Lawmakers air concerns about risks of AI chatbots for mental health support but offer no proposals to rein it in
By Emma Beavins
fiercehealthcare.com – At a hearing Wednesday, House Republicans and Democrats aired their concerns about direct-to-consumer artificial intelligence chatbots that pose risks to the mental health of American youth, while expressing a reserved enthusiasm about the potential of the technology.
The healthcare subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce committee held a hearing entitled “Examining Opportunities to Advance American Health Care through the Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies.” Witnesses at the hearing included executives from health tech startup General Medicine, Viz.ai, the Stanford University School of Medicine, Clover Health and the American Psychological Association.
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Why a Battle Is Brewing Over Obamacare Subsidies
usnews.com – A tax credit that made health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans is set to expire at the end of the year, leaving families facing sharply higher costs, the health care marketplace looking at a potential destabilization and vulnerable politicians scrambling for a fix.
Health researcher KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare predicted premiums – the amount customers pay for their health insurance each month – could increase 18% on average in 2026, the largest jump since 2018. Their analysis cites rising health care costs but mostly blames expiring federal subsidies for the jump.
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Health benefit cost increases expected to hit 15-year high, Mercer warns
By Ginger Christ
healthcaredive.com – Dive Brief:
- The cost of health benefits per employee could climb an average of 6.5% next year — the highest increase since 2010, according to preliminary results from Mercer’s 2025 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, released Sept. 4.
- The record increase comes even after employers calculated in planned cost-reduction efforts, Mercer said. Had they not made any changes to their plans, the average increase would have been closer to 9%.
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Concerned about federal vaccine policies, states are crafting their own
By Pien Huang
npr.org – State leaders are going their own way in making vaccine policies this fall — which means your ability to get a COVID-19 shot may soon depend on where you live.
New York has declared a “statewide disaster emergency” to preserve access to COVID vaccines. Massachusetts is making insurers pay for vaccines recommended by the state and not solely those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Feds to Restore Deleted Health Websites After Lawsuit, Settlement
By Liz Szabo
medscape.com – The Trump administration has agreed to restore dozens of health-related websites and datasets as part of a legal settlement with nine medical organizations that filed suit in May to challenge the federal government’s “unlawful removal” of thousands of health-related webpages and datasets.
The Washington State Medical Association and other groups challenged “the unannounced and unprecedented deletion” of taxpayer-funded websites that health providers use to care for patients, perform research, and protect public health.
The lawsuit, filed in May in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, named Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr as the defendant, along with five other Trump administration officials.
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OpenAI CEO says healthcare jobs may withstand AI disruption
By Naomi Diaz
beckershospitalreview.com – OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said nursing is one profession unlikely to be replaced by AI, even as other white-collar jobs face disruption, Fortune reported Sept. 11.
In an interview on The Tucker Carlson Show, Mr. Altman said patients will continue to value “deep human connection” in healthcare settings, regardless of advances in AI technology.
“A job that I’m confident will not be that impacted is nurses,” he said.
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