Some new perspective on American’s view on health care. It remains a top issue and will likely be for next year – polling shows that suddenly the Affordable Care Act and subsidies are more popular. This shift suggests that we may have a better lens on health care costs as a citizenry due to the ACA. That’s important, but so are many other issues – like workforce, access and recruiting physicians – impacting health care.
Minnesota has long prided itself as a health care leader, and undoubtedly Mayo continues to give us currency. What about other challenges, and how does Minnesota regain its leadership? Those will be big questions going into 2026 and beyond.
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POLLING
MINNESOTA STUDENTS: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “Today, state official released results from the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey, which show students reporting stronger connections to their schools and improvements in overall physical and mental health and wellbeing . . . Minnesota students across the state reported encouraging improvements compared to 2022 when asked about school climate, bullying, out-of-school activities, healthy eating, mental health, substance use, connections with school and family, and many other topics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a6tLtO
ACA: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “Americans’ approval of the 2010 Affordable Care Act has edged up to a new high of 57% as the clock ticks down to Dec. 31, when enhanced healthcare subsidies enacted during the pandemic are set to expire unless Congress takes action.”
“Since November 2016, Gallup has asked respondents what they would like to see happen to the ACA. U.S. adults who approve of the law are currently divided in their preference to keep it in place but make significant changes to it (49%) or keep it in place largely as is (45%). Last year, views were evenly divided, while the four previous readings showed a clear preference for making significant changes to the ACA.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KRtXTp
SOME CONTEXT: Via Semafor, VERBATIM: “The poll, conducted in November, spanned the government shutdown, during which Democrats tried to draw attention to the expiring subsidies. Independents — 63% of whom approve of the law — drove the uptick in approval.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pm07p4
MORE ON THE SUBSIDIES: Via Morning Consult, voters on extending the enhanced subsidies:
READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pWeqAq
VACCINES: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “Americans are more likely to accept guidance on vaccines from the American Medical Association (AMA) than from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though trust isn’t particular high for either organization, according to an Annenberg Public Policy Center poll released yesterday. Confidence in the AMA compared to the CDC was true regardless of political party affiliation among adults polled, suggesting the CDC may have lost credibility among Democrats because of recent changes to the CDC website’s language on vaccines and autism that gave more credence to a long-debunked link between the two.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a6fDRb
MORE: Via Annenberg, responses broken down by subgroups. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3MOl1yE
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)
MINNESOTA CONNECTED
COVID LESSONS: University of Minnesota infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Osterholm was interviewed by a Florida radio station about COVID and lessons learned since. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48vVQJW
MENTAL HEALTH: Via Children’s Minnesota, VERBATIM: “Over the past decade, emergency room visits for youth mental health crises have surged, leaving hospitals nationwide struggling to meet the demand. Known as emergency department boarding, this practice keeps children waiting—sometimes for days—until an appropriate placement becomes available or there is a plan to support a safe return home. During 2024 alone, Children’s Minnesota saw more than 1,200 such visits. To address this, Children’s Minnesota and Washburn Center have launched a new collaborative. Washburn Center for Children has hired an acute response therapist who will work with Children’s Minnesota emergency departments to support families in crisis by connecting them with critical services and mental health care faster and more effectively.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44lL6eC
GRIEF: Mayo Clinic offers advice for those dealing with grief over the holidays. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a2prM9
HEALTHCARE
ENROLLMENT: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “The number of Americans signing up for Affordable Care Act health insurance for 2026 is moderately higher than it was at a similar time last year, initial new federal data shows, even as subsidies set to expire at the end of 2025 will make the coverage more expensive for many. Seen at face value, the data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services seems to defy predictions that many Americans facing pricier plans would drop out of marketplace coverage altogether next year. But experts caution that the numbers are an incomplete snapshot of total enrollment, which could still show a decline by the end of the open enrollment period.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48IPvJY
MORE: Via Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, enrollment numbers. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4oIwX2c
HEADWINDS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “With affordability increasingly out of reach, some people are facing the dire prospect of dropping their insurance altogether, even if they’re still eligible for subsidies. Others may forgo doctors’ visits or trips to the emergency room to avoid the expense. The contentious debate in Congress over the future of the enhanced subsidies under Obamacare that are set to expire this month has largely focused on the rise in premiums. Most people will still qualify for some federal tax credits in 2026, but many will find that monthly costs are doubling if the generous subsidies are not extended.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44k8ARj
GOP PLAN: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Two key Senate Republican chairmen are circulating the outline of a health care plan to Republican offices ahead of a crucial week that could decide the fate of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, multiple sources tell Axios. Why it matters: The plan from Finance Committee chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and health committee chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) does not extend the tax credits past their expiration at year’s end, instead providing funds to enrollees in health savings accounts, according to a summary obtained by Axios.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KI5jEz
POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “For a critical sliver of the Republican majority, the impending expiration of what are called enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 is a pressing concern as they potentially face headwinds in a 2026 midterm election that will be critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda . . . Democrats have been laying the groundwork, starting with this fall’s shutdown fight, to make the health care issue a focus of next year’s campaigns. The party’s strategy for capturing the House majority centers on pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on the policies of Trump and Republicans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oDf0C9
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)
CHILDREN’S HEALTH
MORTALITY: Via Time, VERBATIM: “For the first time in 25 years, child mortality rates for preventable diseases are projected to increase, after having declined for 25 years. The new estimate comes from models created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and was released for the first time in the Goalkeepers report from the Gates Foundation. It shows that an additional 200,000 children under age five may die this year of a disease that modern medicine can prevent, either with vaccines or other treatments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KM5yi5
VACCINE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Joseph Hibbeln, a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), said Monday that a vote to axe a recommendation that every newborn get the hepatitis B vaccine ‘wasn’t based on data.’ ‘I repeatedly asked for it, and no data of harm was presented. There were speculations, ‘Oh, we need to have future studies of hundreds of thousands of people and we have to examine the possibility of an unknown unknown.’ Well, to me, that’s speculation, and that’s not data,’ Hibbeln told CNN’s Pamela Brown on ‘The Situation Room.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pXIHyU
VITAMIN K: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “More parents are refusing vitamin K shots for their newborns, a study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association found. It’s a trend that experts worry could have deadly consequences. Babies are born with very low levels of vitamin K, a nutrient the body needs for blood to clot, leaving them at risk for severe bleeding early in life.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MsLMsr
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)
THE BUSINESS OF HEALTH
DULUTH: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota says it has reached a new contract agreement that will maintain St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth as part of the insurance company’s network of health care providers next year, resolving a dispute that first surfaced over the summer. The deal, which Eagan-based Blue Cross announced Friday, means there will be no disruption for about 50,000 subscribers at the state’s largest Medicare health insurer who get care at facilities run by Wisconsin-based Aspirus Health, the nonprofit parent company for St. Luke’s.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iMzAPj
UCARE: Via UCare, VERBATIM: “UCare will discontinue all dual eligible special needs plans or D-SNPs, including UCare’s Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) and UCare Connect + Medicare, effective Dec. 31, 2025. This decision follows UCare and Medica’s extensive efforts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to find a path to allow dual members to transition to Medica alongside Medicaid and Individual & Family Plans (IFP) products as part of Medica’s planned acquisition of certain contracts and assets of UCare, announced on Nov. 17. Due to regulatory constraints and timelines for integrated products, the D-SNP transition was not approved to move forward.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KFOgmL
(DISCLOSURE: UCare has been a Fluence sponsor)
SALUDA: Via Bloomington-based Saluda, VERBATIM: “Saluda Medical, Inc. (ASX:SLD), a commercial-stage medical device company focused on developing treatments for chronic neurological conditions using its novel closed-loop neuromodulation platform, announced it has commenced trading on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) following the completion of its initial public offering (IPO).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44ewWMf
MBC: Via Mother Baby Center, VERBATIM: “The Mother Baby Center, a partnership between Allina Health and Children’s Minnesota, is pleased to announce that its locations at United Hospital in St. Paul and Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids have been recognized among the 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report. Both locations received the top rating of High Performing for their excellence in labor and delivery services for uncomplicated pregnancies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49290yk
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
MEDICAL RESEARCH
GARLIC: From University of Sharjah via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Garlic extract is emerging as a surprisingly powerful contender to chlorhexidine, the long-standing ‘gold standard’ in antimicrobial mouthwashes. A systematic review of clinical studies shows that higher-concentration garlic mouthwash can rival chlorhexidine in killing bacteria—sometimes outperforming it—while offering a more natural alternative.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pAJfv6
GLP-1: Via Penn Medicine, VERBATIM: “A rare glimpse into the brain activity of a patient with obesity and loss of control eating on tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound, revealed that the medication suppresses signaling in the brain’s ‘reward center’ thought to be involved in food noise – but only temporarily.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/490iPge
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