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POLLING
AFFORDABILITY: Polls in both Texas and Iowa find voters concerned about rising healthcare costs and skeptical of efforts by lawmakers, some of whom face re-election this year. TEXAS: https://fluence-media.co/49jjjhI IOWA: https://fluence-media.co/3NoQA2n
DEM POLLING: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “Democratic polling shop Blue Rose Research found that 61 percent of voters — and 66 percent of voters who switched from Joe Biden in 2020 to Donald Trump in 2024 — say their life is less affordable than it was a year ago, according to a memo prepared for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee shared first with POLITICO. Just 9 percent of voters said their lives are more affordable than a year ago, the poll found. Affordability — especially around health care costs — has emerged as Democrats’ top issue as candidates barrel toward midterm elections this fall.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LFa42l
MORE: Via Politico, the Blue Rose Research memo. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jD6u5j
ETHICS: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “Nurses continue to garner the highest ethics rating from Americans, a distinction they have held for a quarter century. In addition to nurses’ 75% ‘very high’ or ‘high’ rating, of the professions tracked regularly, medical doctors (57%) and pharmacists (53%) again earn majority-level scores for their honesty and ethical standards.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49tSgAx
988: Via NAMI, VERBATIM: “A NAMI-Ipsos poll conducted in Summer 2025 found that awareness of 988 is at an all-time high, with roughly three-quarters of Americans having at least heard of 988. However, people remain dissatisfied with the state of mental health care in the U.S. Additionally, the poll found consistently strong support for policies and funding to strengthen 988 call centers and related crisis services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LgVVZ7
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)
UNITEDHEALTH
INVESTIGATION: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Monday released the findings of his investigation into UnitedHealth Group’s (UHG) Medicare Advantage billing practices, alleging the health insurer used ‘aggressive strategies’ to maximize risk adjustment scores and worked against federal efforts to tamp down overspending.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jHRJyf
MORE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “The new report, based on a review of 50,000 pages of records UnitedHealth turned over to the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, found that the healthcare company had ‘turned risk adjustment into a business, which was not the original intent.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qkgFOJ
MORE: A news release from Sen. Grassley includes a link to the full report as well as links to documents. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4aY3RJc
RESPONSE: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “A spokesperson for UnitedHealth in an emailed statement said the company disagrees with the committee’s characterizations of its Medicare Advantage coding practices and HouseCalls program.” QUOTE: “Our programs comply with applicable (government regulatory) requirements and have, through government audits, demonstrated sustained adherence to regulatory standards.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pHR2q7
HEALTH ISSUES
TOMORROW: Via SEIU Healthcare MN & IA, VERBATIM: “Nearly 2,000 healthcare workers at HealthPartners who are members of SEIU Healthcare MN & IA will vote Wednesday whether to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike after months of bargaining. The employer has currently not offered ANY raises, while insisting on huge increases to union members’ healthcare costs at a time when millions of Americans across the country are struggling with increasing healthcare costs. SEIU members point out that HealthPartners staff can’t help keep other Minnesotans healthy if they can’t afford to do the same for themselves and their families.”
DOCS & POLICE: The Star Tribune reports on an interaction shortly after the ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis last week in which a bystander who said they were a physician asked to check her pulse but was denied access. VERBATIM: “Doctors and other licensed medical professionals and first responders in Minnesota are obliged to help injured people at emergency scenes under the state’s Good Samaritan law. However, when law enforcement agents are in control, they have authority to accept or refuse that help as they assess the safety and security of emergency scenes, medical and EMS officials told the Minnesota Star Tribune.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45F2yey
CHOKEHOLDS: Via ProPublica, VERBATIM: “After George Floyd’s murder by a police officer six years ago in Minneapolis — less than a mile from where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Good last week — police departments and federal agencies banned chokeholds and other moves that can restrict breathing or blood flow. But those tactics are back, now at the hands of agents conducting President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Examples are scattered across social media. ProPublica found more than 40 cases over the past year of immigration agents using these life-threatening maneuvers on immigrants, citizens and protesters.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qsNqcQ
2026 SESSION: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesotans are facing a lot of health care challenges right now, especially in rural parts of the state. Costs are skyrocketing, clinics are closing, and even finding a provider or specialist to get the care you need can be difficult. So as state lawmakers prepare for the upcoming legislative session that begins next month, some of them are meeting with rural Minnesota residents to hear from them directly about their health care needs, and how the crisis of rural healthcare affordability and accessibility is impacting them.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Lh4O4W
MAHA: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “In 2025, roughly 75 bills aimed at food dyes were introduced in 37 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Chemical dyes and nutrition are just part of the broader ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda. Promoted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., MAHA ideas have made their deepest inroads at the state level, with strong support from Republicans — and in some places, from Democrats.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qetdXS
AIR POLLUTION: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has calculated the health benefits of reducing air pollution, using the cost estimates of avoided asthma attacks and premature deaths to justify clean-air rules. Not anymore. Under President Trump, the E.P.A. plans to stop tallying gains from the health benefits caused by curbing two of the most widespread deadly air pollutants, fine particulate matter and ozone, when regulating industry, according to internal agency emails and documents reviewed by The New York Times.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LLdOzl
VACCINE SCHEDULE: Via MedPage Today, VERBATIM: “Hundreds of medical and public health organizations urged Congress to investigate the sweeping changes recently made to the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his administration. In a letter signed by more than 230 organizations representing clinicians, scientists, public health professionals, and patient groups, the signatories called on lawmakers to ‘conduct swift and robust oversight’ of an overhaul they described as abrupt and opaque.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aZx2eY
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)
DATA & RESEARCH
DATA: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “The latest maternal mortality report from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) found that 95% of maternal deaths occurring in the state were preventable. The Minnesota Maternal Mortality Report - 2017-2021 calls for Minnesota to prevent deaths by addressing lack of access to care, disconnected care and a lack of follow-up, as well as needed additional emotional, physical and mental health support before and after pregnancy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sBH1gI
MORE: From the report:
REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4qRAa12
DISCOVERY: From Scripps Research Institute via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Childbirth depends not just on hormones, but on the uterus’s ability to sense physical force. Scientists found that pressure and stretch sensors in uterine muscles and surrounding nerves work together to trigger coordinated contractions. When these sensors are disrupted, contractions weaken and delivery slows. The discovery helps explain stalled labor—and could one day lead to better ways to manage childbirth.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZcjO7g
COVID: Via Bloomberg, VERBATIM: “The Covid pandemic didn’t just kill people directly. It appears to have accelerated a long-brewing reversal in US heart failure deaths, with mortality climbing faster since 2020 after years of decline, new research shows. The increases have been most pronounced among younger adults and Black Americans, pointing to disruptions in care and worsening conditions such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure that intensified during the health emergency, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qSz1X8
DOCUMENTARY: The daughters of Lin Myszkowski, who served on the Osseo School Board and the Brooklyn Center City Council, are producing a documentary about their mom’s journey with posterior cortical atrophy, a rare Alzheimer’s variant. Via CCX Media, WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4btnJ71
CLINICAL TRIALS: Mayo Clinic answers a question about what’s involved with participating in a clinical trial. READ: https://fluence-media.co/45I7gIt
THIS MONTH: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “During January, Radon Action Month, health officials urge existing and prospective homeowners to test for radon, a cancer-causing gas found in about 40% of Minnesota homes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZaVN0p
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)
FUNDING
INJUNCTION: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “A federal judge late Sunday ordered the Trump administration to restore nearly $12 million in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), after the organization’s funding was abruptly cut last month. Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction that will restore the grants and block the cuts from taking effect while the case proceeds.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/454FS7q
TREVOR PROJECT: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “The Trevor Project, known for its hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, received $45 million from billionaire and author MacKenzie Scott at the end of 2025, the organization said Monday. The gift is the largest in the organization’s history but also a major boon following years of management turmoil, layoffs and the loss of significant federal funding over the summer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aTEacH
HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE
U OF M: Via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota Duluth received a visit from University President Rebecca Cunningham last week, just days before the start of the spring semester. Cunningham’s Northland visit included meetings with several local legislators, as well as stops at some of the system’s regional facilities . . . The trip was capped off with a forum hosted at UMD on Friday. Cunningham and UMD Chancellor Charles T. Nies met with college community members and discussed the university’s new strategic roadmap, outlining upcoming initiatives and opportunities at UMD and across the university system . . . Back in October, the university unveiled its new strategic plan, Elevating Extraordinary 2030, which outlines its goals and mission over the next five years . . . One of the overall facets of the strategic plan focuses on serving the community through the development of health care and health research, which has led to ‘exciting’ investments in the university’s medical programs, Cunningham said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49FE8D1
TRUSTEES: Via MHA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) recognized four hospital and health system trustees for their successful completion of MHA’s advanced trustee certification program. This comprehensive certification reflects each trustee’s commitment to deepening their understanding of the health care landscape and strengthening their leadership of hospitals and health systems.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sFeYNw
NEXT MONTH: MHA will host a virtual career day. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/49iGE38
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SUGAR: From Tufts University via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Scientists at Tufts have found a way to turn common glucose into a rare sugar that tastes almost exactly like table sugar—but with far fewer downsides. Using engineered bacteria as microscopic factories, the team can now produce tagatose efficiently and cheaply, achieving yields far higher than current methods. Tagatose delivers nearly the same sweetness as sugar with significantly fewer calories, minimal impact on blood sugar, and even potential benefits for oral and gut health.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jB20fw
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