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POLLING
LIFE: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “Most Gen Zers say it is ‘very true’ or ‘pretty true’ that their life has meaning (66%) or that they have a sense of purpose (62%), according to a new survey from the Walton Family Foundation, Making Caring Common and Gallup Voices of Gen Z study. However, that leaves more than one in three who say it is only ‘a little true’ or ‘not at all true’ that their life has meaning or purpose (34% and 39%, respectively). Taken together, 45% of Gen Zers report lacking meaning, purpose or both in their lives.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xW35Wb
INFO SOURCES: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “Overall, three in ten (31%) adults say they use social media at least monthly for health information and advice, similar to the share (29%) who say they use artificial intelligence (AI) tools or chatbots at least monthly for health. Larger shares of adults under 30, Black and Hispanic adults, those without a college degree, and those with lower incomes say they turn to social media for health information at least monthly.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QD3DPU
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
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)
HEALTH HEADLINES
$9 TRILLION: Via Fierce Healthcare, VERBATIM: “U.S. healthcare spending is set to climb to $9 trillion by 2034, representing 20.6% of the economy, according to new federal data. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of the Actuary released on Wednesday its annual projections around national health spending. The actuaries said that total health spending in 2024 was $5.3 trillion, or about 18% of the U.S. economy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eKJrnh
MORE: Via Health Affairs, from the report:
FULL REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4xO0n4V
OUT-OF-POCKET: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “Sen. Ron Wyden and 14 Democratic co-sponsors plan to introduce legislation Thursday to cap consumers’ potential out-of-pocket costs in traditional Medicare, resurfacing a long-running debate over why the program doesn’t limit beneficiary spending. Even the bill’s backers say securing passage this year is a long shot. But the effort is one more opportunity for Democrats to highlight voters’ frustration about healthcare costs leading into the November election.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oLqEN4
DENIALS: Via HealthDay, VERBATIM: “The three largest Medicare Advantage insurers turned down requests for post-hospital care at some of the highest rates among major plans, a federal watchdog has found. UnitedHealth Group, Humana and CVS Health, the parent company of Aetna, each denied many requests to move patients into long-term care hospitals or rehabilitation facilities after a hospital stay, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g0ZwHD
INSULIN: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “A group of Senate Republicans wants to ensure private insurance patients with diabetes don’t have to pay more than $35 a month for insulin. The move is a major shift for a party that’s long viewed price controls as anathema to free markets. And it’s the latest sign that GOP lawmakers are trying to address affordability issues ahead of the midterms.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vsD1A7
OPIOIDS: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Two senators are renewing their push to greatly expand access to methadone treatment for opioid addiction. On Thursday, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are introducing an updated version of legislation that would allow doctors who hold board certifications in addiction medicine to prescribe methadone directly to patients for pickup at a pharmacy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43S3Gud
ABORTION: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “A major reproductive rights group is launching a multimillion-dollar midterm election campaign to mobilize voters and flip key battleground districts by electing Democrats who support abortion rights. Reproductive Freedom For All (RFFA) is investing $23.5 million this year, the most it has ever spent on a midterm election.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xLAYJ2
PROSECUTIONS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “In its quest to outlaw abortion across the country, the antiabortion movement has been largely unified around a core idea: Women who get the procedure should be spared punishment, while doctors and others who make it available should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But a growing number of conservative leaders are starting to argue that the only way to stop women from ending their pregnancies could be to arrest them. The shift is coming as activists express frustration that the number of abortions happening now is higher than when Roe v. Wade was overturned, largely because of the growing availability of abortion pills even in states where the procedure is banned.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T20lWZ
FED WEBSITE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Ten Democratic senators, along with one independent, on Wednesday flagged ‘profound concerns’ with the Trump administration’s website for new and expecting mothers, with the lawmakers saying the site drives families toward crisis pregnancy centers (CPC) for treatment. Moms.gov, launched on Mother’s Day, features resources from 2,750 pregnancy centers, which Planned Parenthood calls ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ that it says are traditionally run by anti-abortion advocates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oKEgIo
ANIMAL TESTING: Via Roll Call, VERBATIM: “In his first two years on the job, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has become a polarizing figure on Capitol Hill, largely because of his vaccine skepticism and distrust of the status quo. But one of his quieter pushes — ending animal testing in medical research — has earned him accolades among some Democrats and Republicans alike.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eOKi6t
FIREFIGHTERS: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “For the first time, federal firefighters will be encouraged to wear respirators to protect them against smoke-related hazards as they work to put out wildland blazes. The Forest Service announced Wednesday that firefighters were authorized to use N95 respirators on the fire line, a major policy reversal as the agency for decades did not allow such protections, even as studies demonstrated the health harms of wildfire smoke.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g6TYeG
AMID RURAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, ESSENTIA HEALTH INVESTS IN NEW IRON RANGE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: Essentia Health is investing in a $13 million project to remodel and expand its emergency department in Virginia. With support from the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board and philanthropic partners, the project will improve emergency care and mental health resources through new technology, safety and security measures, and a behavioral health suite. READ MORE: Essentia expands Iron Range emergency room (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
INDUSTRY & INNOVATION
ACQUISITION: Via St. Paul-based H.B. Fuller, VERBATIM: “H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL), the world’s largest pureplay adhesives company, today announced it has made a recommended cash offer to acquire Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc (LSE:AMS).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4f4GtLq
VIRGINIA: From IRRRB via Instagram, VERBATIM: “A new chapter for health care access in Virginia. Bois Forte Health and Human Services celebrated the opening of its new downtown clinic, which will provide health care outreach, behavioral health, pharmacy-related support and other essential services for Band members in the Quad Cities area.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4vypoj3
DISCOVERY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Researchers at Mayo Clinic have uncovered a previously hidden step in how the immune system prepares to fight cancer, a discovery that could help scientists develop more effective and longer-lasting cancer immunotherapies. Published in Nature Communications, the study found that some cancer-fighting immune cells begin preparing for their role much earlier than previously believed — while they are still maturing in the thymus, an organ behind the breastbone that plays a central role in training T cells, particularly early in life.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SjN4Jn
LIVER CANCER: Via Cornell University, VERBATIM: “Researchers found that a rare liver cancer evades immunotherapy by luring immune T cells away from the tumor and trapping them in nearby fibrous tissue. An FDA-approved drug called AMD3100 freed those T cells to attack the cancer, significantly improving the effectiveness of immunotherapy in tumor samples.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oNMxLy
LIVER FAILURE: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “A multi-center study, co-led by researchers at Mayo Clinic and Michigan State University, found that patients who received tranexamic acid during liver surgery were three times less likely to develop post-hepatectomy liver failure than patients who received a placebo . . . Post-hepatectomy liver failure is one of the most serious complications following liver surgery and remains a leading cause of death after liver resection. Currently, there are no approved medications specifically designed to prevent this complication.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oKOfNP
ADHD: Via Johns Hopkins, VERBATIM: “Scientists have discovered a tiny group of neurons in an ancient brain region that acts like a built-in focus filter, helping the brain ignore distractions and zero in on what matters most. When researchers temporarily switched off these neurons in mice, the animals became unusually distractible—similar to what is seen in ADHD—but regained normal focus as soon as the neurons were reactivated.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v7jaFW
EBOLA: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “A clinical trial testing two drugs against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which is driving a fast-moving outbreak in Central Africa, is set to begin next week, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday. The clinical trial — which will test both Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir and MappBio’s monoclonal antibody MBP-134 — will be conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The trial is designed to test whether either of the therapies is effective against this form of Ebola, and whether using the two in combination would be a more effective way to combat the disease.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w4O6Ht
CHEMO DRUGS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Doctors treating cancer patients nationwide are facing a shortage of essential generic chemotherapy drugs, a situation that many fear could lead to widespread rationing. The shortages stem from manufacturing problems, shipping delays and decisions by some companies to stop producing the medications, according to the Food and Drug Administration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v02Zds
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
B12: Via The Conversation, VERBATIM: “Vitamin B12 is needed in microscopic amounts, but a shortage can have major effects on health and energy. The vitamin was first linked to a lifesaving liver treatment for pernicious anemia nearly 100 years ago. Today, researchers are finding that B12 may also help keep cellular powerhouses called mitochondria functioning properly. This could explain why some people experience fatigue and brain fog even before traditional signs of deficiency show up.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vrv3Hz
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