October 29, 2025 – The Week in Health Care News
Your digest on the happenings in health care this week | October 29, 2025
Committee News
On Oct. 21 Committee Member Dr. Christopher Hyson had an op-ed published in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise titled, “Maintain Medicaid and the ACA subsidies”:
During my 30-year career as a family physician, I have worked through two great crises in healthcare: the arrival of HIV during the 1980s and, more recently, the COVID pandemic. I now see a third crisis on our threshold: that caused by the slashing of the Medicaid budget, along with the nonrenewal of the ACA subsidies, and what that will do to our hospitals, clinics and millions of patients nationwide. Unlike HIV and COVID, this crisis will be uniquely American, and most disturbing, it will be entirely preventable. [...]
We must call on our Rep. [Elise] Stefanik to reverse the cuts to Medicaid, and we must call on Congress to continue the ACA subsidies at the end of the year.
This will be a health care crisis that will have been entirely preventable.
As we all know, prevention is the best medicine.
On Oct. 21, Committee Advocate Dr. Paula Jernigan spoke at a press conference hosted by Rep. Chris DeLuzio (PA-17) about the impacts of Washington Republicans’ refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits. The event was covered by Pittsburgh Union Progress in a piece titled, “‘It’s cruel, and it’s not OK’: GOP health care cuts will prove devastating, officials say”:
The announcements on spending we’ve seen in just the past few weeks amount to tens of billions of dollars (up to $40 billion alone to Argentina). It’s enough to take someone’s breath away. Tragically, we mean that literally. We learned this Wednesday from Dr. Paula Jernigan, a Pittsburgh pulmonologist. [...]
Last week Jernigan talked with a patient who’d been unable to get his asthma under control until a new treatment became available. Now he can breathe more easily, and this allows him to work, Jernigan said. “He told me, ‘I’ve never felt this good.’ ”
His relief may prove temporary, though. He fears he’ll lose his health insurance and thus his ability to pay for the treatments that allow him to breathe — all because of Republicans’ insistence on ending insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. He has plenty of company. Without those subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, health care costs will skyrocket for millions of Americans.
“It’s cruel, and it’s not OK,” Jernigan said of the Republican position. And it’s causing anxiety for her patients. “I have these conversations every day, multiple times a day,” she said.
On Oct. 22, the Committee had three physicians testify before the Michigan State Senate Health Policy Committee in support of Senate Resolution 81, urging Congress to immediately extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. The physicians’ participation was covered across the state, including by Michigan Advance which included comments by Michigan Committee Lead Dr. Farhan Bhatti, and the resolution passed on the Senate floor the following day.
On Oct. 23, the Committee co-hosted a rally in La Crosse, WI with Opportunity Wisconsin, Working Families Power, Family Friendly Wisconsin, and Fair Share Wisconsin to hold Congressional Republicans, including Congressman Derrick Van Orden (WI-3), accountable for shutting down the government instead of lowering health care costs. Committee Member Dr. Bob Freedland, spoke at the event.
Government Shutdown News
The most recent poll Navigator shows that Americans blame Trump and the Republicans for the government shutdown by a stable 10-point margin.
Open enrollment through healthcare.gov begins this Saturday. However, the ACA Marketplaces have already begun posting 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.
More from The Washington Post: Average Obamacare premiums are set to rise 30 percent, documents show
The massive increases in premiums are leading some people to forgo getting insurance entirely:
Ginny Murray 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.”
[NOTE: In case you think rising ACA premiums is just a “poor people” problem, think again.]
People electing to go without health insurance will create a “death spiral”.
The Hill: Vulnerable House Republicans urge Johnson to address ObamaCare subsidies:
A group of front-line House Republicans on Tuesday called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to “immediately” address the expiring enhanced ObamaCare tax credits once the government shutdown ends.
Led by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), 13 lawmakers told Johnson that millions of their constituents would face a massive spike in health premiums without an extension of the subsidies before their expiration at the end of the year.
“Our Conference and President Trump have been clear that we will not take healthcare away from families who depend on it. This is our opportunity to demonstrate that commitment through action,” the lawmakers wrote.
Key Republicans have floated a list of possible ways to curb the subsidies without eliminating them entirely when they expire on Dec. 31. Those include imposing an income cap for beneficiaries, forcing some individuals to pay a minimum out-of-pocket premium or grandfathering in current enrollees while cutting off new enrollment.
RELATED: POLITICO: Republicans are barreling toward an Obamacare subsidy cliff — with no unified plan
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul wants to open the government for one month so a Trump-appointed group of bipartisan senators can hammer out a deal on the ACA subsidies.
The Hill: Senate GOP chatter rises on filibuster reform to end shutdown
Good news! Dr. Oz says Trump has a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare 🙄
SNAP benefits (aka “food stamps”) are about to run dry for needy families in at least 25 states, reports POLITICO. Some states are urging SNAP recipients to use their remaining funds to buy shelf-stable foods. Unfortunately, the USDA says it can’t use contingency fund for food stamps because the money is meant to be used when appropriations fall short, not when the funding doesn’t exist.
MedPage Today: CDC Experts Forced to Skip Pivotal Infectious Disease Meeting Due to Shutdown
Trump Administration News
Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol brand acetaminophen, is pushing back against the Trump administration’s plans for new labeling requirements. In a pointed 42-page letter to the FDA, they write that the current label statement – “if pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use” – is “the most conservative and appropriate labeling.”
The change in label language stems from a citizen petition from the notorious anti-vaxx group Informed Consent Action Network and is, according to Kenvue, “unsupported by the scientific evidence and legally and procedurally improper.”
More companies have joined Trump’s “TrumpRx” venture. This time it’s Cigna and Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs. All eyes are on the strangely-branded government/industry partnership waiting to see if it goes the way of Trump Steaks, Trump Ice, Trump University, Trump Vodka, Trump Mortgage, or any of his other many failed and bankrupted businesses, including multiple casinos.
In related news, US World & News Report: Trump Announces a Deal With a Manufacturer to Make a Common Fertility Drug Cheaper for IVF Patients:
Drugmaker EMD Serono will reduce the cost of a common fertility medication through a deal struck with the Trump administration, President Donald Trump said Thursday while also unveiling new federal guidance he said will encourage employers to offer fertility coverage. [...]
Dr. Mehmet Oz, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that as a result of the changes: “There are going to be a lot of Trump babies. I think that’s probably a good thing.”
The anti-abortion group Live Action decried the move, saying, “This policy should be reversed immediately so that every child is treated as a gift from God and not as a product of convenience.”
Other anti-abortion groups see the development as a victory, however, since no government funds or tax breaks will be used to subsidize IVF treatments.
Similar to the “regional CDCs” that are being formed, STAT reports that two institutions are coming together to create an alternative to the CDC’s vaunted Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report — often called “the voice of the CDC”:
The New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy will begin publishing “public health alerts” in the coming month, CIDRAP Director Michael Osterholm announced at the IDWeek conference on Sunday.
Two advisers to RFK Jr. told an audience at a natural products industry trade show that drew tens of thousands of people from food brands, investment banks, supplement sellers and other companies that there is money to be made by being part of the so-called MAHA movement.
The American Hospital Association is urging CMS to delay its Medicare prior authorization pilot program – referred to by some as “AI death panels” – for at least six months because the “timeframe is impractical for providers and jeopardizes the administration’s goal of easing provider administrative burden associated with prior authorization.” The program is currently slated to launch in Arizona, Washington, New Jersey, Texas, Ohio and Oklahoma on Jan. 1, 2026.
Parents of special education students with disabilities aren’t likely to be happy that the Trump administration plans to move the $15 billion federal special ed program from the Department of Education to HHS, which is headed up by RFK Jr.
Casey Means, the health influencer, health care grifter, and RFK Jr. acolyte who is Trump’s pick for Surgeon General, will have her confirmation hearing next week, appearing virtually and calling in from Kilauea, Hawaii.
Reproductive Rights/Attacks on Medication Abortion
On Oct. 20, Committee Board Chair Dr. Kristen Lyerly appeared on the The Mark Thompson Show for a lively discussion of the attacks on mifepristone and reproductive freedom in America.
Two days later, Dr. Lyerly went on USA Today’s Connecting America show where she called out political attacks on the approval of mifepristone and attacks on abortion rights across the country.
The New York Times: After Trump Cuts, New York and California Vow to Fund Planned Parenthood. California will invest $140 million and New York $35 million in the coming year to save the vital health care clinics.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is urging physicians to speak out in support of access to contraception:
In updated clinical guidance, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) urged physicians to speak out in support of access to contraception. [...]
The guidance specifically calls for doctors to combat misinformation about contraception online and in clinical settings while still utilizing shared decision-making. It also encourages physician groups and healthcare institutions to publicly advocate for access to contraception, and calls for the protection and expansion of programs that provide patients with access to contraception, like Medicaid and Title X.
Ob/gyns should also be familiar with the data risks associated with health and fertility tracking apps, ACOG said.
“Our patients are increasingly encountering misinformation about contraception online, and we need to be prepared to address concerns in a way that is respectful and considerate of the patient’s values, needs, and goals for contraception,” said Noah Nattell, MD, MSc, an author of the committee statement, in the press release.
AXIOS reports that two Planned Parenthood affiliates in Ohio are fighting a recent state proposal to terminate their Medicaid provider agreements:
Late last month, the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) sent letters to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio (PPGOH) and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region (PPSWO) informing that, beyond the reimbursement ban, they face termination of their Ohio Medicaid provider agreements.
On Thursday, the Planned Parenthood affiliates requested an administrative hearing to contest the decision.
Termination could mean further-reaching effects than the year ban, which would expire if not renewed by Congress in the next budget cycle. It’s an “aggressive” step, and one that Planned Parenthood isn’t aware of any other state taking, PPGOH and PPSWO general counsel Melissa Cohen tells Axios. She says terminations are typically reserved for “bad actors,” criminal conviction or negligence, and could delay PPGOH and PPSWO from future eligibility.
Other Health Care News
The number of measles cases in 2026 has now exceeded 1,600, fueled by a recent outbreak in Utah and Arizona as well as one in South Carolina.
STAT: mRNA Covid shots may boost the effects of certain cancer treatments, study suggests
The anti-vaxx extremists who won a victory to ensure that more Idahoans get sick and even die from vaccine-preventable diseases want to take their crusade national.
Following on the heels of the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) issuing their own guidelines on childhood vaccinations which are much different from the CDC’s, the right-wing group America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) sent out an email this week tying Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to vaccines. It then asks recipients to sign a petition to “Defund the AAP”. The campaign is not mentioned on the AFLDS website and is likely a way to spur sales of AFLDS leader Simone Gold’s new children’s book, “The Plot Against the Kids: A True COVID Story”, while sowing distrust of the AAP.
AP reports that more than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections like vaccines have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.
BenefitsPRO: North Carolina wipes out over $6.5B in medical debt for millions:
The North Carolina Medical Relief Program is eliminating more than $6.5 billion in medical debt for around 2.5 million residents, which exceeds initial projections. Hospitals already have sent at least 225,000 letters informing individuals that their debt has been erased, with more letters to be sent in coming months and years. [...]
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the non-profit organization Undue Medical Debt and nearly 100 acute-care hospitals statewide are collaborating in the debt-relief program.
RELATED from Newsweek: New York City Mayor Adams Eliminates $135 Million in Medical Debt. The move impacts more than 75,000 residents.
In last week’s newsletter, you learned that the cost of Trump’s budget bill has exploded from $4.9 billion to $8.8 billion thanks to Medicare price negotiation exemptions being given to orphan drugs. AXIOS is now reporting that Senate Democrats are working to repeal that part of Trump’s Big Bill. Unfortunately, the measure has little chance of passage in the Republican-led Congress.
Florida will fund research into the use of the animal dewormer ivermectin as a cure for cancer because Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife heard Trump-supporting actor Mel Gibson talking about it on a podcast.
Yes 3 of the worlds best medical experts are going for ivermectin. It worked so well in curing covid 19. The trump vaccine actually prevented deaths and DJT got one again this year.