NOTABLES: Via UCare, VERBATIM: “The February/March Twin Cities Business Notables rankings honor high-achieving BIPOC executives across local industries and metro area leaders in health care. Two members of UCare’s Executive Leadership team were included in these elite groups.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QHh8ua (SPONSORED: UCare)
POLL: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “Twelve percent of U.S. adults -- or about 31 million Americans -- report they had to borrow an estimated total of $74 billion in the past 12 months to pay for healthcare for themselves or a household member. A majority of Americans (58%) share concerns that they would experience medical debt if faced with a major health event.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4i7oxPo
MORE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Most Americans, 58 percent, say they are at least somewhat concerned that a major health event will put them in debt. The survey noted that the concerns span income levels.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kpqA2V
CLIMATE: From Yale Program on Climate Change Communication via Facebook, VERBATIM: “39% of Americans think Americans’ health is currently being harmed by global warming, an 8 percentage point increase from 2014.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3XzyBIP
MORE: Via Yale, from the report, VERBATIM: “When asked about a list of potential health harms, Americans increasingly identify heat stroke (45%, +31 points since 2014), air pollution (44%, +26 points), asthma and/or other lung diseases (43%, +26 points), and pollen-related allergies (41%, +23 points), among other health harms, as likely to become ‘much more’ or ‘somewhat more’ common in their communities if global warming is not addressed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XxRsUN
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
MEDICAID: From Governor Tim Walz via X, VERBATIM: “Donald Trump’s cuts to Medicaid will blow a massive hole in our state budget and leave thousands without care. There’s a storm coming from Washington. Republicans and Democrats should work together to protect our state from Trump. Defend our people, not the President.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/41s1JTG
MORE: The Governor’s Tweet comes on the day the state released an updated forecast showing a 2026-27 budget surplus $160 million lower than November’s estimate. Extensive coverage in today’s lunch take. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/41IA2qK
WEIGHT LOSS: From Alex Derosier of the Pioneer Press via X, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Budget Director Ahna Minge says ‘higher utilization of weight loss drugs’ is driving up Health and Human Services costs by $80-90 million. Interesting tidbit as budget forecast shows a shrinking surplus in the near term and deficit of nearly $6 billion in 2028-2029.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hbq5Xp
MORE: From Torey Van Oot via Axios, VERBATIM: “Minnesota lawmakers are renewing a push to require insurance coverage of anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Why it matters: These life-changing drugs, known as GLP-1s, are helping millions of Americans shed pounds and lower their risk of more serious conditions like heart attacks and strokes . . . Friction point: Coverage mandates carry a high price tag because the federal Affordable Care Act dictates that states help cover private insurers' costs for mandates that go beyond what's required by federal law.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41rWhju
NIH: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general have secured a nationwide preliminary injunction in Massachusetts v. NIH. The order prevents the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from cutting billions of dollars in funds that support cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country regardless of whether their states have joined the lawsuit. … The preliminary injunction protects critical funds that facilitate biomedical research, like lab, faculty, infrastructure, and utility costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XtICHy
NOMINEE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Under hostile questioning from senators of both parties, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Trump’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, said on Wednesday that he was ‘convinced’ vaccines did not cause autism even as he urged more research on the question, which scientists say has long been settled. The hearing became a battlefield for the Trump administration’s early actions on health, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reluctance to explicitly recommend vaccinations in the midst of a deadly measles outbreak in West Texas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43li8f9
FDA: Via Roll Call, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration is set to face the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday morning, and he’s likely to receive a flurry of questions ranging from recent firings at the agency to how he will advance Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda. Martin Makary, an author and surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, has appeared frequently on Fox News to discuss everything from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic to whether former President Joe Biden was aging too quickly to do his job. In the months leading up to the 2024 election, Makary defended Kennedy’s stances on vaccines, chronic disease and food policy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43o4ack
TRIBAL PROGRAMS: Via Stateline, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and government spending have reverberated across Indian Country, leaving tribes with deep uncertainty about their health clinics, schools, police agencies and wildfire crews. Native officials say the cuts could hit a vast array of core public services in tribal communities — even though the federal government is legally required to provide those services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4haxrum
CDC: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “The nation’s top public health agency says about 180 employees who were laid off two weeks ago can come back to work. Emails went out Tuesday to some Centers for Disease Control and Prevention probationary employees who got termination notices last month, according to current and former CDC employees.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XvR0WR
SNOW: From Derek James via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “In Minnesota, snowfall is a fact of life, even in March and April. But shoveling snow puts a higher workload on some peoples' hearts. Lifting a lot of heavy snow is more strenuous than running on a treadmill, but there are things you can do before and during shoveling to move your snow safely.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4bsyIvq
TRANSPLANT: From Kevin Miller via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Carter Anderson, a student at Wayzata High School, calls Medina home — but his true home is on the baseball diamond . . . Doctors discovered a few years ago during a routine check-up that Anderson had a genetic heart condition . . . Anderson had a device implanted in his body that could shock him to fix his heart rhythm if he went into cardiac arrest. After it shocked him multiple times during a baseball game, doctors discovered his heart was failing.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3FbhDKI
CHRONIC DISEASES: Via Fierce Healthcare, VERBATIM: “New legislation advanced by a voice vote March 4 would codify 14 pre-deductible healthcare services through high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). It codifies guidance from President Donald Trump’s first term increasing flexible coverage options for HDHPs. The bill would allow medical products and services like beta-blockers, blood pressure monitors, glucometers, inhalers and cholesterol drugs to be more easily covered by insurance by letting insurers pay for low-cost services before a deductible is reached.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3F29nfJ
ESSENTIA HEALTH NURSES ARE A VALUED PART OF OUR PATIENT CARE: Acute care nurses in the Duluth area earn $100,000 on average, working just four days a week. In fact, 94% of these nurses choose to work part-time because Essentia Health offers full benefits starting at 24 hours a week. Our nurses overwhelmingly choose to remain at Essentia Health, bucking national turnover trends. To join our team at Essentia Health, search for openings HERE: https://fluence-media.co/3D5rO2s (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
MENTAL HEALTH: Via MMA, VERBATIM: “A coalition of Minnesota-based professional associations, led by the MMA, are working together to end the fear and stigma that many healthcare professionals experience when in need of mental health services and support . . . The Treat Yourself First campaign, which is funded by a 2024 Minnesota Department of Health grant, is designed to: build awareness of stigma around help-seeking and create a supportive environment that encourages clinicians to prioritize their mental health and seek help when needed; create peer-to-peer messages and resources designed to amplify clinicians’ voices to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and seeking mental health care; and communicate to all Minnesota clinicians that there are effective and confidential resources available to help them battle burnout and fatigue and focus on their own well-being.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kqFBSd
LTC: From Genworth Financial via Business Wire, VERBATIM: “The cost of long-term care services in Minnesota increased year-over-year, exceeding national costs, according to the 2024 Cost of Care Survey conducted by Genworth and CareScout . . . National 2024 Cost of Care Survey data showed a continued upward trajectory in long-term care costs across care types, with cost increases for most care types continuing to outpace inflation rates1. The top factors contributing to increased costs were inflation and labor costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QRLASg
CANCER DRUG: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “A dispute over a microscopic enzyme is threatening Merck & Co. plans to sell a new version of Keytruda, the cancer drug that generates nearly half of the company’s sales. Merck has been tweaking Keytruda to make it easier to use—and to protect billions of dollars in revenue the company could lose after U.S. patent protection runs out in 2028 and rivals can begin selling copycats. The enzyme in the new Keytruda allows it to be injected, rather than given intravenously. It is the subject of a brewing patent dispute between Merck and a biotech called Halozyme Therapeutics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41J5oxv
STD: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “A common but potentially dangerous vaginal infection that affects nearly 1 in 3 women globally should be considered a sexually transmitted disease, a new study says. Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is currently viewed as a woman’s issue, thus leaving the sexual partner untreated.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43oAPym
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)
CADRE: From Allison Kaplan via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Social media is often blamed for America’s mental health crisis, but Luke Wendlandt saw an opportunity to use it for good: Cadre is a social network for mental health support. ‘We’re giving therapists and coaches a platform to speak at scale,’ says founder and CEO Wendlandt. Experts in the field are using the app to host daily livestreams on everything from parenting a child with autism to grief.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41KQC9C
From lunch take…
MAYO: From Christopher Snowbeck via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic set a new record for operating profit last year as the Rochester-based health system continued seeing growth in patient visits for outpatient and hospital care. In 2022, Mayo was like many health systems in struggling to find enough workers to fully staff its operations. Those problems dissipated significantly in 2023 and were almost completely gone last year, Chief Financial Officer Dennis Dahlen said in an interview. On Wednesday, the not-for-profit health system reported financial results that include double-digit growth since 2022 in patient visits to outpatient care centers and Mayo hospitals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QIhxwz
Sign up for lunch take…
DEMENTIA: From C.J. Bahnsen via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “In May of 2024, Mayo Clinic launched a new prion test, RT-QuIC Prion, CSF, which can distinguish prion disease from other causes of rapidly progressive dementia — particularly autoimmune forms of dementia and rapidly progressive forms of Alzheimer's disease. ‘Rapidly progressive dementias are forms of dementia where the patient goes from the first symptom onset to loss of functional independence, usually in less than two years,’ says John Mills, Ph.D., co-director of Mayo Clinic’s Clinical Neuroimmunology Laboratory. In the early stages of rapidly progressive dementias, patients often exhibit nonspecific symptoms that make reaching a definitive diagnosis challenging. However, it’s crucial to identify the correct cause as soon as possible, because some forms — such as those driven by autoimmune processes — may be treatable, while others are not.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ktnwCY
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CANNABIS: From WashU Medicine via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Treatment for chronic pain still relies heavily on opioids. While effective, they are highly addictive and potentially deadly if misused. In the quest to develop a safe, effective alternative to opioids, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Stanford University have developed a compound that mimics a natural molecule found in the cannabis plant, harnessing its pain-relieving properties without causing addiction or mind-altering side effects in mice.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41IYXul
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