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POLLING
AFFORDABILITY: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “For the first time in five years, fewer than half of Americans can consistently afford healthcare. According to the latest data from the West Health-Gallup Affordability Index, just 49% of U.S. adults are now classified as ‘Cost Secure,’ meaning they can afford access to quality care and have been able to pay for visits and prescriptions in recent months. The share of Americans who are Cost Secure has fallen seven percentage points from 2021 (56%), when measurement began, and is in steady decline from its peak of 61% in 2022.”
“Adults aged 18 to 29 have experienced the sharpest decline in healthcare affordability since 2021, with the share classified as Cost Secure falling from 46% to 32%. This group also exhibited one of the largest year-over-year declines between 2024 and 2025, decreasing by seven percentage points.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ePNkZ4
INSURANCE: Via SSRS, from a survey by The Commonwealth Fund, VERBATIM: “One of patients’ main concerns is uncertainty about whether their insurer will cover a health procedure or prescription drug that their doctor says they need, particularly for a serious medical condition. One in five (21%) U.S. working-age adults with private insurance reported that they or a family member had experienced an insurance company denial of coverage for medical care recommended by a doctor in the past year, either before or after the care was provided.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ePH97j
MORE: Via The Commonwealth Fund, from the survey:
READ: https://fluence-media.co/4expeky
ABORTION: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “According to Gallup’s May 1-17 Values and Beliefs poll, 48% of Americans would prefer abortion be legal in all (33%) or most (15%) circumstances, while 49% prefer it to be illegal (17%) or legal in only a few circumstances (32%). This split is similar to the close division of views on legality generally seen since 2022, but it contrasts with the quarter century before, when majorities of Americans consistently favored having abortion be legal in only a few circumstances or not at all.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fPk7i3
TECH: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “Adults in the U.S. are turning to social media and AI to advise them on health issues. KFF’s latest Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds three in ten adults (31%) using social media at least monthly for health information and advice. This is similar to the share (29%) who now say they use AI tools or chatbots for health information monthly, a number that has nearly doubled in the past two years – up from roughly one in six (17%). Still, majorities say they either ‘never’ or only ‘occasionally’ use AI tools (71%) or social media (69%) for health information.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vXQGz9
DEMENTIA: Via University of Michigan, a poll conducted in that state that many outside of Michigan may find enlightening as well. VERBATIM: “Nearly all Michiganders age 50 and over say it’s very important to keep their brains healthy as they grow older, a new poll finds. But less than half (47%) of middle-aged and older Michiganders know that everyday actions can be very important for reducing their future risk of dementia. And half or less practice at least one of four key habits daily or most days that can protect their brain health as they age.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eyLCds
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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 IN MINNESOTA
NEXT WEEK: Via Allina, VERBATIM: “Allina Health Cancer Institute will host a ribbon cutting event Thursday, June 25, to celebrate the launch of its mobile lung and breast cancer screening programs, LIFE – Lung Imaging for Early-detection and Mammo on the Move. The event will highlight Allina Health Cancer Institute’s commitment to bringing lifesaving cancer screening directly to the communities it serves. Both mobile screening units are designed to make early detection more convenient and accessible for patients who may face barriers to screening or live near clinics that do not currently offer these services.”
AI’S PICK: Via 5W Public Relations, VERBATIM: “5W AI Communications today released the Healthcare volume of The 5W AI Trust Map of America — the first national measurement of how AI answer engines rank hospitals inside US states . . . Mayo Clinic dominates Minnesota. Cleveland Clinic dominates Ohio. Johns Hopkins dominates Maryland. Mass General dominates Massachusetts. NYU Langone dominates New York. MD Anderson dominates Houston. The pattern: AI engines reward academic affiliation, US News & World Report rankings, peer-reviewed research output, and named-physician primary-source coverage over national scale or marketing spend.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4guQd2J
VIRGINIA: Via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “Essentia Health-Virginia has begun construction on an expansion that is set to nearly double the capacity of its emergency department. The expansion includes a dedicated behavioral health suite and five additional exam rooms. With a targeted completion date of 2027, the $13 million expansion is being financed by Essentia Health and its regional foundation, along with private contributions and a $3.3 million grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Qt2RF2
(DISCLOSURE: Essentia is a Fluence sponsor)
WABASHA: Via KAAL-TV, VERBATIM: “The Wabasha Ambulance squad recently received a big boost to its equipment with two new LIFEPAK monitors. The upgrade was made possible through a grant from the Wabasha County Opioid Settlement funds, the sale of an old ambulance, and donations from the community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w1AOvC
FOOD: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Sitting inside her cozily decorated house in St. Paul’s North End, 69-year-old Kamee Yang began to list some of her favorite foods, like milk, leafy greens and squash . . . At a routine doctor’s appointment, Yang, who manages health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, screened positive for food insecurity. It triggered her eligibility for Fair Table, a program offered by her health care provider supplying free boxes of fresh food, prepared meals, food vouchers and ready-to-use food bags to patients in need.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vfTOpW
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)
DC + HEALTH
SNAP: Via ProPublica, VERBATIM: “As a House committee debated President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy bill last year, Republican backers repeatedly emphasized that its changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, wouldn’t affect vulnerable people . . . But nearly a year after the measure was signed into law, the number of children receiving food assistance has plummeted by at least 776,000, according to a ProPublica analysis. At least 12 states break down program participation by age, and of the 1,670,011 people who are no longer receiving benefits in those states, 776,134, or 46%, were children.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ejjBaP
CDC: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Even as the world is racing to contain the deadly Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Trump administration is moving ahead with a plan that could decimate support for programs that detect and snuff out exactly such outbreaks. The new plan, proposed by the State Department, aims to overhaul the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on a landmark global H.I.V. program that also helps countries manage surveillance for emerging diseases, strengthen laboratory networks and support childhood immunizations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xBIxll
ADDICTION: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Recovering Hope is one of only a small number of residential addiction treatment centers in Minnesota where women with substance use disorder (SUD) can live with their infants and young children, and where the children receive daily childcare. Nearly all of its clients rely on Medicaid to fund their stay . . . If Medicaid funding disappears, Recovering Hope would need to pivot or shut down. Its clients and their children could lose access. But the impact would ripple, too, into the town of Mora itself, where the center has become an important, if not always popular, foundation of the local economy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43FSwsr
FUNDING: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday announced a $700 million investment into behavioral health programs, indicating an emphasis on faith-based recovery organizations. Kennedy, a recovered heroin addict, announced a $96 million funding opportunity for the Trump administration’s Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support (STREETS) program, along with $612 million in funding opportunities for additional behavioral health programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a5dF2L
GENDER CARE: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “The Federal Trade Commission is suing the leading transgender health care group in federal court. The agency argued on Wednesday that the World Professional Association for Transgender Health made ‘deceptive claims’ in its health care guidelines for transgender children. The group’s members include psychiatrists, surgeons, pediatricians, endocrinologists and primary care doctors who work with transgender patients.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eBBzEp
VACCINES: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Senate Democrats are opening an inquiry into the Trump administration’s remaking of federal vaccine policy, demanding officials produce records by next week. In a letter to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. viewed by STAT, Senate Finance Committee Democrats Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Maggie Hassan (N.H.) denounced the changes Kennedy has made to federal vaccine policy, focusing on the remaking of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Last year, Kennedy fired all previous members of ACIP and packed the panel with vaccine-skeptical allies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ScBSy5
FLU: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “U.S. health advisers are debating a new kind of flu vaccine Thursday, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Moderna is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval of its new shot, dubbed mFlusiva, as an option for people 50 and older. The FDA advisory committee meeting is a step toward a final decision ahead of the winter flu season.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ehPX5V
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CANCER: Via Fox News, VERBATIM: “A cure for cancer could be on the horizon in the next decade, according to experts. During the WSJ Leadership Institute CEO Summit in London last week, Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Joaquin Duato reflected on the pharmaceutical company’s projections on the future of cancer treatment.
In the next 10 years, the goal is to ‘try to eliminate cancer,’ Duato shared.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vXB4vh
IVERMECTIN: Via ABC News, VERBATIM: “Ivermectin, which surged in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic amid unproven claims that it could help fight COVID-19 infections, has now found a new following among some cancer patients. Prescriptions for the antiparasitic drug among cancer patients more than doubled in the first half of 2025, following the airing of a popular podcast episode promoting the drug, according to a study published in JAMA.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aWAllY
THE PLAGUE: Via University of Copenhagen, VERBATIM: “Plague was already a deadly killer 5,500 years ago, long before cities, farming, or the rat-infested conditions usually linked to historic outbreaks. By analyzing ancient DNA from hunter-gatherer cemeteries in Siberia, researchers discovered early plague strains in nearly 40% of the individuals studied and found evidence of rapid family-based outbreaks that wiped out many children and young teenagers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Q7Jpxy
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