Harvard doctor explains Trump diagnosis as ‘benign condition'
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Vox
an hour ago
- Vox
Your health insurance premiums could soon go up 15 percent — or more
covers health for Vox, guiding readers through the emerging opportunities and challenges in improving our health. He has reported on health policy for more than 10 years, writing for Governing magazine, Talking Points Memo, and STAT before joining Vox in 2017. We just got a preview of the likely consequences of the 'big, beautiful bill' passed by Republicans in Congress and signed by President Donald Trump: Premiums on the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces are on track to increase 15 percent on average next year — a record-setting pace. This comes from a new analysis of more than 100 health insurers selling plans to individuals on the ACA marketplaces that additionally found that plan premiums increases are twice that in 2025 and the highest single-year increase since 2018. According to the experts from KFF, a health policy think tank, one out of every four plans is raising its rates by 20 percent or more. Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker These rates are preliminary and will be finalized later this summer. Though the new rates were actually filed before the Republican 'big, beautiful bill' passed in Congress earlier this month, KFF experts explain that the GOP's agenda is playing a role in these cost increases — and it may drive prices up even more in the future. Here's what all of this means for you: If you buy insurance on your own through the ACA's marketplaces, your coverage may be a lot more expensive as soon as you sign up for coverage next year. If you're on Medicaid, the GOP's bill creates new work requirements that will take effect next year and could put your benefits at risk. And if you get insurance through your employer, your premiums are going to grow too if other people lose coverage, which is more likely to happen because of all of these changes. Let's break it down. Why all of this is happening, briefly explained As Republicans were pulling together their budget bill, there was the clear question of what to do about enhanced ACA subsidies that have been in place since 2021, first authorized by the Democrats as part of their own budget reconciliation legislation. At the time, the enhanced subsidies both lowered costs for people already eligible for financial aid under the law and extended eligibility for financial assistance for the first time to more middle-class families. Marketplace enrollment nearly doubled from 2021 to 21 million in 2024 as a result. But the enhanced subsidies were only authorized through 2025. Republicans, who had previously criticized the ACA for making health insurance unaffordable for the middle-class people who have now gained coverage through the expanded assistance, opted not to include an extension of the subsidies as part of their tax-and-spending bill. Instead, they chose to allow the subsidies to lapse, while slashing Medicaid spending over the next decade and providing an outsized tax cut for businesses and the wealthy. It is possible that these subsidies could be saved if Democrats and some Republican lawmakers can band together to craft a bipartisan deal to maintain the subsidies later this year, but DC insiders are dubious that one can be struck. If the subsidies do indeed end, they add more pain to the other regulatory changes that are coming to limit financial aid on the marketplaces. These combine to an estimated 5.1 million people who could become uninsured. These consequences will have ripple effects: The people who drop coverage are projected to be healthier, because they are more likely to think they could live without health coverage, which leaves a sicker and costlier pool of patients in the marketplace. Insurers are already pricing that shift in. According to the KFF analysis, health plans are citing the lapsed subsidies to explain the proposed rate increases, with the policy change contributing about 4 percent to the rate hike on average. The threat of tariffs from Trump has been cited for another 3 percent increase by some plans. The rest of the proposed rate hikes are attributed to the continued growth in the prices for medical services, which has been ongoing for decades. And these increases may be only the beginning. The Republican bill's changes to Medicaid don't take effect until the end of 2026, but they could also push premiums higher if millions of people lose coverage as expected. When people lose Medicaid, they are more likely to end up in the emergency room. That requires more costly care than they'd get if they were insured. Those increased costs to hospitals are passed on to insured patients when providers negotiate their payment rates with health insurance plans. Whether patients will blame the GOP for these cost increases remains to be seen. But their wallets are already feeling the effects of the Republican budget bill.
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
How AI brain mapping can improve disease detection
Traditional brain scans only show part of the picture. They can't fully capture how different regions of the brain communicate—an essential factor in detecting neurological diseases early. Dr. Rahul Biswas, a neurologist at the University of California–San Francisco, is working to change that with AI -powered tools that map these hidden neural connections. His groundbreaking research reveals how Alzheimer's disrupts brain communication in unexpected areas, challenging long-held assumptions about the disease. Now, through his company, Kaneva Consulting, Dr. Biswas is focused on transforming this science into practical diagnostic tools that can identify brain disorders long before symptoms emerge. Fast Company spoke with Biswas about how AI is revolutionizing brain health, from early disease detection to personalized treatments and everyday tech. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. How are AI models revealing new insights about the brain that weren't possible with traditional neuroscience methods?
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Lung Abnormalities Persist 3 Years After Severe COVID-19
TOPLINE: Three years after the initial wave, over half of adult survivors of severe COVID-19 in a New York City-based cohort continued to exhibit fibrotic-like lung abnormalities, primarily reticulations and traction bronchiectasis. METHODOLOGY: This longitudinal, prospective study assessed the prevalence of fibrotic-like abnormalities and associated clinical factors in survivors of COVID-19 from New York City, 3 years postinfection. Researchers enrolled 102 patients (mean age, 60 years; 54% men; 61% non-White) who were hospitalized with severe or critical COVID-19 between March and May 2020 and required oxygen supplementation. All patients underwent noncontrast high-resolution CT of the chest to identify the presence of abnormalities, including reticulation, honeycombing, ground glass opacities, and traction bronchiectasis. Clinical assessments included spirometry and diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO), alongside assessments of 6‐minute walk distance (6MWD) to evaluate lung function. Frailty was assessed by gait speed, grip strength, weight loss (decrease of > 10 lb since hospitalization), low physical activity, and exhaustion. TAKEAWAY: Radiologic abnormalities were present in 67% of patients, with 61% exhibiting fibrotic-like patterns, predominantly reticulations (94%) and bronchiectasis (74%), while 68% showed both reticulations and traction bronchiectasis. Male sex, a lower BMI, a shorter telomere length, a higher sequential organ failure assessment score, and a longer duration of mechanical ventilation were associated with increased odds of fibrotic-like abnormalities (P ≤ .01 for all), whereas Black race was negatively associated (P = .04). Forced vital capacity and DLCO remained unchanged over time. After adjusting for disease severity, only percent-predicted 6MWD remained significantly associated with fibrotic-like abnormalities. Fibrotic-like abnormalities decreased modestly over time, but none resolved completely. IN PRACTICE: 'Continued follow-up of longitudinal post-COVID cohorts will be needed to assess the reversibility or irreversibility of lingering fibrotic-like abnormalities,' wrote the authors of the study. SOURCE: The study was led by Scarlett Murphy, MD, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City. It was published online on July 1, 2025, in Annals of the American Thoracic Society. LIMITATIONS: The study experienced attrition between the 15-month and 3-year follow-up periods. The radiologic scoring system's categorization introduced potential variability in scores over time and between readers. The relatively small sample size, lack of a replication cohort, limited number of imaging studies for air trapping evaluation, and the need to use propensity scores for covariate adjustment were additional limitations. DISCLOSURES: The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. Six authors reported receiving financial support from pharmaceutical organizations, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Bioclinica, AbbVie, LungLife AI, and AstraZeneca. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
