E-HEALTH: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Congratulations to our very own visionary Greg Hanley, VP of Health Svces Quality & Operations, for being selected to serve on the advisory committee working to achieve the Minnesota e-Health Vision. Greg represents health plans in this multidisciplinary committee!” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZP3g6v (SPONSORED: UCare)
TRUST: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The public trusts Anthony Fauci more than President-elect Trump and his incoming health team as a source of medical information, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos American Health Index. But Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s focus on safe food and nutrition clearly resonates with many Americans, who see chemicals and unsafe additives as a bigger health risk than climate change or infectious diseases.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZxIXJw
SATISFACTION: Via YouGov, VERBATIM: “Two-thirds (66%) of Americans with health insurance say they are very or somewhat satisfied with it; 14% say they are dissatisfied while 20% say they do not have health insurance or are not sure”
“The highest satisfaction levels are among Americans with health insurance coverage from Medicare (86%) or Medicaid (89%)” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OSNjWA
UNITEDHEALTH: Via Newsweek, VERBATIM: “Most Americans disapprove of feeling happiness toward bad things happening to public figures, a new poll found, despite the indifference expressed by some on social media to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . . . While many said they were disturbed by the brutal shooting, others reacted with indifference, or in some cases schadenfreude . . . YouGov conducted a poll gauging how Americans feel about this sort of reaction on Monday, releasing its findings Tuesday afternoon . . . It found that a slim majority of Americans—51 percent—said it is ‘inappropriate’ to feel happiness in these cases. Only 22 percent said they believe it is ‘appropriate’ to do so, while 28 percent said they aren't sure whether or not it is OK.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gbZYQD
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
SHOOTING: From Christopher Ingraham via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “In a note he was carrying when he was arrested, Luigi Mangione paints himself as a man radicalized by statistics. ‘The US has the #1 most expensive health care system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy,’ wrote the alleged killer of Brian Thompson, the late CEO of Eden-Prairie-based UnitedHealthcare. ‘United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart. It has grown and grown, but [h]as our life expectancy?’ Mangione is a scion of a rich, connected Maryland real estate family who recently withdrew from friends and family following severe medical issues. The numbers he cites are, in broad strokes, accurate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OTrq9J
MORE: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Mangione, who has been charged with second-degree murder, directly mentions UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, just once — pointing out that its growth has not improved the country’s life expectancy. His note also does not single out the health insurance industry explicitly and instead criticizes how ‘expensive’ the broader system has become.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zw7j6h
NEXTGEN: From Delane Cleveland via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “There are certain tasks in daily life that most of us take for granted. But as we age into our golden years, Father Time will come calling, and simple, everyday tasks — like getting in and out of bed — become an intense challenge. That’s where people like Reese Woodward come in. The Wayzata High School junior is one the students who signed up for the school’s inaugural Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Btvz10
MORE: From Miles Walker via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “Central Lakes College has a new initiative that is introducing individuals to the many career pathways healthcare presents, opening the next generation’s eyes to what’s possible in the profession. CLC’s mobile healthcare unit was made possible through a $4.2 million Pathways to Accessing Training in Healthcare (PATH) grant. Jennifer Chock, the college’s Healthcare Outreach Specialist, is exposing students in five different central Minnesota counties to what a career in healthcare entails.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gxsMTu
TOBACCO: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “As the Biden administration winds down, the US Food and Drug Administration has submitted a proposed rule that could significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products and potentially prompt more people to quit smoking. The FDA has been signaling its intentions to limit nicotine levels at least since 2018, during the first Trump administration. In 2022, President Joe Biden’s FDA commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, took it a step further and announced that the agency was developing a rule that would require tobacco companies to significantly reduce the amount of nicotine in traditional cigarettes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZqHzIA
OVERDOSES: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Drug deaths are falling for the first time in recent memory, representing a rare glimmer of hope after years of record overdose mortality. On Wednesday, to the surprise of some experts, Biden administration officials sought to take credit for the decrease. The officials said the White House’s efforts to distribute naloxone have helped to reverse 500,000 overdoses and attributed the overall improvement to increased availability of addiction treatment medications and harm-reduction services like test strips used to detect fentanyl or xylazine.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gyzsk0
GENDER GAP: Via CBS News, VERBATIM: “President Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Women's Health Research on Wednesday, showcasing progress in women's health initiatives to close the gender gap in health care. Last year, the president and first lady introduced a White House initiative to undertake what they said would be the ‘most comprehensive’ effort any administration has taken to support women's health research.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZN7742
LIFESPAN: From Susan Buckles via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “People around the globe are living longer — but not necessarily healthier — lives, according to Mayo Clinic research. A study of 183 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries found those additional years of life are increasingly fraught with disease. This research by Andre Terzic, M.D., Ph.D., and Armin Garmany documents a widening gap between lifespan and healthspan.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VBMdCe
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 in January. Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
From lunch take…
FBI SEARCH: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The FBI is searching at least two Minnesota autism centers Thursday morning as part of an investigation that it said revealed ‘substantial evidence’ of fraudulent Medicaid claims made by many companies participating in a state program to serve people under 21. Agents were searching at least two locations as of Thursday morning, according to a 54-page search warrant application: Smart Therapy Center’s business office in Minneapolis and Star Autism Center’s office in St. Cloud. A Star Tribune reporter observed FBI agents in the hallway of Smart Therapy Center’s office early Thursday morning. The searches are in connection with an investigation into fraud related to the state-funded Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) health care program that serves people under 21 with autism spectrum disorder.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZqGjFa
MORE: Via Minnesota House GOP, VERBATIM: “The number of autism providers has increased 700% in the past five years, accompanied by a 3,000% increase in funding to those services including $400 million in 2023 and 2024 according to today’s search warrant. Federal investigators say they found ‘substantial evidence’ providers submitted fraudulent claims for services not provided or covered by the program. Additionally, the warrant shows at least twelve people charged in the Feeding Our Future case owned, received money from or were associated with autism centers that got state funding for providing services.” The release includes comments from House Speaker-designate Lisa Demuth, DEMUTH: “With this investigation’s links to a dozen individuals involved in the Feeding our Future scandal, I am calling on Governor Walz to order state agencies to immediately pause payments to anyone or any entity that is suspected or convicted of fraud in other state programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gcQ6WC
Sign up for lunch take…
ADHD: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Over the last 20 years, clinicians have increasingly recognized that A.D.H.D. symptoms, which begin in childhood, can linger into adulthood, and that some groups — like women and people of color — are more likely to be underdiagnosed early in life. Now, with the rise of telemedicine, increased awareness of A.D.H.D. and changing attitudes about mental health treatment, new A.D.H.D. diagnoses are surging among older Americans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZzLdQp
HIV: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Gilead said Tuesday that it will soon begin Phase 3 testing for a drug it believes could prevent HIV infection with just a single shot every year. Such a medicine, if proven effective, would be the closest thing to a vaccine the HIV field has produced in four decades of research. The company plans to begin the trial next year, with an eye toward regulatory filings in late 2027.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gxHR7n
BIRD FLU: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “Biden administration officials said Wednesday they have no current plans to authorize a stockpiled bird flu vaccine, despite an escalating outbreak among livestock in the U.S. and at least 58 human infections across seven states. The move means any decisions about a bird flu vaccine will likely be left to health officials in the incoming Trump administration, who may be led by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iBtl07
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
BLOOD TEST: From University of Minnesota Medical School via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Published in Nature Communications, a new study led by the University of Minnesota Medical School and Duke University found that a DNA sequencing test for advanced prostate cancer patients can distinguish between patients with poor and favorable prognoses. The new blood-based test -- called AR-ctDETECT -- is designed to detect and analyze small fragments of tumor-derived DNA in the blood of certain patients with advanced, metastatic prostate cancer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D9f6zo
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