Episode #29 Deep Dive – The CDC Is a Zombie Now? Dr. Demetre Daskalakis Explains What’s Gone Horribly Wrong
A deep dive into this week's episode of Paging America
Government shutdown
The ACA Marketplaces are beginning to post their premium prices for 2026 and to say people are getting “sticker shock” is a bit of an understatement. Via The Washington Post:
[W]indow shopping has already begun in most of the 22 states that run their own marketplaces, offering a preview of the sticker shock to come.
Premiums nationwide are set to rise by 18 percent on average, according to an analysis…by…KFF. That, combined with the loss of extra subsidies, have left Americans with the worst year-over-year price hikes in the 12 years since the marketplaces launched.
Nationally, the average marketplace consumer will pay $1,904 in annual premiums next year, up from $888 in 2025, according to KFF.
The situation is particularly acute in Georgia, which recorded the second-highest enrollment of any state-run marketplace this year and posted prices for 2026 earlier in October. About 96 percent of marketplace enrollees in Georgia received subsidies this year.
In Georgia, rates are going up as much as fourfold:
One forecast previously predicted a 60-year-old couple in Fulton County making $85,000 could see their monthly premium for a silver plan increase from about $602 to $2200 without the enhanced subsidies.
Now that prices are posted, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter looked at the actual Georgia Access offerings for such a couple. The 2026 silver plan premiums to choose from ranged between $2,600 and $4,800 per month. That lowest-premium silver plan offered a deductible of $10,000.
In other words, this 60-year-old couple will see their silver plan premium go up by a factor of over 4X (at the very minimum) to as much as 8X. And, if they choose the one that increases their premium by 4X, they’ll have a ten grand deductible. Even the cheapest silver plan will still cost them $31,200 a year.
The massive increases in premiums are leading some people to forgo getting insurance entirely:
Ginny Murray [of Arkansas] says she and her husband, Chaz, are out of options for health insurance. In January, their premiums are expected to rise higher than they’ve ever gone up before, putting the cost out of reach.
The Arkansas couple plan to drop their coverage, betting their savings will be enough if unexpected illness strikes.
“Our plan is to keep putting the money we’re already paying towards health care in savings,” said Murray, whose insurance is covered through the Affordable Care Act, “and really just hoping that we don’t have a stroke or we don’t have a heart attack.”
POLITICO reports that some Republicans are planning on how to deal with the ACA premium subsidies once the government is reopened. However:
Passing that package through the House would be tricky for Speaker Mike Johnson, who would likely face opposition from hard-liners firmly opposed to any extension of the Democratic health law known as Obamacare… Building GOP support in the House, where a major swath of Republicans oppose any ACA extension, is a huge task.
One under-reported story relates to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program which is a vital resource for hospitals treating low-income patients in both rural and urban areas of the country. The DSH is staring down the barrel of $24 billion in cuts over the next three years – $8 billion this year and again in each of the next two fiscal years – because Congress failed to prevent previously-scheduled reductions before the shutdown.
Keep in mind, this is in addition to the $137 billion in cuts to rural hospitals thanks to Trump’s Big Bill.
Quinnipiac Generic Congressional Ballot Poll
The Quinnipiac Generic Congressional Ballot Poll was conducted from October 16-20, 2025 (22 days into the government shutdown)
If the Congressional midterm elections were held today, 50 percent of voters say they would want to see the Democratic Party win control of the United States House of Representatives, while 41 percent say they would want to see the Republican Party win control. [...]
Among independents, 52 percent say they would want to see the Democratic Party win control of the House, while 32 percent say they would want to see the Republican Party win control of the House, and 16 percent did not offer an opinion.
Previous Quinnipiac Generic Congressional polls
• Oct. 2021: GOP 47-44%
• Oct. 2022: GOP 49-45%
—
• Oct. 2017: Dem 49-41%
• Oct. 2018: Dem 49-42%
From the “Wacky Legislative News” File
At least five states – Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, and Louisiana – have laws allowing the animal dewormer ivermectin to be sold over the counter without a prescription to treat COVID-19. Multiple other states have pending legislation including the recently-introduced SB-516 in Michigan which says, “A pharmacist may make ivermectin available without a prescription in such a manner as the pharmacist considers appropriate.”
Here’s what the FDA’s website CURRENTLY says about ivermectin:
The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals.
The FDA has determined that currently available clinical trial data do not demonstrate that ivermectin is effective against COVID 19 in humans.
From the “Wacky RFK Jr. News” File
We have two entries in the “Wacky RFK Jr. News” segment this week. First, Kennedy announced this week that he’s about to make changes to the U.S. dietary guidelines to encourage Americans to eat MORE saturated fats and red meat:
“New dietary guidelines that are common sense, that stress the need to eat saturated fats of dairy, of good meat, of fresh meat and vegetables … when we release those, it will give everybody the rationale for driving it into our schools,” Kennedy said. [...]
Currently, U.S. dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years, suggest Americans limit saturated fats to 10% of their daily calorie intake. However, the American Heart Association advises keeping that intake under 6%.
The second entry is even more unbelievable. KFF Health News reports that RFK Jr. is planning to investigate chemtrails as part of a larger investigation of illicit climate and weather control and other supposed geoengineering efforts:
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to investigate climate and weather control, and is expected to create a task force that will recommend possible federal action, according to a former agency official, an internal agency memo obtained by KFF Health News, and a consultant who helped with the memo. [...]
HHS is expected to appoint a special government employee to investigate climate and weather control, according to Gray Delany, former head of the agency’s MAHA agenda, who said he drafted the memo. The agency has interviewed applicants to lead a “chemtrails” task force, said Jim Lee, a blogger focused on weather and climate who Delany said helped edit the memo, which Lee confirmed. […]
High-level federal government officials are presenting false claims as facts without evidence and referring to events that not only haven’t occurred but, in many cases, are physically impossible, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California.
“That is a pretty shocking memo,” he said. “It doesn’t get more tinfoil hat. They really believe toxins are being sprayed.”
Links for a deeper dive on Episode #29
The Washington Post: Health insurance sticker shock begins as shutdown battle over subsidies rages
The Atlanta Journal: Massive ACA price hikes revealed as Georgia Access window shopping opens early
NBC News: ‘It’s only gotten worse’: As ACA premiums are set to climb, some Americans opt to go uninsured
POLITICO: Republicans aren’t negotiating an Obamacare extension yet. But they’re getting ready.
American Hospital Association: Bipartisan letter urges House leadership to halt Medicaid DSH cuts
Fierce Healthcare: Ahead of Congress’ funding deadline, hospitals target expiring pay adjustments, ACA credits
Quinnipiac generic Congressional polling (Oct 16-20) is HERE
MedPage Today: These States Now Allow OTC Ivermectin, and More May Follow
Bill Track 50’s analysis of Michigan’s SB516 is HERE
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Ivermectin and COVID-19
The Hill: RFK Jr. to unveil new guidance encouraging more saturated fats
KFF Health News: It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Chemtrail? New Conspiracy Theory Takes Wing at Kennedy’s HHS
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis on X: https://x.com/dr_demetre
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdemetre/
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/drdemetre.bsky.social
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis’ resignation letter is HERE
CBS News: After CDC cuts, former officials say “we’re not prepared” for daily public health or emergencies
POLITICO piece about Jeffrey Tucker: Meet the man who built RFK Jr.’s kitchen cabinet