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POLLING
FRAUD: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “A majority of voters believe there is at least some fraud in government health programs and most say that addressing fraud would lead to reductions in federal spending overall, though fewer say it would lead to reductions in their own health care costs.”
“Still, larger shares of voters perceive fraud in areas other than health: about half of voters say there is ‘a lot’ of fraud in the federal tax system (52%), federal military and defense contracts (46%), and foreign aid programs (46%), compared to about four in ten who say there is ‘a lot’ of fraud in government health programs such as Medicaid (40%) and Medicare (36%). About three in ten voters say there is ‘a lot’ of fraud in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces (29%), the lowest share of all the areas asked about in this survey.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gH666z
988: Via NAMI, VERBATIM: “The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) marks today’s fourth anniversary of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline with new polling data on 988 and an issue brief around state efforts to bolster 988 and crisis response. The new NAMI poll, conducted with Ipsos, finds a large majority of U.S. adults (74%) are aware of 988 and most would be likely to contact it during a mental health crisis — with young adults, LGBTQ+ individuals, low-income Americans, and parents reporting higher rates of reaching out to 988. The poll also finds strong trust in 988, but highlights opportunities for continued awareness and education efforts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w7H6tN
ICYMI… Tuesday’s health take featured polling that showed only 31% of adults 50 and older are aware of 988. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/44ujNyp
VOTER ISSUES: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “Health care costs top the list of voters’ health care priorities for the midterm elections, with half (51%) of all voters and more than half of Democratic (60%) and independent (55%) voters saying the issue is extremely important for candidates to talk about, according to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll. At the same time, Trump administration statements about and actions targeting suspected health care fraud appear to be registering with Republican voters—more than half (55%) of whom say it is extremely important for candidates to discuss the issue of fraud in government health programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45c2JNG
SINGLE PAYER: A poll of voters in the swing state of Michigan found 82.8% support “a single payer system in which everyone was covered by a Medicare style system of health care.” Via Click On Detroit, READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wL4TQf
WORKFORCE: Via CBS News, VERBATIM: “Medical assistants are some of the first faces you see when visiting the doctor, but a new survey finds it’s getting harder to hire for those positions. The Medical Group Management Association, MGMA, recently released its 2026 Management and Staff Compensation Data Report. According to MGMA polling, 56% of practices said MA hiring became more difficult over the past year, compared with 37% reporting no change and only 7% saying it got easier.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pvlV2E
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
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 HEADLINES
BAD AIR: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “At Children’s Minnesota, doctors like Chase Shutak are preparing to treat more kids with smoke-related health problems as the wildfire smoke moves into the Twin Cities metro this week.” QUOTE: “Whenever the air quality worsens, we do see more patients,” Dr. Shutak said. “I’m especially concerned about younger kids. They don’t know when they are overheated,” Shutak said. “They don’t know when they are thirsty. They don’t know when they are necessarily having a hard time breathing. They just want to play. They want to get out there and experience the world.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4f7Q58y
DOC FEES: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A neurosurgeon was recently paid $4,485 to remove a brain tumor, but the doctor’s surgical assistant received a fee from Minnesota’s UnitedHealthcare that was more than 10 times larger — $55,000. The reason? Arbitration rulings under the federal No Surprises Act, which protects patients from high out-of-network bills, are socking health insurers with grossly inflated fees, executives at parent company UnitedHealth Group alleged Thursday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pvfoVG
NOTE: The statement was made during UnitedHealth’s conference call to announce its most recent earnings. You can find those details in today’s lunch take HERE:
ACQUISITION: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “In what could be a portentous signal for the fate of a healthcare mega merger, skeptics from labor unions filled a St. Paul church this week to voice concerns — sometimes raucously so — about the proposed joining of two big nonprofit health systems: Allina Health and Sutter Health. The Office of the Minnesota Attorney General held the first public forum this week on the proposed acquisition of the Upper Midwest’s health giant Allina by the even bigger California system, Sutter Health.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fFRYJC
MEDICARE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Federal lawmakers are turning up the pressure on UnitedHealthcare and two rival Medicare Advantage insurers over their use of artificial intelligence and their prior authorization rules for post-hospital rehab care. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, sent letters this week to the CEOs at these insurance companies, demanding more information about their process for denying or approving these coverage requests. The requests come amid intensifying scrutiny of the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage insurers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4yv6nQw
NEXT WEEK: Via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “Significant changes to Medicaid – the publicly-funded health insurance for people with low incomes – are expected to put new pressures on states, healthcare providers and those who depend on the coverage. Families and individuals are already feeling caught up in unpredictable and confusing changes, at times when they’re dealing with significant health crises. Join healthcare policy experts from KFF and journalists from States Newsroom who cover these issues at the state and national level for an in-depth discussion on the impacts that federal funding cuts, work requirements and state policy are having on healthcare in the U.S.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4wSnie9
TRUMPRX: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “A centerpiece of President Trump’s push to make prescription medicines more affordable is a government website for drug discounts that carries his own name. TrumpRx, launched in February, now boasts 92 deals on brand-name prescription drugs made by pharmaceutical companies that announced highly publicized agreements with the Trump administration. But nearly six months after the website’s launch, those deals on TrumpRx represent fewer than 12% of the more than 800 brand-name drugs made by the participating pharmaceutical companies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ff2h64
CDC: Via Fierce Healthcare, VERBATIM: “Erica Schwartz, M.D., the latest nominee to lead the beleaguered Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told lawmakers on Wednesday that she was committed to scientific integrity and transparency to restore trust in the country’s top public health agency. ‘As CDC director, my sacred responsibility is to provide the American people with public health guidance that is clear, honest and evidence-based. I will never betray the science,’ Schwartz said during a confirmation hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Schwartz is President Donald Trump‘s third CDC nominee in less than two years. The CDC has been rocked by leadership shakeups and turmoil since the start of Trump’s second term.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fIUEoX
ASPR: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, appeared exasperated, at times even livid, during today’s confirmation hearing for Sean Kaufman, MPH. Kaufman, a senior adviser in global affairs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), an agency with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kaufman has a track record of vaccine-skeptic positions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wanp4M
ABORTION: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Acting attorney general Todd Blanche pledged on Wednesday to take action to stop abortion medication from being available through the mail. Blanche committed to Republican senators he would prioritize taking action on mifepristone if confirmed but declined to go into specifics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SWpXVx
VETERANS: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “A sweeping veterans benefits measure pitched by Republicans as a boon for tens of thousands of veterans has instead become a divisive wedge for the normally tight-knit military advocacy community — and split the GOP caucus. The fight over the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, expected to be on the House floor Thursday, threatens to complicate future work on military and veterans reforms, which are frequently viewed as non-controversial political crusades for lawmakers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wOjaM9
HEP C: Via Roll Call, VERBATIM: “A bipartisan pair of House members is introducing legislation aimed at treating millions of Americans of a deadly-but-curable liver disease, the culmination of a yearslong push from public health advocates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4f7ZNrw
TESTOSTERONE: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “The U.S. military will begin testing the testosterone levels of some service members and recommending hormone therapy if needed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday. The new policy comes amid a larger push by the Trump administration to promote and expand public access to testosterone replacement therapies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4f7HQJD
ESSENTIA HEALTH SUPPORTS FREE CLINIC IN VIRGINIA, SERVING INCREASED NUMBER OF UNINSURED MINNESOTANS: Every Thursday night, physicians and care team members from Essentia Health-Virginia volunteer at the Project Care Free Clinic, providing treatment, screenings, and preventive care to patients who are uninsured or may be struggling to afford health care premiums. Essentia also provides lab and X-ray services at no cost to the clinic or its patients. Essentia is proud to support the clinic, ensuring everyone in the community can get the care they need. READ MORE: By volunteering at a free clinic, Essentia providers in Virginia ensure access to care for all | Essentia Health (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
INNOVATION & RESEARCH
DAYLIGHT SAVING: Via New York Post, VERBATIM: “This week, the House of Representatives passed the ‘Sunshine Protection Act,’ which would make daylight saving time (DST) — the time we use in the summer — permanent, meaning no more twice-a-year clock changes. Beyond doing away with the annoyance of reprogramming the time on your microwave every March and November, this would mean the sun rises one hour later in the winter — and sets one hour later in the evening.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aSZlLg
MORE: Via Today, VERBATIM: “Research has indicated that ditching the biannual clock change would improve public health, regardless of whether daylight saving or standard time is made permanent. Losing an hour in the spring in particular has been linked to increased risk for car accidents and heart attacks, as well as milder effects like headaches.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w7mGRL
TRY AGAIN? Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “In 1973, Congress passed a law instituting permanent daylight saving time for what was supposed to be a trial period from January 1974 to April 1975. It lasted until October, when it was repealed after public outcry. Among the concerns was worry that schoolchildren would have to start the school day without daylight. These days, some school starting times have started to shift later.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RmtGev
CHOLESTEROL: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill on Thursday that can lower cholesterol levels far below what can be achieved with statins, the cheap cholesterol-reducing pills. The drug, enlicitide, whose brand name is Lipfendra, is made by the pharmaceutical company Merck. Clinical trials have shown that it can bring levels of LDL — the dangerous type of cholesterol — down to 50 or 60 or even lower. Adults not taking cholesterol-lowering drugs usually have levels above 100.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4yhDuaa
GLP-1: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Why do some people lose substantial weight with GLP-1-based medications while others see more modest results? A Mayo Clinic study offers a potential answer by identifying a distinct biological subtype of obesity that responds especially well to tirzepatide, a medication that mimics two naturally occurring hormones involved in appetite and blood sugar regulation, moving the field closer to precision medicine for obesity.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TEOPRH
GRANT: Via UofM, VERBATIM: “A University of Minnesota Medical School research team received a 5-year, $10 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to discover new ways that animals fight virus infections. This has the potential to be translated into novel therapies against emerging viruses in humans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ypHNQV
SALUDA: Via Bloomington-based Saluda, VERBATIM: “Saluda Medical, Inc. (ASX: SLD), a commercial‑stage medical device company advancing closed‑loop neuromodulation for chronic neurological conditions, today announced the first U.S. surgical cases using the newly FDA‑approved Evoke® CAP24 paddle lead.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aSS8Lc
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
GECKO: Via University of Nottingham, VERBATIM: “An unusual leopard gecko that naturally develops aggressive tumors may become an important new model for cancer research. Scientists found its tumors share key genetic changes with human cancers, offering a rare opportunity to study the disease as it develops naturally.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RBg7rE
FROGS: Via University College London, VERBATIM: “A deadly fungus has wiped out amphibian populations around the globe, yet some mysteriously recover. Researchers discovered that survivors develop powerful immune defenses while they are still tadpoles, giving them a head start before the fungus can attack after metamorphosis. The study also uncovered a vast collection of previously unknown antimicrobial peptides that could someday inspire new drugs to fight infections.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pJil57
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