Healthcare news for November 1, 2026
Medicare drug plan premiums are set to jump about 50% for 2027. Shopping can save you money If you have a stand-alone Medicare Part D drug plan, check your mail. A KFF analysis reported Oct. 30 by KFF Health News finds the average monthly premium for these plans will rise from about $34 to $51 next year. About 10.4 million people without extra low-income help will pay more if they stay put, including 4.1 million now in $0-premium plans, which won't exist in 2027. Deductibles are climbing too, to an average of $643 for stand-alone plans, and more plans will charge a percentage of a drug's price instead of a flat copay, which makes costs harder to predict. KFF points to CMS ending a pilot program early that had helped hold premiums down; CMS had projected a much smaller increase. The good news: cheaper plans are out there. One Virginia man facing a premium of more than $120 a month found a similar plan for about $19. Open enrollment runs through Dec. 7. Use Medicare Plan Finder, enter your exact drugs and pharmacy, and compare total yearly cost, not just the monthly premium. Free help is available from your state's SHIP counselors.
In 30 seconds
- On a stand-alone Medicare drug plan? Average premiums are set to rise about 50% in 2027. Don't let your plan roll over: plug your exact drugs into Medicare Plan Finder and switch by Dec. 7 if a cheaper plan covers them.
- Buy your own insurance? ACA open enrollment starts today. Premiums are up and the extra pandemic-era subsidies are gone, so update your income, compare at least three plans by premium plus deductible, and enroll by Dec. 15 for Jan. 1 coverage.
- Flu is arriving early this year, and adults 65 and older have the highest hospitalization rate. If you haven't had your shot, get it now, and call your doctor quickly if you get sick, since flu medicines work best in the first day or two.
- Turn your clocks back an hour if you haven't already: daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. today. It's a handy reminder to check smoke-detector batteries and refill any prescriptions running low before the holidays.
Medicare & Seniors
4.3 million people on Medicare will lose their current plan on Dec. 31
A KFF analysis of CMS data finds 3.1 million people in Medicare Advantage drug plans and 1.2 million in stand-alone drug plans have plans ending. Humana, UnitedHealth, CVS and Minnesota's Aware Integrated account for about half of the Advantage cuts, and most stand-alone losses are in CVS's SilverScript Choice. If you do nothing, you could end up without drug coverage, so choose a new plan.
KFFNew to Medicare? Your best chance to buy Medigap may end before Dec. 7
Your one-time Medigap window lasts six months from the month your Part B starts at 65 or older. During it, insurers can't turn you down or charge more for health problems. If your Part B began in June, that window closes Nov. 30. Open enrollment doesn't extend it, so get quotes now and check your state's rules.
24/7 Wall St.House Democrats propose letting people join Medicare at 50
A bill from Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Chris Deluzio, Debbie Dingell and Pat Ryan would drop the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 50 for five years. It doesn't spell out how it would be paid for, and a similar 2021 plan to lower the age to 60 never left committee. Nothing changes for now.
Becker's Payer Issues
Insurance & ACA
ACA open enrollment begins today as premiums rise
KFF and the Peterson Center project a median 15% premium increase for 2027, on top of a 20% rise this year, and the enhanced subsidies expired at the end of 2025. Nearly a dozen insurers are leaving some state marketplaces while seven are entering new ones. Enroll by Dec. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1.
The National DeskUninsured woman in an allergic emergency was asked to pay before her shot
A Virginia woman stung by a wasp went into anaphylaxis, stopped at an urgent care, and was asked for $400 up front before getting epinephrine. Her total bill was $605. ER rules requiring treatment regardless of ability to pay generally don't cover independent urgent care centers. In a true emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest ER.
KFF Health News
Medicines & FDA
FDA approves Ilumya for psoriatic arthritis
Sun Pharma's Ilumya, already used for plaque psoriasis, is now approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. It's given only by a health care provider, which the company says may suit people who can't or prefer not to inject themselves. The most common side effects in studies were upper respiratory infections and COVID-19.
Sun Pharma via BioSpaceNew interchangeable copy of eye drug Lucentis wins approval
The FDA approved Lucamzi, an interchangeable biosimilar of Lucentis, for wet macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease and other retinal conditions. Biosimilars often cost less than the original. It isn't expected in U.S. clinics until 2027.
Eyes On EyecareTwo combination blood pressure pills recalled over dissolving problems
Over 11,000 bottles of amlodipine/olmesartan 10/40 mg tablets (Ascend, lot 25120696) and about 3,700 bottles of olmesartan/amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide 40/10/12.5 mg (Macleods, lots 12251163A and 12251163B) were recalled because they may not dissolve properly. Don't stop your medicine on your own; ask your pharmacist whether your bottle is affected.
The Epoch Times
Staying Well
Flu hospitalizations are at their highest mid-October level since 2010
CDC data show flu test positivity climbing week after week, with almost all cases from the H1N1 strain. Adults 65 and older are being hospitalized at the highest rate, and the Southeast is seeing the most admissions. It's not too late for a flu shot, and antiviral pills work best when started within a day or two of symptoms.
Medical DailyEbola outbreak tops 10,000 cases; U.S. travel rule starts Tuesday
CDC counts more than 10,300 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths, mostly in Congo, with cases in Kenya and one in Nigeria. Starting after 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, everyone boarding an international flight to the U.S. must attest they haven't been in Congo in the past 21 days. CDC says the risk to Americans remains low.
Contagion Live
Policy & Law
Health care is on the ballot in at least seven states Tuesday
South Dakota voters decide whether to end Medicaid expansion if federal funding drops, and California weighs a billionaire tax mostly for health care plus new spending rules for safety-net clinics. Missouri, Virginia, Nevada and Idaho have abortion measures, and Colorado votes on gender surgery for minors.
Becker's Hospital ReviewYour phone's location can reveal doctor visits, and data brokers sell it
HIPAA doesn't cover phone location data gathered near clinics and hospitals, so brokers can use it to guess health details and target ads. Six states ban selling precise location data. You can limit tracking by restricting apps' location access and turning off ad tracking in your phone's settings.
KFF Health NewsFDA and CMS move to speed custom gene therapies for rare diseases
New FDA draft guidance would let makers of personalized gene-editing treatments add new patient-specific versions without new trials if they stay within set limits. CMS is also opening its Medicaid gene therapy payment model, now used for sickle cell disease, to therapies for other conditions.
Becker's Hospital Review
Hospitals & Business
Nurses at Providence Santa Rosa Memorial stage two-day strike
Hundreds of nurses walked out Oct. 27-28 at the Northern California hospital, saying they earn about 10% less than nurses at Sutter and that management proposed cutting paid time off and a retirement contribution. The hospital brought in replacement nurses and said patient care would not be affected.
KQEDNurse strikes have nearly quadrupled since 2017
A Nurse.org count found 19 registered-nurse strikes in 2026 by mid-October, on pace to match last year, versus five in 2017. Staffing levels came up in 93% of strikes, more than pay. California has had the most walkouts, and strikes are getting bigger.
Nurse.org