In This Edition:
From KFF Health News:
Here's today's health policy haiku:
LIMIT THE HARDSHIP
Fix the ACA
to reduce per-person costs
$3,000.
- David Schwertfeger
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Summaries Of The News:
Elections
3. Abortion, 'Medicare For All,' Affordability Are At The Top Of Voters' Minds On Election Day
Reproductive rights are on the ballot in different forms in four states; Nevada, Virginia, and Idaho could protect the right to abortion, while a Missouri measure aims to restrict it. Meanwhile, candidates in Michigan and Maine have made Medicare for All central to their campaigns.
Axios: What's On The Line For Health Care In The Midterms Voters are about to decide whether public backlash against the health care industry translates into meaningful policy shifts. Health care has never been more expensive, and it's not going to get any cheaper without significant intervention. (Owens, 11/3)
The New York Times: How Will The Midterms Play Out? These Races May Provide Early Clues. Election results in states where voting ends early could indicate how each party will fare in House and Senate races elsewhere in the country. (Yoon, 11/3)
More on reproductive healthcare —
Rewire News Group: These 10 Midterms Ballot Measures Will Affect Reproductive Justice In the 2026 midterm election, nine states have ballot measures asking voters to consider abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, and non-discrimination initiatives. An estimated 29 million people will weigh whether to amend their state constitutions to protect or ban abortion, bar trans kids from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identities, or provide equal protection under the law. (Roy, 11/2)
Public News Service: Idaho's Abortion Ballot Measure Could Set Off New Round Of Legal Battles Idaho's Proposition 1 could change the state's abortion laws but the legal fight may not end at the ballot box. (Hatch, 11/2)
The 19th: Your State’s Next Attorney General Could Help Determine Abortion Access In the four years since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to an abortion, state attorneys general have played central roles in both defending and eroding reproductive rights — and their power to do so extends far beyond their home states. (Becker, 11/2)
On the election issues of healthcare and affordability —
ABC News: Many Americans Are Worried About Healthcare Costs As Midterms Approach. Why Do They Keep Rising? As Americans prepare to vote in Tuesday's midterm elections, rising healthcare costs are among the top financial and economic concerns, according to recent polling. A quarter of voters say they are "very worried" about being able to afford healthcare costs and more than one-third say they are "somewhat worried," according to a KFF poll earlier this month. Those who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) saw their average monthly benchmark premium jump from $497 per month in 2025 to $625 in 2026, according to KFF, particularly after enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of last year. (Kekatos, 11/2)
KFF Health News: A Few Miles From The US Capitol, Dozens Slept In Their Cars, Waiting For Free Care Friday night lights took on a whole new meaning at a high school here in this suburb of Washington, D.C. Instead of fans packing stadium bleachers to watch football, on this recent October weekend the gymnasium, hallways, and parking areas were jammed with people desperately seeking healthcare at a free pop-up clinic. The 2026 election season has been punctuated by affordability issues, with polls showing high healthcare costs are a top concern among likely voters. The staggering toll of people struggling to get care was on full display here just eight miles northeast of the U.S. Capitol — in an area where census data shows the median household income tops $108,000 and about 94% have health insurance. (Galewitz, 11/3)
Stat: Midterm Elections: MAHA Nearly Invisible On Campaign Trail Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement rushed into American politics with a promise: Let an unlikely coalition of activists reach the masses, and they will deliver revolutionary gains for the Republican Party. Yet as midterm elections draw near, the movement is nearly invisible on the campaign trail and struggling to find a financial or messaging foothold in key races. (Cueto, Cirruzzo and Payne, 10/9)
Also —
CNN: Voting May Have Benefits For Longevity, Researchers Say As millions of Americans vote in the midterm elections, a first-of-its-kind study suggests that voting may accomplish more than fulfillment of your civic duty — it may also indirectly reduce your risk of dying early from any cause. (Rogers, 11/2)
Healthcare Costs
4. Some Insurers Are Withholding Payments To Providers In Tug-Of-War Over Surprise Billing
Under the No Surprises Act, insurers are required to issue reimbursements to doctors deemed appropriate by an arbiter, but the law does not explain how a ruling can be enforced, one legal expert explained. Insurers are pushing back against what they claim are inflated costs by refusing payments to providers and doing so without penalties from the government. President Trump and members of Congress say the law needs shoring up.
The New York Times: Flouting Consumer Law, Insurers Refuse To Pay Medical Bills For Emergency Care A law to end surprise medical bills has generated millions of high-dollar payouts for doctors. Health plans are now fighting back by frequently withholding money. (Sanger-Katz and Kliff, 11/3)
Modern Healthcare: ACA Subsidies Grow In States As Exchange Premiums Climb Investments by states in new programs aim to blunt another year of big health insurance exchange premium increases despite a nearly $1 trillion reduction in federal funding coming for their budgets. Rhode Island and Virginia have committed tens of millions of dollars from their general funds to launch state subsidy programs in 2027. Connecticut funneled $10 million to its existing initiative to provide premium assistance for early childhood educators. (Tepper, 11/2)
Fierce Healthcare: FTC Warns About Deceptive Marketing As ACA Enrollment Opens Open enrollment season is getting underway, and the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to 25 companies that conduct marketing or generate sales leads for insurers. The commission said in an announcement that the letters aim to put these companies on notice about deceptive or unfair marketing tactics that are likely unlawful. Activities in question include misrepresenting the benefits or limitations of a plan, or portraying a plan as comprehensive when it isn't. (Minemyer, 11/2)
In other healthcare industry developments —
Bloomberg: Redeemer Health Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy In Pennsylvania Redeemer Health, a nonprofit Catholic health system with facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday. The system includes a 239-bed acute-care hospital north of Philadelphia, as well as three skilled-nursing facilities, low-income housing, food pantries and a retirement community, according to a Monday press release. “Redeemer Health remains fully operational and continues to provide high-quality care to our patients throughout this process,” said Jim Logue, the group’s interim chief executive officer. (Querolo, 11/2)
Modern Healthcare: Providence, Compassus Complete Oregon Joint Venture Providence has completed the final phase of a joint venture with home care company Compassus to provide home health, hospice and palliative care services in Oregon. The joint venture will operate under the name Providence at Home with Compassus, the two organizations said Monday in a news release. Under terms of the deal, Brentwood, Tennessee-based Compassus will manage 17 home care programs Providence previously operated across Oregon. (Eastabrook, 11/2)
WFSU: FSU Celebrates Completion Of $137.5 Million Health Research Building In Tallahassee Construction is complete on FSU Health's $137.5 million Health Research and Collaboration building. The university unveiled it during a ribbon cutting Friday. (Wood, 11/2)
Chicago Tribune: Workers At UI Health Deliver 10-Day Strike Notice About 200 advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants and midwives at UI Health could strike as early as next week, saying they were left out of raises given to other workers. (Schencker, 11/2)
Fierce Healthcare: Brigham And Women's Nurses Reject Contract Proposal Union nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital are set to strike in the coming weeks after failed contract negotiations, in what could be the largest open-ended nurse strike in Massachusetts history. Brigham and Women's Hospital said in a statement it received notice from the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) on Nov. 1 about an open-ended strike beginning Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 a.m. (Muoio and Gleeson, 11/2)
Also —
AP: Cancer Center Unveils Room Named For Late Mother Of Islanders' Matthew Schaefer Before he was picked first in the draft by the New York Islanders last year, Matthew Schaefer made his late mother’s fight against cancer before her death in 2024 a central part of what motivates him. On Monday, he added another chapter to that journey. The R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center on Long Island unveiled the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Room, with Matthew, brother Johnny and father Todd on hand to see the finished product. (Whyno, 11/2)
MedPage Today: First Guidelines For Cancer Caregivers Address Key Information Void In Care First-ever guidelines for cancer caregivers offer information and advice on topics ranging from medical management and emotional support to finances and legal issues. Published by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the "NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Caregiving for People with Cancer" helps fill an information void created by the growing number of new cancer diagnoses and cancer survivors. (Bankhead, 11/2)
Administration News
5. FDA Approves First Generic HIV Prevention Shot As Hopes Rise For Wider Global Access
The FDA gave tentative approval to Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to make a generic version of the injectable drug lenacapavir, Stat reports, noting it's a key step in increasing access for dozens of low- and middle-income countries. The annual cost per person will be $40.
Stat: FDA Approves Generic Version Of HIV Prevention Shot Lenacapavir After months of anticipation, the Food and Drug Administration gave tentative approval to Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to make a generic version of a groundbreaking HIV prevention medicine, a key step in widening access for dozens of low- and middle-income countries. (Silverman, 11/2)
AP: DEA Approves Registrations For 900-Plus Medical Marijuana Dispensaries The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has for the first time issued registrations to medical marijuana dispensaries, a bureaucratic maneuver under President Donald Trump’s historic rescheduling of the drug that could pave the way for the businesses to receive tax benefits long denied the industry. The agency issued the registrations Friday to more than 900 state-licensed dispensaries in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, the Justice Department said in a news release. The department did not immediately identify the approved businesses. (Johnson, 10/30)
ProPublica: House Democrats Demand Answers On 500+ U.S. Citizens Detained By Immigration Agents Citing ProPublica’s recent investigation, House Democrats are again asking the Trump administration to explain why hundreds of U.S. citizens have been held by immigration agents and how the government verifies citizenship during immigration operations. In an October letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, California Rep. Lou Correa and 39 other legislators demanded the administration share the number of citizens that immigration agents have detained and how the government is tracking such encounters. They also asked for more information about how agents are trained to verify citizenship and legal status. (Foy, 11/2)
On military healthcare —
Military.com: Navy Airman Who Attempted Suicide On USS Abraham Lincoln Speaks Out "I didn't want to be there anymore," said airman Nicholas McKelvey, 19. He blamed 12-hour flight deck shifts, little food and extreme heat. (Plummer, 11/3)
Military.com: Navy Warns Of More Deployments Of Up To 11 Months After USS Abraham Lincoln Scrutiny The Navy has said sailors should expect a greater number of lengthy deployments for the foreseeable future, because of logistics and financial concerns the military service is facing. (Plummer, 11/2)
Military.com: 100% VA Disability Ratings Nearly Doubled. Proven Fraud Cases Number Only In The Hundreds The number of veterans holding a 100% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has nearly doubled in four years, surpassing 2 million. This has fueled accusations of widespread fraud, though federal oversight records tell a more complicated story. (Gramegna, 11/3)
Military Times: Marine Corps Removes Extension Waivers For Transgender Troops Fighting To Remain In The Military The U.S. Marine Corps announced Friday that transgender troops whose service contract is set to expire will no longer be able to apply for extension waivers while they argue their case to continue serving before a military separation board. (Ceder, 11/2)
If you need help —
Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.
Women’s Health
6. Trump Administration Weighs Narrowing Pregnancy-Related Workplace Protections
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, passed in 2022, provides workplace accommodations to pregnant employees. Some conservatives claim it goes beyond pregnancy to include abortion, fertility treatments, and other conditions.
The New York Times: Trump Administration Said To Plan Rolling Back Pregnancy-Related Job Protections The Trump administration is preparing to scale back workplace accommodations for women related to pregnancy and reproductive health, seven people with knowledge of discussions of the plans said. The moves will limit the impact of a 2022 law that was meant to fill a gap in disability and discrimination protections that employees are guaranteed at workplaces. It was intended to provide accommodations for pregnant workers, such as bathroom and water breaks, reprieves from heavy lifting or time off for prenatal appointments. (Davenport and Davis O’Brien, 11/2)
KFF Health News: Expecting A Baby? Five Tips To Help You Prepare For Pregnancy Costs Grace and Daniel Griffin, both 26, knew money would be tight once they had their first child. So, even before the Calumet, Michigan, couple tried to conceive, they began crunching the numbers to figure out the cost of pregnancy. “We wanted to save up enough to pay for those medical bills right away, if possible,” Grace said. (O'Neill, 11/3)
On IVF, endometriosis, and menopause —
Stat: Scientists Rethinking 'Three-Parent IVF' Over Ethics And Safety Issues The news out of the U.K. last year that eight healthy children had been born to mothers carrying disease-causing mutations in their mitochondria showed the promise of a pioneering reproductive technique known as “three-parent IVF.” The long-anticipated results seemingly showed the procedure, formally called mitochondrial replacement techniques, or MRT, could reduce the risk of babies inheriting sometimes fatal diseases, and raised hopes that other countries, such as the U.S. where MRT is banned, might soon permit it. (Molteni and Chen, 11/3)
Connecticut Public: Jackson Lab Discovers How Pain Pathways Work In Endometriosis New findings by researchers at The Jackson Laboratory in Farmington show a deeper understanding of the excruciating pain women experience from endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease. (Srinivasan, 11/2)
AP: What Women Need To Know About New Guidance On Menopause Symptoms For the first time in a dozen years, a leading OB-GYN group has updated its guidance on managing hot flashes, night sweats, sleep changes and other disruptive symptoms that often come with menopause. Doctors stressed the importance of hormone therapies, which many women are considering again after the removal of federal safety warnings. On Friday, federal officials said the Food and Drug Administration has been taking steps to ensure there’s an adequate supply. (Ungar, 10/31)
euronews: Spain Introduces Paid Menopause Sick Leave From December 1, female workers with impairing conditions linked to the menopause can access specific medical leave. Other European countries still do not provide a similar measure. (Thykjaer, 11/3)
Outbreaks and Health Threats
7. Washington Resident Is First To Die From Bird Flu This Year After Exposure To Infected Dairy Cattle
State and Yakima County health officials reported at least three other people might have been exposed to H5N1 at the dairy. Plus, a child in New York has died from a measles-associated illness amid the state's ongoing outbreak.
CNN: First US Bird Flu Death Of 2026 Reported In Washington; Risk To Public Is Low A person in Yakima County, Washington, who caught bird flu after being exposed to infected dairy cows has died following a severe illness, county health officials said Sunday. This is the first known person in the US to die from complications from avian influenza in 2026 and the third in the US to die from bird flu since February 2024, when the virus jumped into dairy cattle for the first time. (Goodman, 11/2)
On measles, dengue, covid, flu, and Ebola —
ABC News: New York State Reports 1st Measles-Associated Death In Over 30 Years New York state health officials reported a measles-associated death in a child on Monday amid an ongoing outbreak. It's the first known measles-associated death in the state in over 30 years, health officials said. "We are deeply saddened by the death of a child in Lewis County associated with the ongoing measles outbreak," the New York State Department of Health and Lewis County Public Health said in a joint statement on Monday. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the child's family and loved ones and ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time." (Deliso, 11/3)
CIDRAP: With 60 New Cases In The Past Week, Florida’s Dengue Total Jumps To 485 Florida’s Department of Health recorded 60 more locally acquired dengue cases in the past week, bringing the state total to 485. This is the highest case count in decades, and significantly higher than last year’s total, which was 62 cases. Of the 485 cases, 385 confirmed cases come from Hillsborough County, where a local emergency has been extended through this week. Eleven other counties in the state have also reported infections, and 20 mosquito pools have been reported. (Soucheray, 11/2)
Bloomberg: Long Covid Recovery Varies Sharply by Symptoms, Study Finds People whose long Covid affects multiple body systems are far less likely to improve than overall recovery estimates suggest, with fewer than one in five experiencing sustained improvement within three years of infection, according to a US study. Researchers followed 1,019 adults who still had probable long Covid a year after their initial infection. About half experienced sustained symptom improvement over the following three years, while roughly a quarter had complete symptom remission, the study, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, found. (Gale, 11/2)
CIDRAP: ‘Shocking And Eye-Opening’: Mom Who Lost Young Daughter To Flu Hopes Others Choose Vaccination When Cayden Smith, age 3, developed a low-grade fever and congestion one Thursday evening in December 2014, her family first thought it was a cold. The following day, they visited an urgent-care center. “We did let them know that she had been scheduled to get a flu shot a couple weeks before, but she had an ear infection,” Jessica Richman, Cayden’s mom, 41, from Newport News, Virginia, told CIDRAP News. “She had a little fever at the time, so they said we needed to reschedule the flu shot.” (Holohan, 11/2)
Reuters: Ebola Survivors Comfort Sick Children In Congo's Isolation Wards Whenever Jerkis Mahamba hears a child cry out in the Ebola ward in Butembo, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, he puts on protective gear and rushes to their side. He has a very good idea of what they are going through. Mahamba caught the highly infectious disease himself in September and recovered after 18 days of treatment at the same centre. His ordeal gave him immunity from the strain of the virus coursing through Congo, meaning he can work with young patients when their own parents aren't allowed to touch them. (11/3)
State Watch
8. Snap Reaches Settlement In California Addiction Case Brought By Teens
Two teenagers, who previously reached confidential settlements with Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, have settled with Snap Inc. The teens say years of using the company's platform contributed to their mental health struggles. “Our ultimate goal is to hold these social media companies accountable for how their actions have impacted millions of children across the country," attorneys for one of the teens said in a statement. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
Bloomberg: Snap Reaches Settlement To Avoid LA Trial In Addiction Case Snap Inc. has settled a lawsuit filed by two teenagers who say years of compulsive scrolling and posting on the company’s photo-sharing app contributed to their mental health struggles. The agreement, reached partway through jury selection in Los Angeles, allows the company to avoid the next high-profile social media addiction trial. The case in California state court was set to be the latest test of thousands of such lawsuits. The teenagers previously reached confidential settlements with Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok and Google’s YouTube. (Mekelburg and Carville, 11/2)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Bloomberg: New York Medicaid Spending Balloons $45 Billion Over Five Years New York’s Medicaid spending is projected to rise to nearly $134 billion in the current fiscal year, about $45 billion more than the state spent five years ago, driven by an aging population, rising medical costs, and growing enrollment in home health care. Despite a 50% increase in the federal-state program supporting healthcare for the poor and elderly, New York expects to hold Medicaid spending growth to just 1% and 1.5% for fiscal years 2028 and 2029 respectively, according to the state’s Mid-Year Financial Plan Update released Friday. (Braun, 11/2)
Capitol News Illinois: Healthcare Dispute Strikes Fear In Southern Illinois Retirees Tim Rice is in a race against the calendar for his health. Three years after prostate cancer first upended his life, Rice, 65, learned in May that the disease had returned. This time, his doctor at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, part of BJC HealthCare, recommended brachytherapy, a form of radiation therapy that places radioactive material inside or near the area being treated. (Ritter, 11/2)
The Baltimore Sun: Benzodiazepine Detections Rise In Maryland Drug Samples The Baltimore City Health Department is warning of increased detections of benzodiazepines in Maryland’s illicit drug supply. The sedatives can make overdoses harder to treat. (Bell, 11/2)
The New York Times: Runner, 24, Dies During Her First New York City Marathon Rachel Apa collapsed in Central Park. The cause was rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle condition that can be brought on by exertion, her father said. (Newman, 11/2)
Editorials And Opinions
9. Viewpoints: Dismantling Of The ACA Is Costing All Americans; US Political Map Is Also A Map Of Mortality
Editorial writers discuss these public health issues.
Bloomberg: A Weaker ACA Will Cost All Americans In 2027 As millions of Americans begin signing up for Affordable Care Act coverage this week, many will find they are in for another painful year of price hikes and, in many states, fewer choices. What’s more, new policies are set to push more people to go without insurance. That should concern all Americans — even those with employer-sponsored plans. (Lisa Jarvis, 11/2)
Stat: What The 2024 Electoral Map Reveals About America's Mortality Divide Mortality rates are nearly 20% higher in Trump-voting states and the health gap has widened. Chronic disease, unequal access to health care cited as causes. (Brandon Yan, Maddie Feldmeier, and Renee Y. Hsia, 11/3)
Roll Call: Rural Communities Are Asking For Help. Congress Has A Bipartisan Answer. When the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, the California Cattlemen’s Association, and the cities of Sonoma, Clearlake, Woodland, and St. Helena endorsed our “Revitalize Rural America Act,” they sent a clear message: Rural communities need practical solutions, and meeting these challenges requires bipartisan cooperation. (Republican Rep. James Gallagher and Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson, 11/2)
Stat: An Ophthalmologist Grapples With The Life-Changing Trauma He Witnessed Last fall I attended a meditation retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I had hoped for a respite from a busy ophthalmology practice in Portland, Ore. Instead, I returned to the most difficult challenges I have faced in practice. (Robert M. Kinast, 11/3)
Comments
Post a Comment