The world’s healthiest countries aren’t the richest, study finds
By Georgie Gould, University of Surrey
phys.org – Wealth alone doesn’t make a nation healthy, according to new collaborative research from the University of Surrey and its international partners, which ranks 38 OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries on their progress toward global health goals.
The study, published in Annals of Operations Research, shows that some of the world’s wealthiest nations, including the United States and Canada, lag behind smaller economies in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3)—ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. Meanwhile, countries such as Iceland, Japan and Norway lead the way, supported by robust health systems and equitable access to care.
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How the shutdown impacts healthcare: Moderate Dems advance deal with no ACA subsidies
By Emma Beavins, Paige Minemyer, Dave Muoio
fiercehealthcare.com – A group of moderate Democrats on Sunday night gave Republicans the votes to move forward on a package to reopen the government that does not include an extension to Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies.
Rather, senators who crossed the aisle said they secured from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, a pledge to put the issue to a vote in December.
The 60-40 vote on a procedural measure sets the wheels in motion to pass a spending agreement that funds much of the government through January, as well as three separate spending bills that would cover agriculture, military construction and legislative agencies for much of 2026.
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Medicare costs: 3 key changes in 2026
By David Mills
medicalnewstoday.com – Experts are urging Medicare recipients to carefully research their options for next year during the open enrollment period that is now under way.
They say changes in premiums and other Medicare components as well as the government shutdown could affect what they pay for medical care as well as what services are available to them.
“Millions of Medicare beneficiaries will face higher out-of-pockets costs and reduced benefits in 2026, so comparing Medicare coverage options is especially crucial this year,” Whitney Stidom, vice president of consumer enablement at eHealth, told Medical News Today.
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CEOs’ communication strategies amid H-1B policy changes
By Kristin Kuchno
aha.org – The new $100,000 fee tied to H-1B visa petitions is expected to affect healthcare workforce pipelines. How are CEOs communicating the potential impact to their teams?
Hospital leaders are assessing potential adjustments to recruitment practices for team members — including residents, other physicians and researchers — under new visa rules, according to Tim Johnson, senior vice president of the Greater New York Hospital Association.
The fee applies only to new applicants living outside the U.S., not those already residing in the country — such as international students — according to recent guidance from the White House.
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UnitedHealthcare rolls back remote monitoring coverage for most chronic conditions
By Emma Beavins
fiercehealthcare.com – Despite the momentum of remote monitoring uptake, UnitedHealthcare has quietly pushed out a massive change to its coverage policies that could impact thousands of Medicare beneficiaries.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again campaign has focused on the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. The first major physician pay rule to come out of RFK Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services expanded remote monitoring and incentivized upstream advanced primary care, which often includes remote monitoring of chronic conditions.
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Trump floats giving Americans cash for health care and tariff dividends
By Alexandra Marquez
nbcnews.com – President Donald Trump this weekend floated directly paying Americans for their health care costs and giving out $2,000 dividends from tariff revenue, ideas that administration officials later said were not formal proposals being sent to the Senate.
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