Politico: Senate GOP Will Try To Advance Full-Year Spending Bills Amid Shutdown 
Senate GOP leaders are looking to pressure Democrats to make progress on full-year spending bills that would fund the Pentagon and a handful of other federal agencies amid the government shutdown. Majority Leader John Thune teed up the House-passed Defense appropriations bill Tuesday for an initial procedural vote, where it will need 60 votes to advance. That vote is set for Thursday. Separately, Republicans are attempting to expedite the process of instructing lawmakers to go to conference with House counterparts on “minibus” legislation that would fund the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, the FDA and the operations of Congress, among other offices and agencies. The plan was described by three people granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. (Hill and Carney, 10/14)

Politico: Four GOP Ideas For An Obamacare Subsidies Compromise
A menu of options is starting to emerge around what a compromise might look like for extending a suite of Affordable Care Act tax credits, which have become a focal point in the current government funding standoff. With the shutdown about to enter its third week, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune continue to insist that any negotiation over the future of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies will need to happen after the government reopens. (Guggenheim, 10/14)

The Guardian: US Senate Again Rejects Republican Plan To End Government Shutdown
Congress remained deadlocked on legislation to reopen the federal government, as the US Senate on Tuesday again rejected a Republican plan to end the government shutdown that began two weeks ago. The eighth Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would fund government operations through 21 November failed on a 49-45 tally – far short of the 60 needed for advancement in the chamber. (Gedeon and Gambino, 10/14)

The Hill: Poll Finds More People Are Starting To Blame Democrats For Shutdown
Americans are more likely to blame Republicans than Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, but a new YouGov/The Economist poll shows that gap is beginning to narrow. Only 6 points separate the parties in this week’s poll, which shows 39 percent of surveyed Americans blame President Trump and the Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, while 33 percent blame the Democrats in Congress. (Fortinsky, 10/14)

Also —

AP: Shutdown Delays Social Security Cost-Of-Living Announcement
The ongoing government shutdown is delaying the announcement of the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for tens of millions of beneficiaries. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the 2024 Social Security COLA announcement will now be Oct. 24. It is timed to the September Consumer Price Index, which also has not yet been released. (Hussein, 10/15)

Updates on layoffs at the CDC —

Stat: CDC Team Behind Top Survey On Health And Nutrition Is Laid Off 
Protecting the nation’s public health demands data, whether it be new measles cases, a surge in ER visits, or shifting patterns in obesity. The most recent job cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threaten the mostly unseen foundation of that research enterprise. (Cooney, 10/14)

Axios: CDC Cuts Put Injury Tracking And Prevention In Limbo
The job of tracking the ravages of the opioid crisis may come down to a bare-bones team of about 150 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers whose overdose division survived a mass firing that took out much of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control last week. (Reed and Goldman, 10/15)

The Hill: CDC Union Blasts Lack Of Transparency From HHS In Layoffs
Four days after the Trump administration initiated a wave of layoffs across the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s still no official accounting of how many people were eliminated. Current and former staff, as well as members of the union representing CDC employees at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters, have been crowdsourcing data from impacted employees to estimate the exact number of people and positions that have been cut. (Weixel, 10/14)

PBS NewsHour: How The Latest Round Of Federal Layoffs Could Impact Public Health
Over the weekend, roughly 1,300 employees at the CDC received notices they were fired. As the Trump administration realized it had fired some key staff, reportedly half of them were reinstated the next day. It still leaves the health agency without many crucial professionals. Amna Nawaz discussed the impact with Dr. Nirav Shah. (Nawaz and Merchant, 10/14)

MedPage Today: Want To Call CDC To Report A Possible Disease Outbreak? Fuhgeddaboutit
Thinking of calling CDC to report a potential disease outbreak? Don't bother; no one will answer, a former CDC employee said Tuesday. "If it's an infection that is being seen in the hospital in four different patients, and the infection control nurse calls [the CDC] ... You are working with the physicians, the nurses, the schools, the restaurants, to try and sort through, 'What is going on and what can we do?'" said Karen Remley, MD, MPH, former director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. (Frieden, 10/14)

E&E News By POLITICO: Coal Miners Rally For Trump To Save Them From ‘Worst Form Of Death’
Outside of the Department of Labor on Tuesday morning, America’s coal miners had a message for President Donald Trump: Start enforcing black lung protections. The crowd of 50 miners and supporters, a handful of whom carried oxygen machines with them, were gathered outside of the agency to urge the Trump administration to enforce silica regulations that were meant to take effect this spring. Many wore T-shirts depicting skeletons mining coal that said “Black Lung Kills,” and some held pictures of loved ones who had died of the disease. “Right this minute there is some 35-year-old dying right now trying to get his breath,” said United Mine Workers President Cecil E. Roberts. “This is the worst form of death one can imagine." (Northey and Wittenberg, 10/14)

On veterans' health care —

The Washington Post: Veterans Groups Criticize Post Investigation Of VA Disability Program 
Veterans groups assailed The Washington Post for publishing an investigation last week into the Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation system, accusing The Post of overstating problems with the program and scapegoating former service members. (Whitlock, 10/14)

On RFK Jr. and HHS —

The Hill: Cheryl Hines, Sunny Hostin Spar Over RFK Jr.'s Qualifications To Lead HHS
Actor Cheryl Hines defended her husband, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin challenged Kennedy’s knowledge and qualifications Tuesday. Hines appeared as a guest to discuss her memoir, “Cheryl Hines Unscripted,” when Hostin referred to Kennedy as the “least qualified person” to lead HHS. She told Hines that Kennedy spreads misinformation, chaos and confusion. (Mancini, 10/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Blue States Are Setting Up A Shadow Public-Health Alliance To Counter RFK Jr.
The public-health resistance to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is growing. Governors across 15 states including New York, California and North Carolina are forming a new public-health alliance to detect and respond to disease threats, saying federal-funding cuts and policy changes by the Trump administration are putting their citizens at risk and forcing them to find alternatives. (McKay, 10/15)

KFF Health News: RFK Jr. Misses Mark In Touting Rural Health Transformation Fund As Historic Infusion Of Cash
At a September Senate hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. boasted about a rural health initiative within  President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” “It’s going to be the biggest infusion of federal dollars into rural health care in American history,” Kennedy said, responding to criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Sanders said the law would harm patients and rural hospitals. (Zionts, 10/15)

On autism —

The New York Times: A Furious Debate Over Autism’s Causes Leaves Parents Grasping For Answers
Clinicians who treat autistic children must help their young patients’ families navigate a cacophony of theories and advice. As autism diagnoses have risen over the last decades and debate over its causes has intensified, they have been forced to explain to desperate parents the few knowns and the many unknowns about what leads to autism’s development. Now that the federal government has entered the fray, often giving advice that doctors have to dispute, some families wonder whom they should believe. (Kolata and Ghorayshi, 10/14)

The Wall Street Journal: How Autism Cases Rose As Diagnosis Morphed Over Time
More children are getting diagnosed with autism than ever before. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised to find out why. The Trump administration has already touted the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, as a possible cause, even as doctors and researchers say the link is unproven. (Abbott, 10/14)

On global funding cuts and pandemic prevention —

AP: UN's World Food Program Warns Donor Cuts Are Pushing Millions More Into Hunger
The United Nations’ food aid agency said Wednesday that severe funding cuts from its top donors are hurting its operations in six countries and warned that nearly 14 million people could be forced into emergency levels of hunger. The World Food Program, traditionally the U.N.'s most-funded agency, said in a new report that its funding this year “has never been more challenged” — largely due to slashed outlays from the U.S. under the Trump administration and other leading Western donors. (Keaten, 10/15)

The New York Times: They Fought Outbreaks Worldwide. Now They’re Fighting For New Lives
The Trump administration’s new global health strategy, released last month, lists its most important goal as outbreak prevention and response, both to protect Americans and to safeguard the economy. Containing the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a decade ago cost the United States $5.4 billion globally and more than $70 million domestically, the strategy report notes, adding, “As we have unfortunately seen all too frequently, an outbreak anywhere in the world can quickly become a threat to Americans.” (Mandavilli, 10/13)

CIDRAP: Report Proposes New Framework To Prepare For Future Pandemics
Nearly 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant gaps in pandemic preparedness, a new report is calling for a "paradigm shift" in how the world prepares for the next pandemic. The report from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), launched yesterday at the World Health Summit in Berlin, argues that despite advances in science and technology, the world remains highly vulnerable to future pandemics because of persistent inequities, mistrust, and underinvestment in preparedness. (Dall, 10/14)

Los Angeles Times: Thousands Of Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Workers Go On Strike
The Kaiser strike is set to last five days. It involves nurses, pharmacists, anesthetists, midwives, physician assistants, rehab therapists and others. The first day of the strike — which is planned to continue until 7 a.m. Sunday — coincided with the onset of a potent storm that swept across Los Angeles early Tuesday. Surgical nurse Tonja Sweeney marched with hundreds of others from a nearby park to Kaiser South Bay Medical Center through a downpour early that morning. The crowd of drenched healthcare workers carried signs, and their blue ponchos whipped in the wind. Sweeney, 54, who has worked at Kaiser Permanente for 20 years, had been on the picket line for hours. “I’m super soaking wet, but it’s OK. We’re advocating for the right things,” Sweeney said. (Hussain, 10/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Children’s Hospital To Lay Off Dozens, Restructure
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is reducing its workforce and reorganizing operations as it faces what executives describe as “ongoing economic uncertainty in 2025. ”In a state filing and accompanying statement, the Palo Alto hospital said the operational restructuring includes workflow improvements, departmental reorganizations and the standardization of full- and part-time positions.  (Vaziri, 10/14)

Modern Healthcare: CRNA Pay Cuts Could Worsen Shortage, Lead To Hospital Reductions
Health systems are grappling with a shortage of anesthetists and reimbursement cuts, a combination of factors that could limit patient’s access to care and provider’s expansion plans. They hope to stave off service reductions by training more CRNAs and simplifying clinician operations, but those strategies may not overcome mounting financial pressures, hospital executives and staffing experts said. Rural areas could be particularly hard hit. (Kacik, 10/14)

Modern Healthcare: Teladoc Aims To Cut Violence Against Clinicians With New Platform
Teladoc is rolling out an artificial intelligence-based platform that focuses on preventing violence against doctors and nurses, the company said Tuesday. The company will make the AI-enabled safety platform available early next year to hospital and health system customers that use its telehealth TV Pro Cart, a connected device that allows hospitals to provide in-hospital virtual care programs. (10/14)

Wyoming News Now: Nursing Students Gain Experience At Laramie County Detention Center 
The Laramie County Sheriff's Department has partnered with the University of Wyoming and Laramie County Community College to give nursing students hands on experience with patients at the Laramie County Detention Center. (Laracuente, 10/14)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Zach Dyer reads the week’s news: Some cosmetic surgeons who have been sued multiple times for injuring patients have been able to get jobs with other clinics, and millions of people could dodge new Medicaid work rules where unemployment rates are high.  (10/14)

Modern Healthcare: Humana Loses Another Medicare Advantage Ratings Lawsuit
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services doesn’t have to recalculate Humana’s 2025 Medicare Advantage star ratings, a federal court ruled Tuesday. Humana, second in Medicare Advantage market share, alleged the agency improperly evaluated its foreign language call center services and assessed a 3.5 out of five rating. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas rejected the argument. (Tepper, 10/14)

Healthcare Dive: Winners And Losers From 2026 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings
The CMS quietly released anticipated star ratings data Thursday night. Humana and Aetna saw enrollment in highly rated plans fall, while Elevance’s and Centene’s stars improved and UnitedHealthcare’s stayed stable. (Pifer, 10/10)

In other health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: The Medicare Pay Rules For Outpatient, Dialysis Services Due Soon 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is slated to publish regulations setting Medicare reimbursements for outpatient care in 2026 over the coming weeks. The final rules for physician services, hospital outpatient procedures, home healthcare and dialysis also are expected to enact significant new changes, including new policies on “site-neutral” outpatient reimbursement, 340B Drug Pricing Program payments and the system that calculates physician fees. (Early, 10/14)

Modern Healthcare: Cleveland Clinic, Khosla Ventures To Partner
Cleveland Clinic and venture capital firm Khosla Ventures will jointly invest in and create health tech companies, the organizations said Tuesday. As part of this arrangement, Khosla and Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s venture capital arm will equally invest in healthcare startups, said Dr. Hal Paz, operating partner of Khosla Ventures. Khosla and Cleveland Clinic also plan to create their own joint company, with Khosla leading technical development and recruiting while Cleveland Clinic handles clinical operations. (DeSilva, 10/14)

Modern Healthcare: Johnson & Johnson To Spin Off DePuy Synthes
Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday it intends to separate its DePuy Synthes orthopedics business into a stand-alone company. The company said it expects to complete the separation within 18 to 24 months. (Dubinsky, 10/14)

North Carolina Health News: Child Mental Health Center In Cary Expands 
The Lucy Daniels Center, which has provided mental health services for young children in the Triangle for 35 years, is breaking ground Friday on an expansion that will nearly triple the number of children the nonprofit can serve. (Fernandez, 10/15)

Also —

Bloomberg: JPMorgan’s Dimon Says Employee Health Costs To Rise 10% In 2026 
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said he expects the bank’s health costs to rise 10% next year, a sign of how employers are grappling with higher spending on medical services and prescription drugs. The biggest US bank already spends about $3 billion per year on employee medical costs, Dimon said Tuesday during a third-quarter earnings call. (Smith, 10/14)

MedPage Today: Demand For Unapproved Weight-Loss Drug Surges On Social Media
The FDA has warned six online companies for selling compounded retatrutide, an unlicensed weight-loss drug that has gained traction among social media influencers. Five U.S. firms and one in Germany received similarly worded letters in September for selling products labeled as retatrutide, a compound developed by Eli Lilly that is still in clinical testing, without FDA authorization. (McCreary, 10/14)

KFF Health News: In Mississippi, Medicaid Coverage Of Weight Loss Drugs Fails To Catch On
April Hines has battled with her weight since she was a teenager. But in the past couple of years, she’s fallen from 600 pounds to 385, and her blood pressure and blood sugar levels are down, too. “I’m not as fatigued as I used to be, and I’ve been able to go back to church,” she said. Hines, 46, credits her weight loss to Trulicity, part of a new class of expensive weight loss drugs known as GLP-1s, and her Medicaid coverage for it. “It’s a blessing,” she said. (Galewitz, 10/15)

More pharma and tech news —

Fierce Healthcare: Middlemen Offer 'Alternative Funding' For Specialty Drugs At Risk To Patients
As someone living with cardiac sarcoidosis, 60-year-old Kevin Danahy can’t afford to have bad health insurance. To control the inflammation in his heart, he needs an infusion of Remicade every other month, which he gets at Beth Israel in Boston. The infusion costs thousands of dollars out of pocket, so Danahy typically opts for costly PPO plans for reliable coverage. This past spring, when his wife got a job at nursing home operator Stellar Health Group, Danahy joined her health plan. Like always, he reached out to his doctor to start the process of getting insurance approval for his infusions. (Gliadkovskaya, 10/14)

CIDRAP: CEPI Announces New Partnership With Indian Vaccine Maker
The world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India (SII), will partner with CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) to develop a new vaccine targeting H5N1 avian flu as a prototype for Disease X, an as-yet-unknown pathogen with pandemic potential. The project will be supported by up to $16.4 million. (Soucheray, 10/14)

CIDRAP: Data: Two Doses Of Recombinant Shingles Vaccine Effective, Even In Those Who Received Live Vaccine
Two doses of the recombinant herpes zoster (HZ; shingles) vaccine (RZV) are effective even for people who previously received the live vaccine (ZVL), per a study among US Medicare recipients published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 10/14)

Becker's Hospital Review: AI Models Predict Sepsis In Children Within 48 Hours: Study
Researchers at Chicago-based Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago developed AI models that identify children with high risk of developing sepsis within 48 hours using electronic health record data. The models were trained on data from the first four hours of emergency department care, before organ dysfunction developed, according to the study published Oct. 13 in JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers validated the models using retrospective data from five health systems contributing to the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. (Jeffries, 10/14)

The Colorado Sun: Student Critically Wounded In Evergreen High School Shooting Leaves Hospital, Tells Supporters: “I’m Still Alive!”
Five weeks after Matthew Silverstone was shot in the head and chest by a gun-wielding classmate inside Evergreen High School, the 18-year-old student is headed home to continue his long road to rehabilitation. (Prentzel, 10/14)

More health news from across the U.S. —

Newsweek: Gov. Tim Walz Says Accessible Rural Health Care Is A ‘Hell Of A Tall Order’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told attendees at the Summit on the Future of Rural Health Care on Tuesday that ensuring health care is accessible, high quality and sustainable in rural areas "is a hell of a tall order." The summit brought together leaders across health care, technology, business, policy and academia from around the country to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to engage in solution-driven conversations about how to improve access and quality of care in rural and underserved communities. (Giella, 10/14)

Los Angeles Times: The Key Health Bills California Gov. Newsom Signed This Week Focused On How Technology Is Impacting Kids
New laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom aim to make the artificial intelligence and social media landscape in California safer, especially for minors. Senate Bill 243, sponsored by state Sen. Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista) will require AI companies to incorporate guardrails that prevent so-called “companion” chatbots from talking to users of any age about suicide or self-harm. It also requires that all AI systems alert minors using the chatbots that they are not human every three hours. The systems also are barred from promoting any sexually explicit conduct to users who are minors. (McDonald, 10/14)

AP: New California Law Requires Restaurants To Disclose Food Allergens On Their Menus
California will become the first state in the nation requiring restaurants to list major food allergens on their menus starting in 2026 under a new law. The law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Monday applies to businesses with at least 20 locations. They will have to disclose ingredients including milk, eggs, shellfish and tree nuts when they know or “reasonably should know” that they are in their products. (10/14)

AP: New York Health Officials Confirm First Locally Acquired Chikungunya Virus Case
A person living in New York has tested positive for the chikungunya virus in what state health officials say is the first reported transmission of the mosquito-borne illness within the United States in six years. The state Department of Health said Tuesday that the virus, which has been spreading in China and elsewhere, was identified in a person living in Nassau County on Long Island. (10/15)

AP: What Young Native Americans Funded With $720K From Newman's Own Foundation And Novo Nordisk
Armed with hundreds of thousands of dollars from Newman’s Own Foundation and Ozempic creator Novo Nordisk, young Native Americans are leading the fight against persistently high rates of food insecurity in tribal communities. In a rare example of agency for a beneficiary community, 21 emerging Indigenous leaders recently crafted selection criteria, evaluated applicants and picked two dozen finalists to split a pool of $720,000. Organized by Native Americans in Philanthropy, the 16-to-24-year-old participants said the inclusive process reflected Indian Country values of self-determination and intergenerational relationship-building that more donors should embrace. (Pollard, 10/13)

The 19th: Legendary Transgender Activist Miss Major Dies At 78
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a legendary transgender activist, was known for many things in her community. As a caretaker, she was known for getting Black trans women off the street and housed when they faced poverty and violence. As a fierce advocate for trans rights, she was known for demanding that LGBTQ+ people focus on protecting the most vulnerable among them, like women being policed and incarcerated for trying to survive. And as a veteran of the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, she was known as a queer elder who did not want the past to be used as an excuse for inaction. (Rummler, 10/14)

The New York Times: The Drug That Took Away More Than Her Appetite
The pilot program that includes Ms. Massarone is run by the Center for Addiction Science, Policy and Research, or CASPR, a nonprofit organization studying GLP-1 drugs for addiction. The group, which is not funded by pharmaceutical companies, wants to spur F.D.A. approval for such use, which the industry has shown little interest in pursuing. (Maia Szalavitz, 10/14)

Katie Couric Media: The Speculum Is Getting a Much-Needed Upgrade
The tool your doctor’s using — the speculum — hasn’t been updated in 200 years and is, frankly, archaic. Unlike the current metal speculum, this new version is made of flexible, medical-grade TPV rubber, with flower-like petals that gently open the vaginal walls. The updated speculum can also be self-inserted — like you’d apply a tampon — or can be inserted by a health professional. It’s also easier to clean and is safer to reuse than the older design. This gynecological innovation couldn’t have come sooner. About 35 percent of women say they experience fear, anxiety, or pain associated with routine pap smears — leading some to delay or put off the important exam altogether. (Anushay Hossain, 10/14)

The Washington Post: The New Dr. Google Is In. Here's How To Use It.
Adam Rodman, an internist and director of AI programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, believes the most valuable way patients can use AI is to better understand their health. Medical visits are often short, and patients might not have time to absorb all the information discussed. Afterward, they can turn to a chatbot to explain a diagnosis, clarify medical jargon and expand on points that need more context. (Leana S. Wen, 10/14)

Stat: There Are Far Too Many Medicare Plan Choices 
Nearly 69 million Americans who are disabled or 65 or older receive health insurance through Medicare. Most of them must select a private insurance plan to receive all of their medical benefits, prescription drug coverage, or supplemental coverage. They are about to receive a deluge of insurance company mail during the eight-week enrollment period that opens Wednesday, urging them to switch plans for 2026. (Wandi Bruine de Bruin and Jonathan Blum, 10/15)

Bloomberg: Regeneron's New Gene Therapy For Deafness Looks Promising
A toddler born with a rare form of congenital deafness could hear whispers and her mom's voice after receiving a gene therapy developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Lisa Jarvis, 10/13)