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Meet the newly uninsured
Dylan Scott, Vox, Nov. 14
Unless Congress acts in the next month, up to 4 million Americans are expected to become uninsured because they can no longer afford their health insurance premiums. To understand the stakes, reporter Dylan Scott spoke to people who get their coverage through marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act and are facing big premium increases. Among them: an IT contractor who is considering dropping coverage for himself and his daughter so they can afford to insure his wife, who has an autoimmune disease; a business owner who is relatively healthy and is considering taking the risk of going uninsured; and a retiree planning to pull money from his retirement account to pay for coverage.
Amid relief over Prospect hospital rescues, advocates point to risk of higher health care costs
Liese Klein, CT Insider, Nov. 17
Three Connecticut hospitals owned by the bankrupt private equity company Prospect Medical Holdings are in the process of being acquired. UConn Health is poised to take over Waterbury Hospital, while Hartford HealthCare is applying for approval to buy Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals. Amid the relief over the apparent rescue of the hospitals, some voices in the health care community are reminding the state of an uncomfortable truth: Hospital mergers almost always end up driving up costs.
A record number of Americans are anxious about health care costs going into next year
Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, Nov. 18
Americans are going into 2026 more anxious about health care costs than at any other point in recent years, a new survey finds. Almost half of adults, 47%, say they’re worried they won’t be able to afford health care next year. Concerns about prescription drug costs climbed from 30% in 2021 to 37% in 2025. The share of adults who say health care costs cause “a lot of stress” in their daily lives nearly doubled since 2022, from 8% to 15%. The survey found that about 1 in 3 adults reported delaying or skipping medical care over the past year because they couldn’t afford it.
Many truck drivers don’t live past 61. Could digital health help?
Katie Palmer, STAT, Nov. 18
There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S. They are twice as likely to have type 2 diabetes as the general population, and on average, they die at age 61. Truck drivers face many barriers to health: limited food options on the road, poor sleep, and pay-per-mile scales that incentivize sitting for long stretches. While many diabetes-prevention programs exist, they’re often tailored to people with standard 9-to-5 jobs who have access to home-cooked meals and time to go to the gym. Offshift, a digital health app and coaching program geared toward truck drivers, aims to fill the gap.
Aspirin can prevent a serious pregnancy complication — but too few women get it, new report suggests
Elizabeth Cohen, NBC News, Nov. 15
Some medical centers are taking a dramatic step to save mothers and babies after studies have shown too many doctors fail to follow guidelines for preventing pre-eclampsia, a potentially deadly pregnancy complication. These hospitals now recommend that all pregnant patients take low-dose aspirin. Studies show the drug is safe and can help prevent pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia affects about 1 in every 25 pregnancies in the U.S. Black mothers and women with high blood pressure or diabetes, or who are 35 or older, among other factors, are at increased risk.