. —
MPR News: Minnesota’s Universal School Meals Program Draws More Students, Eases Family Costs On the first day of school at Hoover Elementary in Coon Rapids, Gov. Tim Walz and Education Commissioner Willie Jett donned aprons and plastic gloves and stood in the cafeteria before a line of elementary students. “Do you want orange chicken?” Walz asked a student before spooning a serving of lunch onto his plate. The governor, a former teacher, has said the state’s universal school meals program, which he signed into law in 2023, is one of the proudest accomplishments of his eight-year tenure. (Shockman, 9/22)
Maryland Matters: Maryland Long-Term Care Insurance Rates Could Double Thousands of Maryland seniors paying for long-term healthcare could face steep premium increases over the next several years if state officials approve the steep increases requested by four Maryland insurance companies last week. (Brown, 9/21)
The CT Mirror: How To Get Overdose Reversal Drug Naloxone, Or Narcan, In CT Distribution of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone is a key part of the state’s efforts to reduce overdose deaths in Connecticut. Officials say there have been meaningful reductions in the number of overdose deaths that correspond to efforts to widely distribute the drug, widely known by the brand name Narcan. (Tillman, 9/21)
Health Industry
6. North Carolina County Green-Lights Hospital Merger That Residents Say They Don't Want
North Carolina Health News reported that after the public outcry, amendments were added that call for Atrium Health to pay Wake County $150 million over 10 years for public health initiatives, that raise WakeMed’s indigent care commitment from 4.8% to 8% of adjusted annual revenue, and that add county protections over certain governance changes. The proposed merger still must be reviewed by state and federal officials.
North Carolina Health News: Wake Commissioners Clear The Way For Atrium-WakeMed Deal At Contentious Meeting With key legal details of a “strategic combination” between WakeMed Health & Hospitals and Atrium Health yet to be finalized, the Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday voted to move forward with one of the biggest and most contentious health care changes the county has faced in decades. The 5-2 vote came after months of debate, almost two hours of public comment on Monday and a lengthy discussion with the county attorney over changes to the deal. (Blythe, Crouch and Hoban, 9/22)
More updates about the healthcare industry —
Modern Healthcare: CVS Health Subsidiary Omnicare Wins Approval For Bankruptcy Plan CVS Health subsidiary Omnicare won approval of its bankruptcy plan last week. A federal judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas authorized the long-term care pharmacy services provider’s agreement with the Justice Department on Thursday. CVS Health agreed in July to pay $130 million to the Justice Department within two weeks of the final agreement, and another $310 million by the end of March 2028. (Tong, 9/21)
Modern Healthcare: ICHRAs Plans Boosted By Feds, Rebranded As CHOICE The stars may finally be aligning for individual coverage health reimbursement accounts after more than half a decade of hype. Employers have been able to give workers funds to buy individual market health insurance plans through ICHRAs from insurers such as Centene and Oscar Health since 2020. But adoption remains limited. These plans, which lean on the Affordable Care Act of 2010’s exchanges, have also been hampered by the expiration of enhanced premium subsidies at the end of last year. (Tong, 9/21)
Modern Healthcare: InnovAge CEO: Health System Partners Fuel PACE Growth More partnerships with health systems are on the drawing board for InnovAge, a large operator of Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. The Denver-based company’s joint ventures with Tampa General and Orlando Health are helping it enroll more patients in PACE and keep them out of the hospital, said CEO Patrick Blair. The health systems made financial investments in co-branded PACE centers. Blair said in an interview the company would also be open to acquisitions of PACE programs as it looks to expand to other states. (Eastabrook, 9/21)
KFF Health News: As Health Insurance Costs Soar, Healthcare Workers Also Feel The Pinch Joshua and Ashley Durham run a family medicine practice, and for the first time in their lives, they have no health insurance. When the Durhams began their practice at the end of 2023 — he as a primary care physician and she as a pharmacist who handles the billing — the couple bought coverage for themselves and their two kids on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. But they said their monthly premiums for a similar health plan for this year rose several hundred dollars to nearly $1,600. (Norimine, 9/22)
Health And Race
7. Attorney Says Man Allegedly Shot And Detained By ICE With Bullet Left In His Back Has Returned To Hospital
The man, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was shot by ICE on Sunday while making a DoorDash delivery, immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said. Perez told AP that he initially received no pain medication or treatment when he was taken to a hospital. “I am not doing well," he said.
AP: Man Shot By ICE, Detained In Texas With A Bullet In His Back Is Back In The Hospital, Attorney Says A Venezuelan man shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and taken to a detention center in Texas with a bullet still lodged in his back was back in the hospital by Monday night, the man’s attorney said. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was making a DoorDash delivery in Austin on Sunday when his car was “sideswiped” twice by ICE officers in an unmarked truck, immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch told reporters earlier Monday. He was shot and taken to a hospital, she said, but was released later Sunday into ICE custody with the bullet still inside him. (Wilder and Bedayn, 9/22)
AFP: Man Shot By US Immigration Agent Describes Pain Of Bullet Still Inside Him "I'm in a lot of pain because the shot fractured my clavicle and at the hospital where they took me they couldn't remove the bullet because it's close to the spinal cord...I'm not doing very well, I still have the bullet inside," Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, told reporters by phone. (9/22)
Also —
AP: ICE Hides Location Of Thousands Of Detainees With Removal Orders U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding thousands of detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, an unannounced move that has made it far more difficult for lawyers and relatives to find them, according to current and former officials familiar with the practice. ICE removed those detainees from its online detainee locator system on Sept. 15, according to three current and former ICE officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change. Several lawyers contacted by The Associated Press confirmed their clients vanished from the system this week, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association warned its members about the situation Friday. (Foley, 9/21)
Daily Montanan: Judge Orders Immigration Officials To Release 24 People Unlawfully Detained In Montana A federal judge ordered immigration officials to release 24 individuals being unlawfully held in Cascade County, some for more than six weeks, Upper Seven Law announced in a news release. Upper Seven Litigation Director Molly Danahy said in a statement those people will be allowed to return to their families. (Szpaller, 9/21)
The Guardian: Banished To Alien Lands: Trump’s Secret Deportation Deals After a plane journey in shackles, an Iranian woman found herself in the middle of Africa in a country she did not know existed. She is one of thousands deported from the US on the back of shadowy deals made with dozens of countries. An in-depth investigation reveals the ‘show of force’ costing American taxpayers millions. (Loveluck, 9/21)
Forbes: Trump Enacts Additional Immigration Policies Against H-1B Visa Holders The Trump administration has imposed additional immigration measures to restrict companies from hiring H-1B visa holders. On Sept. 18, the White House posted a presidential proclamation that renewed the $100,000 fee levied on the entry of new H-1B professionals. The fee is blocked in court, but administration officials may have wanted to preserve their legal options. The proclamation reveals the Sept. 2025 $100,000 fee acted as a virtual prohibition on hiring new H-1B visa holders, with employers making the $100,000 payment for only about 700 individuals. (Anderson, 9/21)
Pharma and Tech
8. No Major Concerns Raised By FDA Staff On Grail's Galleri Multicancer Blood Test
Shares of Grail surged as FDA briefing documents were released ahead of an advisers' meeting Wednesday on the Galleri multicancer early detection blood test, MedPage Today and Stat reported.
MedPage Today: FDA Staff Find No Major Concerns With Galleri Multicancer Early Detection Test FDA staff members had no major concerns or questions about the safety, accuracy, risks, or benefits of the Galleri multicancer early detection (MCED) blood test ahead of an advisors' meeting that will be held Wednesday. The prescription, qualitative in vitro diagnostic test from Grail is intended to screen for early detection of multiple types of cancer in adults ages 50 and older. (Bassett, 9/21)
Stat: What A Vote On Grail Cancer Detection Test May Mean For The Company, Patients Shares in Grail, the company developing a blood test aimed at detecting many different types of cancer early, when they can be treated more effectively, surged 33% Monday after the Food and Drug Administration posted documents ahead of an advisory committee meeting that suggest the agency may take a favorable view of the test. (Herper, 9/21)
In other pharma and tech developments —
Healthcare Dive: Mayo Clinic, Thermo Fisher Partner To Create Biomedical Database Mayo Clinic and Thermo Fisher Scientific have founded Precure, a company focused on creating one of the world’s leading biomedical datasets. The company, which Mayo Clinic unveiled last week, will use molecular data generated from one million biospecimens, clinical information and other resources to create the dataset. (Taylor, 9/21)
Bloomberg: Smart Ring Maker Oura, Backers Seek $2.2 Billion In US IPO Health and fitness ring-maker Oura Inc. and some of its backers are seeking to raise as much as $2.2 billion in a US initial public offering. The maker of smart rings that track metrics including heart health, activity and sleep plans to market 50 million shares for $40 to $44 each, according to its filing Monday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The company will look to sell 13.5 million shares, while shareholders including Forerunner Ventures and Lifeline Ventures will offer 36.5 million. (Patnaik, 9/21)
Stat: Alkermes’ Orexin Agonist Shows Potential To Treat ADHD In Early-Stage Trial Drugs called orexin agonists have been hailed for their ability to treat rare sleep disorders, but with new data, Alkermes is showing for the first time that the new class of therapies may benefit people with ADHD. (Chen, 9/21)
MedPage Today: Gabapentin Use Rose As Restrictions Fell, Study Shows Gabapentin use jumped quickly in Michigan after the drug was removed from the state's controlled substance schedule in 2024, a cross-sectional study showed. From 2023 through 2025, gabapentin dispensing in the Michigan Medicaid program ranged from 33 to 43 prescriptions per 1,000 enrollees, while pregabalin dispensing remained consistently lower, reported Juan Hincapie-Castillo, PharmD, MS, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, and co-authors. (George, 9/21)
KFF Health News: Insurance Coverage Lags As Cancer Science, Treatment Move Forward Eighteen months after his initial diagnosis, chemotherapy hadn’t slowed 21-year-old Mason Henderson’s rare brain tumor, which had spread to his spinal fluid. So he left his home in southeastern Texas to spend three weeks in a clinical trial in New York City. But that failed, too, leaving a murky path for Henderson, whose cancer was so rare the World Health Organization had only given it a name in 2021. So early this year, Henderson’s doctors, evaluating his tumor’s deep genetic language, turned to a drug made by Merck and AstraZeneca called Lynparza. (Allen, 9/22)
On GLP-1s —
NewsNation: GLP-1 Manufacturers Novo And Eli Lilly Sued By Patients Over Sudden Vision Loss Risk Patients are suing the makers of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs over a condition leading to sudden vision loss. They say that the drug manufacturers failed to provide clear information about the possible side effect, while some experts say the evidence linking the two is mixed. (Whiteside, 9/21)
Newsweek: Scientists Find Potential Way To Preserve Muscle During GLP-1 Weight Loss GLP-1 medications have transformed obesity treatment, helping millions of people lose weight. But they come with a drawback that concerns doctors and users alike: people often lose a significant amount of muscle, or lean mass, alongside body fat. (Gray, 9/21)
Axios: The Dangerous Risks Of Stopping Ozempic And GLP-1s Stopping Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs may carry health risks beyond weight regain, according to a growing body of research. Many patients stop GLP-1 treatment because of cost, side effects or other reasons, but emerging research suggests some cardiovascular and metabolic benefits can fade after treatment ends. (Scribner, 9/21)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Reveals 80-Pound Weight Loss Gov. JB Pritzker disclosed Monday that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago and has since lost 80 pounds using a GLP-1 drug. (Gorner, 9/21)
Editorials And Opinions
9. Viewpoints: How Will We Know If Social Media Bans Work?; Anti-Vaccine Conference Showed Need For Conversation
Editorial writers discuss these public health topics.
Stat: Will Social Media Bans Help Teens? Researchers Must Ask Right Questions In December 2025, as social media’s potential impact on youth mental health faced growing scrutiny, Australia became the first country to ban social media for people under 16, with Indonesia quickly following. The European Union is taking a slightly different approach, banning social media for children under 13 and personal accounts for people under 15 after pressure from several E.U. nations. (Camilla Iannone, 9/22)
The Washington Post: The Lesson I Learned At D.C.'s Anti-Vaccine Conference I am firmly pro-vaccine. Ridiculing those who are not helps no one. (Robert Gebelhoff, 9/22)
Stat: Skeptical About Modern Medicine? I Know The Feeling — And Want To Listen When health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks about the chronic disease epidemic ravaging America’s young, I am one of the people he is speaking about. At 34 years old, I am overweight and already suffering from high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I have ADHD so bad I often forget to brush my teeth in the morning. And when a doctor — who I waited several months to see in hopes he’d figure out why I’m incessantly tired — recently asked what conditions my very high dose of an SSRI was treating, my response was simply “all of the above.” (Nicholas Florko, 9/21)
Stat: Cancer Symptoms Can Be Treated With Integrative Oncology For much of my career in cancer care, I have seen a contradiction play out in the exam rooms of my colleagues and across the country. Cancer patients ask how to manage pain, fatigue, anxiety, immune suppression, and the daily toll of the disease. Clinicians often prescribe only medication, even though they know other evidence-based treatments could help: acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced nausea; exercise and nutrition counseling to improve clinical outcomes; and mindfulness-based programs to ease distress, sleep problems, and even immune dysfunction. (Lorenzo Cohen, 9/22)
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