Healthcare news for October 31, 2026
ACA shopping opens tomorrow: CMS says most HealthCare.gov shoppers can find a plan for $50 or less Open enrollment for 2027 Marketplace coverage starts Sunday, Nov. 1. In its official fact sheet released Friday, CMS says more than three in four HealthCare.gov shoppers will be able to find a plan with a premium of $50 a month or less, and the typical shopper can pick from about 100 plans offered by five to six insurers. For people who qualify for a subsidy, the government will pay nearly 90% of the cheapest plan's premium. Every HealthCare.gov shopper can also choose plans that pair with a health savings account. The fuller picture is tougher: KFF finds benchmark silver premiums up 13% on average, the cheapest plans often carry high deductibles, and people earning above about $63,840 for a single person get no subsidy. Insurers are leaving the market in more than 20 states, and anyone whose plan is ending could be moved into a different plan automatically. Update your income estimate, compare at least three plans by total yearly cost, and enroll by Dec. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1. Free help is at localhelp.healthcare.gov.
In 30 seconds
- Buy your own insurance? ACA shopping opens tomorrow. Don't let your plan auto-renew: update your income, compare at least three plans by premium plus deductible, and enroll by Dec. 15 for Jan. 1 coverage.
- On Medicare? About 7.8 million people must change plans for 2027 because theirs is ending or leaving their area. Read your plan's notice, use Medicare Plan Finder or a free SHIP counselor, and choose by Dec. 7.
- Flu hospital stays jumped 27% in a week, and people 65 and older are being hit hardest. If you haven't had this season's shot, get it now and ask for a version made for older adults.
- Check your pantry and bathroom: Wise Wife ground cinnamon is recalled for possible lead, and more than 4 million tubes of children's and other fluoride toothpaste are recalled over manufacturing problems.
Medicare & Seniors
7.8 million people on Medicare must find new coverage for 2027
AARP reports about 11% of Medicare enrollees face a forced change: 4.4 million in discontinued Medicare Advantage drug plans, 800,000 whose plans are leaving their county, and 2.6 million in ending stand-alone drug plans, many of them Aetna SilverScript Choice members. If your Advantage plan is ending, you can buy a Medigap policy without a health screening. Pick a new plan by Dec. 7.
AARPTwo more Texas health systems drop their Medicare Advantage plans
Memorial Hermann Health Plan, which offered coverage in six Texas counties, won't return for 2027, and CHRISTUS Health Plan is also leaving 36 Texas and eight New Mexico counties. They are among 18 plans exiting Medicare Advantage next year. If you don't choose a new plan by Dec. 31, you generally land in Original Medicare without a drug plan.
NewsweekCMS offers up to $50,000 to nurses who work in rural nursing homes
The new $275 million Nurses for Nursing Homes program offers nursing students and licensed nurses up to $40,000 in student loan repayment, a $10,000 stipend, or both, in exchange for three years at a rural nursing home. CMS expects it to help more than 4,000 nurses. Nursing home groups welcomed it, while a nurse group urged more training in long-term care.
Becker's Hospital Review
Insurance & ACA
CMS releases its official 2027 HealthCare.gov numbers
CMS says more than 75% of shoppers can find a plan for $50 a month or less, the average shopper can choose from about 100 plans from five to six insurers, and subsidies cover nearly 90% of the cheapest plan for those who qualify. Low premiums often mean high deductibles, so compare what you'd pay in a full year.
CMSInsurers are leaving ACA markets in more than 20 states
Hundreds of thousands of people have Marketplace plans ending this year, and those who don't act may be placed in a replacement plan with different doctors, drug coverage or deductibles. The most you can owe out of pocket rises to $12,000 for an individual in 2027, and most lawfully present immigrants other than green card holders lose subsidy eligibility.
Medical DailyNearly half of Americans have used AI to help pick a health plan
In an eHealth survey of more than 1,000 adults, 48% said they had used an AI tool to review insurance options, and most of them said it shaped their choice. But 84% think the insurance system is deliberately confusing. Double-check any AI advice against the plan's own documents, or ask a free Navigator or SHIP counselor.
Becker's Payer Issues
Medicines & FDA
More than 4.3 million tubes of toothpaste recalled, including kids' brands
The FDA cited manufacturing problems with fluoride toothpaste sold under Brush Buddies, Crayola, Hot Wheels, My Little Pony, evo, ARU and BB labels. The recall is Class II, meaning any health effects are expected to be temporary or reversible. Check the brand on tubes at home and stop using recalled ones.
News4JAXFDA approves first DNA-based treatment for a rare airway disease
Inovio's Voceryq won accelerated approval for adults with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, where noncancerous growths in the airway keep coming back and require repeated surgeries. It's given as shots over nine weeks with a special device. In a small study, about a quarter of patients needed no surgery for a year. A follow-up trial may be required.
HCPLiveFDA proposes a faster path for custom gene-editing treatments
Draft guidance would let makers of personalized gene-editing therapies for rare diseases add new patient-specific versions without new clinical trials, if lab tests show they're safe and active. Separately, CMS is expanding a program that negotiates gene therapy deals for Medicaid beyond sickle cell disease.
Becker's Hospital Review
Staying Well
Flu hospital admissions jump 27% in one week
CDC data for the week ending Oct. 24 show 6,100 flu hospital admissions, with adults 65 and older hospitalized at the highest rate. About 7.6% of flu tests came back positive, nearly all of the H1N1 strain, and the season's first child flu death was reported. Activity is still low nationally but rising early.
Becker's Hospital ReviewWise Wife ground cinnamon recalled over lead
SLR Food Distribution of Hicksville, N.Y., recalled 3.88-ounce containers sold in 14 states, including New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, between September 2025 and June 2026. Look for UPC 0688474302754 and a best-before date of April 25, 2027, and don't use it for holiday baking.
13 ABC (Gray News)Ebola outbreak nears 5,000 deaths; new U.S. travel rule starts Tuesday
The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has more than 10,000 confirmed cases and has spread to Kenya. Starting Nov. 3, everyone flying to the U.S. on an international flight must sign a statement that they haven't been in Congo in the past 21 days. CDC rates the risk to Americans as low.
CIDRAP
Policy & Law
Doctors' groups join a lawsuit over Medicaid work-rule exemptions
The American Medical Association and eight other physician groups filed a brief in a Maryland federal case arguing CMS added a stricter test for who counts as too sick to work that Congress never approved. They also object to limits on letting patients vouch for their own condition, warning eligible people could lose coverage.
Becker's Hospital ReviewHospitals fight a 340B drug rebate pilot set to begin Jan. 1
Under the pilot, hospitals would pay full price up front for 21 widely used drugs, including Eliquis and Jardiance, then wait for discounts as rebates. Hospital groups have sued, a bipartisan House bill would delay it through 2028, and drugmakers say it prevents double discounts.
Becker's Hospital ReviewHouse committee investigates big PBMs over pharmacy audits
The House Oversight Committee is asking whether Optum Rx, CVS Caremark and Express Scripts targeted independent pharmacies with audits after they backed a bill to change how PBMs pay pharmacies. One audit involved a 99-cent drug. CVS says it will respond.
Becker's Hospital Review
Hospitals & Business
Ohio hospital plans to stop delivering babies in December
Mercy Health will end maternity services at St. Joseph Warren Hospital and move births to St. Elizabeth Boardman, about 30 miles away, citing staffing. Trumbull County commissioners have complained to Ohio Medicaid that the change leaves Medicaid patients without nearby obstetric care, and local leaders and nurses are pushing back.
Business Journal DailyMore than 4,000 Brigham and Women's nurses reject contract offer
The Massachusetts Nurses Association says its members voted down the Boston hospital's offer and want talks to resume. A strike would require 10 days' notice, and the hospital says patient care will continue uninterrupted. The vote comes as parent Mass General Brigham cuts jobs over a budget gap of more than $300 million.
Becker's Hospital ReviewOver 300 rural hospitals at risk from Medicaid cuts, hospital group warns
An American Hospital Association report says last year's budget law could cut rural Medicaid spending by nearly $140 billion, putting more than 300 rural hospitals at risk of closing or dropping services. More than 40% of rural hospitals already lose money, and many have ended obstetrics or chemotherapy.
Becker's Hospital Review