THIS MONTH: There are nine flu shot clinics on UCare’s calendar for the month of October – the first is Monday. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3KirTmP (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
VETERANS: Via Concerned Veterans for America, VERBATIM: “CVA worked with YouGov to poll veterans, military family members, and the general public, and 70% believe veterans deserve permanent access to better care. The poll asked veterans, military family members, and the American public for their opinions on certain veterans’ health care issues. According to the poll: Nearly 8 in 10 support Congress enacting community care access standards into law, which would ensure health care. Almost three-quarters of those polled agree that community care access standards should be made permanent through the Veterans’ ACCESS Act, rather than expire as some lawmakers would prefer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mHO3wp
SHUTDOWN: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “Democrats are entering the government shutdown blaming their rivals for rising health care costs. Republicans are countering by leaning into culture wars and attacking Democrats for pausing paychecks. The partisan salvos crescendoed into Wednesday as each side prepared to answer for shutting down federal government operations after reaching a stalemate over a short-term funding patch . . . Democrats believe they’re starting off the shutdown with the upper hand, pointing to polling that shows they have an advantage with voters concerned about health care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pQVsfz
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
HEALTHCARE: Via MN House GOP, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Commerce has finalized rates for health insurance carriers for the upcoming year, noting that premiums will rise by 20% for policies sold on the state’s individual marketplace in 2026. State Representative Tim O’Driscoll (R-Sartell), co-chair of the Minnesota House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee, said the premium increases would have been much worse if the legislature had not continued the state’s successful reinsurance program.” O’DRISCOLL: “Although no one is excited about a 20% premium increase, it could have been more than a 40% jump without Minnesota’s reinsurance program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42pnPYd
MORE: DFL Sens. Melissa Wiklund, chair of the health committee, and Matt Klein, chair of the commerce committee, put out statements lamenting the rising health insurance premiums and criticizing federal Republicans for not renewing policies that could keep costs lower.
WIKLUND: “Legislators, healthcare providers, and insurers have been raising the alarm on the importance of extending the enhanced premium tax credits, but Congress chose to not to act, prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy over healthcare affordability for everyone else. … We’re doing everything we can at the state level to protect families and small businesses, but federal action is essential.”
KLEIN: “When premiums go up, many people can’t afford to stay on insurance and instead they go without coverage. As a doctor, I know firsthand that when people don’t have coverage, they delay care until they’re even sicker. … In 2025, we acted to extend the Minnesota Premium Security Plan, [and] without this program, individual market premiums would have been 25% higher than the increases now being proposed.”
MEASLES: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Nearly a dozen new cases of measles have been reported this week to the Minnesota Department of Health, which includes one case involving a student at a Minneapolis school. According to the department, the 10 new cases have been confirmed since Monday, Sept. 29, bringing the state’s total caseload for this year to 18. The agency says all of the cases involve people who aren’t vaccinated and are tied to either domestic or international travel.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nr4QVu
MORE: Via MDH, Minnesota measles cases per year dating back to 2010. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3IDnfzp
MORE: Via MDH, from a release announcing the numbers, VERBATIM: “The immunization to protect against measles—the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine—is very effective. After one dose of vaccine, it is about 93% effective at preventing measles infection. After two doses, protection against infection rises to 97%. Decades of data also show that the MMR vaccine is safe.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46PjeQa
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
RURAL MN: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “As Claire Carpenter put it Monday, the mental health care needs of Minnesotans go well beyond the capacity of providers. The shortage is especially pronounced in rural Minnesota, said Carpenter, a Mankato therapist who specializes in adult trauma and women’s health. ‘Therapists in rural Minnesota are few and far between,’ she said. ‘It’s hard to find therapists, period.’
Carpenter and other southern Minnesota mental health providers spoke in Owatonna as part of ‘Rural Voice,’ a series of town halls on rural issues.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IP8cTf
SOBRIETY: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota lawmakers last session passed an anti-kickback law that went into effect Aug. 1. It prohibits service providers from offering financial incentives to clients or entities that send them clients. One provider estimates thousands of Minnesotans have lost access to sober housing as result. The change is part of the state’s attempt to address concerns about potential fraud in social service programs. However, people in the recovery community warn it’s already having a disastrous effect on addiction treatment in Minnesota.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mPoE3M
MUSHROOMS: From University of Pennsylvania via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Researchers at Penn Medicine have identified specific brain circuits that are impacted by psilocybin -- the active compound found in some psychedelic mushrooms -- which could lead to new paths forward for pain and mental health management options. Chronic pain affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide and is often deeply entangled with depression and anxiety, creating a vicious cycle that amplifies suffering and impairs quality of life. The study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania- published today in Nature Neuroscience- offers new insight into ways to disrupt this cycle.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o0oK9G
70,000 BABIES: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The Hughes family was part of a milestone moment for Maple Grove Hospital over the weekend. The hospital celebrated its 70,000th baby delivery on Saturday, Sept. 27. That’s when Kelly and Todd Hughes welcomed their new baby, Hugo, into the world.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4o0Y1dc
BREAST CANCER: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Early detection is key to breast cancer survival. But nearly half of all women in the U.S. have dense breast tissue, which can make detecting breast cancer difficult with a mammogram. Mayo Clinic researchers found that adding another test, called molecular breast imaging, or MBI, to a 3D mammogram improved the ability to find cancer in dense tissue by more than double.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KyXxfW
WOMEN’S HEALTH: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Women’s health is having a moment. Pelvic floor therapy, trauma-informed care, hormonal disorders—they’re not just trending online; they’re shaping the way health care is practiced. Once considered narrow or niche, these topics are now the subject of new research, fresh clinical guidance, and expanding treatment options. Researchers are investigating the metabolic dimensions of PCOS, highlighting its ties to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Clinicians are rethinking the management of pelvic floor disorders, with therapies that extend far beyond Kegels. And national medical organizations are urging trauma-informed approaches as a new standard in patient care. Local providers are part of that momentum, weighing in on what these changes mean for care today and in the future.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gYkKo8
DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF RURAL HEALTH CARE, ESSENTIA IS RECOGNIZED FOR PROVIDING TOP CLINICAL CARE: According to the latest report from Minnesota Community Measurement, a statewide resource on health care quality, costs and equity, Essentia ranked as a high performer with 19 of 20 clinical quality metrics scoring above statewide averages. According to Dr. Maria Beaver, chief quality and patient safety officer at Essentia: “This is a testament to the amazing care provided by all our clinical care teams and all our colleagues who support them.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dCxy1D (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
AIR: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic has been selected to lead a groundbreaking research project focused on improving indoor air quality and safety in healthcare settings by the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The project, part of the ARPA-H BREATHE program, aims to develop new ways to monitor and improve air in real time, helping protect public health in buildings nationwide.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IPbLZD
MAHA: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement and American agriculture have been on a collision course this year, and at the center is a fight over commonly used pesticides. This May, a MAHA Commission led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named some pesticides as potentially problematic, citing studies that link these chemicals to cancers and reproductive issues. Then in September, the commission released a strategy report that backed away from some earlier claims about pesticides. Ag groups like Minnesota Corn hailed the second publication, saying in a statement that growers had lobbied the federal government to defend the chemicals. Here’s why the battle between health activists and farm groups isn’t over.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46Mrcd0
(DISCLOSURE: Minnesota Corn is a Fluence sponsor)
SHUTDOWN: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “Federal health officials say critical activities related to public health emergencies will continue despite the federal government shutdown, but other areas of the federal health bureaucracy will be significantly affected by furloughs unless lawmakers can resolve the impasse. In a post this morning on the social media site X, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said activities related to ‘imminent threats to the safety of human life or protection of property’ will continue, including detecting and responding to public health emergencies, managing recalls, mitigating drug shortages, responding to foodborne illness and infectious disease outbreaks, and conducting surveillance of adverse events that could cause human harm.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o505B5
MORE: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance has an offer for Senate Democrats to end the government shutdown, he told ‘Fox and Friends’ on Wednesday. Join onto the Republicans’ continuing resolution, and he’ll head to the Capitol ‘right now’ to work with Democrats on extending insurance subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, the line in the sand Democratic party leaders have drawn in the government funding fight.” QUOTE: “But only after they’ve reopened the government,” Vance said. “You can’t reward this exercise in hostage taking, which is what we would be doing if we allow the government opening to be conditional on the Democrats’ policy disagreement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3IPckTf
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
MAYO: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic today announced the launch of Mayo Clinic Platform_Orchestrate, a new program designed to accelerate clinical development and help biopharma and medical device companies bring innovative therapies to patients faster. Mayo Clinic Platform_Orchestrate gives collaborators a single point of access to Mayo Clinic’s world-class research and clinical expertise, de-identified clinical data, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, physician-scientist expertise and international partner network. By removing barriers that traditionally slow clinical development, the program enables companies to move efficiently from discovery to delivery.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o0P1of
ORTHOPEDICS: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Starting early next year, Summit Orthopedics will provide urgent and emergency care—think: broken bones, torn ACLs—at three more M Health Fairview hospitals in the Twin Cities, bringing the total to five and building on a decades-long relationship. The move speaks to a progression in health care over the past decade, as baby boomers age and orthopedic injuries grow in number. With greater demand, there’s a market opportunity for care systems. In 2013, Bloomington-based Tria Orthopedics became a division of HealthPartners, and the new Fairview–Summit relationship similarly situates orthopedics more closely to primary care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46LnKzd
EPILEPSY: In a news release, the Epilepsy Foundation announced for new board members, including Anna Milz, MD, MPH, a pediatrician at M Health Fairview. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o4XGq3
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SLEEP: From Karolinska Institutet via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “People who sleep poorly are more likely than others to have brains that appear older than they actually are. This is according to a comprehensive brain imaging study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal eBioMedicine. Increased inflammation in the body may partly explain the association. Poor sleep has been linked to dementia, but it is unclear whether unhealthy sleep habits contribute to the development of dementia or whether they are rather early symptoms of the disease.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nG2Bhq
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