LEADER: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Our Medicaid members have an amazing ally in Nancy Hoyt Taff, one of 11 nationally recognized emerging leaders by Managed Health Care Executive magazine. Nancy is a senior product manager of UCare's Medicaid product - and dedicated to public service. She was recognized for charting a course for longer, healthier lives and a stronger health care system.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3Ze7La7 (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
SEX: Via National Library of Medicine, VERBATIM: “Many institutional review board (IRB) members often classify online sexual and behavioral health surveys as not meeting the minimal risk standard under the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) due to concerns that answering sensitive or controversial topics may cause discomfort . . . Undergraduate college students (n = 123) were asked about their comfort level in answering online survey questions about their sexual behaviors, alcohol use, drug use, and mental health. Additionally, the study examined demographic differences in comfort levels. Few participants reported overall discomfort when answering online survey questions about their sexual and behavioral health, and minimal demographic differences were found.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kldIKO
AI: Via news release from Wolters Kluwer, VERBATIM: “The new 2025 Future Ready Healthcare Survey Report from Wolters Kluwer Health, conducted in partnership with the independent marketing research firm Ipsos, reveals that while healthcare professionals widely recognize the transformative potential of generative AI (GenAI), most organizations are not yet ready to harness its full value. The survey identifies strong enthusiasm for using GenAI to address the current challenges of workforce shortages, burnout, high healthcare costs, and rising administrative burdens, as well as keen interest in leveraging GenAI to achieve the next level of innovation and efficiency across the enterprise. However, the data also shows a clear disconnect between what organizations say they want to achieve with GenAI and how prepared they are to deliver on that promise.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43sJiAq
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
FED GRANTS: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham issued this statement today on the court’s decision to issue a temporary restraining order on the federal government’s recent cancellation of grant funds.” CUNNINGHAM: “This is a bright spot amidst what have been some very dark days in public health. The evidence put forward by Minnesota, 22 other states and the District of Columbia, clearly demonstrated the harm this reckless grant termination poses for Minnesotans and our public health infrastructure. That said, this is a temporary order, so the future is not yet certain. We will once again have to take some time to figure out what this fully means for the critical services we provide, our community partners, and most importantly, the staff that have received layoff notices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dZnyQb
RESEARCH: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “In his first months in office, President Trump has slashed funding for medical research, threatening a longstanding alliance between the federal government and universities that helped make the United States the world leader in medical science . . . To understand the cuts, The Times trawled through detailed grant data from the National Institutes of Health, interviewed dozens of affected researchers and spoke to agency insiders who said that their government jobs have become unrecognizable.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mJ9CO9
SCIENCE: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt made a plea to the nation’s science research community during her second annual State of the Science address in Washington on Tuesday: Course-correct or lose to China. We’re in the midst of a ‘radical new experiment,’ McNutt explained, in which the U.S., by pursuing budget cuts, canceling grants and adopting restrictive research policies, serves as the treatment group, while China is the control.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jxsVXX
WATER: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration announced last month it plans to uphold limits on the two most common types of ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. But it plans to delay the deadline for water utilities to meet those standards and roll back limits on four other potentially harmful PFAS chemicals . . . In Minnesota, the federal changes likely won’t change much. Twenty-two Minnesota public water supplies have PFAS levels above the limits. Several cities with elevated PFAS levels are moving ahead with plans to install treatment systems to remove the chemicals from their water supplies — some with money from the state of Minnesota’s 2018 legal settlement with 3M over contamination in the east Twin Cities metro. However, not all cities are eligible for settlement dollars or enough to cover their full costs.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3FGcScx
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)
$2.4 TRILLION: Via CNBC, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ would add $2.4 trillion to federal budget deficits over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday. The bill passed by House Republicans last month would decrease federal spending by $1.3 trillion, but also see a $3.7 trillion drop in revenues, according to the CBO’s latest analysis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZeBlMH
MORE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Nearly 11 million people would lose health insurance under the House Republican tax bill, mostly due to cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO’s latest report estimates that 10.9 million people would be uninsured over the next decade if the spending package, which includes much of President Trump’s legislative agenda, were enacted.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43Kdg1E
MORE: Via CBO, the report. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/43wVWhR
MEDICARE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Senate Republicans on Wednesday discussed the need to cut out waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare to achieve more deficit reduction in President Trump’s landmark bill to extend the 2017 tax cuts, provide new tax relief, secure the border and boost defense spending . . . Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told reporters after the meeting that there is ‘a legitimate debate’ within the Senate Republican Conference about whether bigger cuts can be made to federal Medicaid spending and whether federal Medicare spending needs to be reviewed as well.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dPN2PL
ACA: Via Fierce Healthcare, VERBATIM: “Leaders at state-based insurance exchanges are expressing concern about the impact that the Republicans' ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ could have on people enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans. In a letter sent to key Senate healthcare leaders on both sides of the aisle, the directors warn that proposals in the bill would drive up costs for the privately insured, and the end of the premium tax credits would likely push more than 4 million people off of their coverage.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mONx0A
FED WORKERS: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is demanding answers from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about why employees fired from his department were denied health care coverage they had already paid for . . . The letter, sent to Lutnick on Wednesday, follows reporting by NPR that Commerce Department employees who were fired, reinstated by court order, and fired again had had their health care coverage prematurely cut off. They were left uninsured – despite the fact that they'd been paying their health care premiums through paycheck deductions, and despite the federal government's policy to provide 31 days of free health care coverage after an employee is terminated.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zh8MhM
MADDY: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Commencement can bring fun, if fleeting memories to graduates like Maddy Major. She was one of many Armstrong students to graduate on Monday . . . Major has Stargardt disease and is blind.” MAJOR: “Having to do everything while also navigating having a visual impairment was definitely hard,” she said. “I was in third grade I believe when I got diagnosed with it. And basically, it just means that my central vision is pretty blurry.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3SFL5vI
DRUG PRICES: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “As President Trump touts his own executive orders to lower drug prices, the Medicare drug price negotiations begun during the Biden administration are continuing behind the scenes. Two companies – Novo Nordisk and Amgen – confirmed to NPR that they had received opening price offers from the government, kicking off bargaining that could last through October. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment on the status of negotiations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FJMGO6
BIDEN: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into whether aides to former President Joe Biden concealed alleged declines in his mental acuity, including by the use of an automatic pen to sign Biden’s name on official documents. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that the investigation will look into whether Biden’s aides attempted to ‘deceive the public’ by hiding ‘serious cognitive decline’ from the American people. ‘This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,’ he said in a memo, which tasked White House counsel David Warrington with leading the probe in consultation with Attorney General Pam Bondi.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZLeGI0
ESSENTIA HEALTH INVESTS IN TWIN PORTS NURSES: Total payroll for Essentia Health Duluth-Superior nurses is $164 million, with $53 million paid in salary increases over the past 3 years. Essentia Health has also increased clinical support staff by 10% over the past 3 years, providing additional support for those nurses. Over half of Duluth area nurses have been with us for over 5 years and enjoy exceptional work-life balance. To join our team at Essentia Health, search for openings HERE: https://fluence-media.co/3FzLe0i (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
PSYCHADELICS: From McGill University via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “As psychedelics gain traction as potential treatments for mental health disorders, an international study led by researchers at McGill University, Imperial College London, and the University of Exeter stands to improve the rigour and reliability of clinical research. Up to now, psychedelic clinical trials have had what has been widely acknowledged as a critical flaw: the failure to properly account for how a person's mindset and surroundings influence the effects of psychedelics such as MDMA and psilocybin. This gap has led to inconsistent study results, making regulatory approval more difficult.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43NX7Iq
IMMUNOTHERAPY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Colon cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer in the U.S., and while screening has helped detect and prevent colon cancer from spreading, major advancements in treating colon cancer have lagged. Now, new research led by Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center found that adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy after surgery for patients with stage 3 (node-positive) colon cancer — and with a specific genetic makeup called deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) — was associated with a 50% reduction in cancer recurrence and death compared to chemotherapy alone.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jAwEUw
VA: Via Military.com, VERBATIM: “The program that allows veterans to see private doctors using Department of Veterans Affairs funding would get a 50% boost under a spending plan released by House Republicans on Wednesday. Overall, the House Appropriations Committee's fiscal 2026 VA spending bill would give the department about $453 billion -- a whopping $83 billion more than Congress approved for the department for this year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ktRtm9
CRIME: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “Violent crime was already trending down from a covid-era spike when President Donald Trump presented a picture of unbridled crime in America on the campaign trail in 2024. Now his administration has eliminated about $500 million in grants to organizations that buttress public safety, including many working to prevent gun violence.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HtBiGP
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)
VACCINATIONS: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year eliminates funding for programs that provide lifesaving vaccines around the world, including immunizations for polio. The budget proposal, submitted to Congress last week, proposes to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s global health unit, effectively shutting down its $230 million immunization program: $180 million for polio eradication and the rest for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. The budget plan also withdraws financial support for Gavi, the international vaccine alliance that purchases vaccines for children in developing countries.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jGZQtk
AIDS: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Office and Management Budget Director Russell Vought on Wednesday was pressed on proposed cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) pursued as part of a new rescissions request from the Trump administration. During a budget hearing Wednesday, Vought defended proposed reductions as targeting items like ‘teaching young children how to make environmentally friendly reproductive health decisions’ and efforts he claimed were aimed at strengthening ‘the resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer global movements.’ ‘We can find waste, fraud and abuse there that the American people would not support, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s in the package, but it will not lead to life saving treatment being denied,’ he said during the hearing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dOagWN
COVID: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Delivering Covid vaccinations has never been an easy job. But health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rewriting of government recommendations will make the effort to get vaccine doses into arms exponentially more difficult, experts say. The changes will complicate discussions between pediatricians and parents, obstetricians and pregnant patients, and both groups and their insurers, these experts say. They will also likely result in Covid shots being harder to access, with fewer doctors choosing to stock them and fewer pharmacies willing to administer them, for both economic and liability reasons, the experts said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4krhPF4
BENEDRYL: Via Med Page Today, VERBATIM: “A paper that calls for saying a ‘final goodbye’ to diphenhydramine -- best known as Benadryl -- has physicians talking on social media. Published in the World Allergy Organization Journal, the paper gives several reasons why it's time to move on from Benadryl, including the ‘presence of effective and safer second-generation antihistamines, frequent and sometimes severe adverse reactions to first-generation agents, [and] its demonstrated abuse potential.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43PaSa3
VIRTUAL CARE: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Whether you live in a rural or urban community, virtual care can be a great choice for connecting with healthcare. You can save drive time, avoid bad weather and stay home when it's best not to be in a clinic where you could infect others. But even better, if your primary care clinic offers video visits (most do), you maintain continuity of care with your healthcare team, whether you're at home or traveling. Any information and care recommendations are entered into your electronic health record.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45bEvEH
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
FISH: From Cornell University via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “To satisfy the seafood needs of billions of people, offering them access to a more biodiverse array of fish creates opportunities to mix-and-match species to obtain better nutrition from smaller portions of fish. The right combination of certain species can provide up to 60% more nutrients than if someone ate the same quantity of even a highly nutritious species, according to an analysis by Cornell University researchers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jz82f2
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