FREE: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Free flu fighter clinics from UCare are coming your way all month long. Here’s what’s on tap this week. Thanks for protecting yourself and your loved ones.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4mPVDov (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
TAX CREDITS: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “As Congress debates federal health care spending as part of spending bill negotiations, including extending the enhanced premium tax credits, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds three-quarters (78%) of adults say Congress should extend the enhanced tax credits for people who buy their own insurance through the ACA Marketplace. This is more than three times the share of the public (22%) who say Congress should let the credits expire. Notably, majorities across political party want Congress to extend the tax credits including nine in ten (92%) Democrats, eight in ten (82%) independents, and six in ten (59%) Republicans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42twZ5W
MORE: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “More than 22 million people receive the subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress extends them. Losing the subsidies could mean that average out-of-pocket premium payments could double in 2026, from $888 a year to $1,904, an earlier KFF analysis found.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47d1qjr
AUTISM: Via Yahoo News, VERBATIM: “A clear majority of Americans (69%) agree that ‘autism is a complex condition that can’t be reduced to a single cause,’ according to a new Yahoo/YouGov poll. That number includes 59% of Republicans. Yet last week President Trump declared that his administration had ‘found an answer to autism’ — then linked the neurological disorder to Tylenol and other acetaminophen-based pain relievers during a high-profile event with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (The Yahoo/YouGov poll was conducted from Sept. 25 to 29, shortly after the event) . . . But while the new Yahoo/YouGov survey of 1,676 U.S. adults shows some openness to the idea that ‘autism rates are increasing mostly because of something that kids are being exposed to’ — 41% say they agree, 31% say they disagree and 28% are unsure — most Americans do not accept single-cause explanations for autism.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4305KQC
ACA: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “The Fall 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll shows that about two-thirds U.S. adults (64%) hold a favorable opinion of the ACA while about a third (35%) hold a negative opinion of the law. Views of the ACA are still largely driven by partisanship; about nine in ten Democrats (94%) along with two-thirds of independents (64%) view the law favorably, while about two-thirds of Republicans (64%) hold unfavorable views.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46VPn8Z
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
SOBER HOUSE: Via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Micaella Weerts was ready to take a positive step forward in her life. After completing ‘about 15 months’ of recovery and putting her life back together at Doc’s Recovery House following years of addiction, she was ready mentally to move forward and move out on her own, to live life on her own terms. But she wasn’t quite ready financially. That’s where the state’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program could have come in to help, reimbursing Doc’s Recovery for funds Weerts needed to pay that first and last month’s rent on an apartment, and to buy a couch. On Aug. 1, 2025, the Minnesota Department of Human Services announced it would be shutting down the HSS program due to ‘massive fraud’ within the program, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47f5y2k
SHUTDOWN: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “With less than a month to go before many Americans pick their health insurance plans for the next year, Democrats in Congress are holding up government funding to pressure Republicans into extending billions of dollars in federal tax credits that have in recent years dramatically lowered premiums and contributed to record-low rates of uninsured Americans. Democrats see the high-stakes standoff as a chance to talk about affordable health care as millions of Americans — including those enrolled in coverage through a workplace or Medicare — brace for higher costs next year. Party leaders, hoping to win back support from some of the working-class supporters who have drifted away from them, have used the moment to remind voters of the recent cuts Republicans have approved to some health care programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ITcVTY
TRUMP: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump cracked the door slightly to negotiations with Democrats on the health care subsidies they’ve made central to the shutdown fight, then abruptly closed it Monday, leaving the two sides once again at a seemingly intractable impasse. Democrats are conditioning their support for a short-term funding patch on extending the health subsidies that lessen the cost of plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3J090Vm
MTG: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) signaled a willingness to negotiate with Democrats on their health care demands, breaking with her party on an issue at the core of the government shutdown standoff. In a lengthy post on the social platform X, Greene said she’s ‘absolutely disgusted’ that health insurance premiums could double if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits expire, even as she stressed her strong opposition to the Obama-era legislation and to health insurance in general.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KCdaDn
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)
LAWSUIT: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The organs of a woman declared brain dead Sunday at HCMC were at the center of a lawsuit seeking a judge’s intervention against the hospital on Monday. LifeSource, the nonprofit that coordinates organ donation in Minnesota, alleged that staff at HCMC unlawfully refused to honor the organ recovery of the woman, whose driver’s license noted she had chosen to be a donor, because her family repeatedly said they didn’t want her organs donated. On Monday afternoon, LifeSource dismissed the lawsuit and the request for emergency assignment of a judge and said both the family and hospital were no longer in opposition to the donation and it was proceeding.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pTNlyJ
OPIOIDS: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Washington County has upped the ante on financial support for community-based projects that will be funded by opioid settlement dollars. In 2024, the county’s Opioid Settlement Council awarded its first round of grants totaling more than $500,000 to eight community-based projects. This year, the grant total jumps to $700,000, and the county is currently accepting applications.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42QTpOT
AI: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “The needs of patients are at the forefront of healthcare transformation through artificial intelligence (AI). This was the overarching theme at Mayo Clinic‘s AI Summit, held recently in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Cui Tao, chair of Mayo Clinic’s Department of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics and the Nancy Peretsman and Robert Scully Chair of AI and Informatics, opened the summit by sharing that the goal of the event was to explore how AI can be used to potentially revolutionize healthcare and biomedicine.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4q4APg4
THIS WEEK: Via Medical Alley, VERBATIM: “Join the Medical Alley team at The MedTech Conference this week in San Diego, where we’re showcasing the strength and influence of the world’s leading health innovation ecosystem.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3VUgTi8
LISTS: Mayo Clinic Children’s in Rochester is among the best children’s hospitals according to U.S. News & World Report, SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4pZfkNr
VACCINES: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill on Monday called on vaccine manufacturers to develop separate shots for measles, mumps and rubella instead of the current vaccine, which combines the three. O’Neill wrote in a post on X that manufacturers should replace the MMR vaccine with ‘safe monovalent vaccines,’ which only target one virus. His statement referenced a recent comment from President Donald Trump, who advised people last month on Truth Social to ‘break up the MMR shot into three totally separate shots.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47a9gud
RFK JR: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “Psychiatrists have joined other public health groups in calling for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary. Two psychiatry organizations — the Southern California Psychiatry Society and the recently formed grassroots Committee to Protect Public Mental Health — have released statements saying that the actions of the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services have increased stigma, instilled fear and hurt access to mental health and addiction care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/472KUkX
LONG COVID: From YCU via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Researchers in Japan have pinpointed a biological cause of Long COVID brain fog using advanced PET brain imaging. They discovered widespread increases in AMPA receptor density linked to cognitive impairment and inflammation. The findings confirm brain fog as a measurable, biological condition and reveal new targets for treatment. This could open the door to effective diagnostics and therapies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/471le8d
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)
INHALERS: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “To treat conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, millions of Americans use what doctors often call metered dose inhalers, small boot-shaped devices that spray set doses of medication into the lungs in a quick burst using propellants called hydrofluoroalkanes, or HFAs. Studies published Monday in the journal JAMA found that medication inhalers are ‘substantial’ contributors to planet-warming pollution. It’s not the medicine itself that’s the problem; rather, it’s the HFAs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mZQ5YN
MERGER: Via news release from HRI, VERBATIM: “The Hair Restoration Institute of Minnesota(HRI) and Good Look Ink(GLI) , two nationally recognized leaders in hair restoration, today announced a strategic merger, establishing the most comprehensive scalp micropigmentation (SMP) and hair restoration provider in Minnesota and one of the largest in the Midwest.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mSeNKE
HOSPICE: Via news release from St. Croix Hospice, VERBATIM: “St. Croix Hospice continued its efforts to improve access to local hospice care by opening four additional branches across four Midwest states during the third quarter of 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47dN5TV
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)
ST CLOUD: Via news release from Caravel, VERBATIM: “Caravel Autism Health, a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of young children on the autism spectrum, is hosting a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, October 7 to celebrate the grand opening of a new, state-of-the-art autism therapy clinic. The clinic, located at 226 Park Avenue South in St. Cloud, MN, is staffed by childhood autism experts who specialize in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46VK7lL
HEARING: Via news release from White Bear Lake-based Envoy, VERBATIM: “Envoy Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: COCH), a hearing health company pioneering fully implanted hearing solutions, today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the Company’s pivotal clinical trial for the fully implanted Acclaim cochlear implant to the final stage based on promising three-month data from the first 10 patients.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pQoDiK
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CANCER: From MRC via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Scientists have discovered that bacteria living inside tumors can produce a molecule that fights cancer and enhances chemotherapy. The molecule, called 2-methylisocitrate (2-MiCit), was found to make colorectal cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy by damaging their DNA and disrupting their metabolism. Experiments using worms, flies, and human cancer cells confirmed its potent anti-cancer effects.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KFxaVB
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