KFF Health News reported today

According to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, 60% of uninsured adults under 65 have medical debt, as well as 40% of adults with insurance. An estimated 15% of all U.S. adults between ages 19 and 64 with private insurance have $2,000 or more in medical debt, Healthcare Drive reported.

Healthcare Dive: Insurance Doesn’t Protect US Adults From Medical Debt, Commonwealth Fund Finds 

One-third of adults with private insurance are contending with medical debt, according to a new survey, showing how healthcare coverage isn’t a guarantee of protection from financial devastation. About 37% of those with medical debt drained all or or part of their savings to pay their bills, and 30% delayed necessary care, according to the survey released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund. Another 30% reported cutting back on food, heat or rent to make ends meet. (Hughes, 9/18)

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United States Census Bureau  reported States With Highest Poverty Rates Clustered in the South

The national official poverty rate of 10.2% was 2.9 percentage points lower than the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate of 13.1% in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Poverty in the United States: 2025 report released today.

Estimates from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) show that the SPM, which includes government benefits and deductions, also topped the official rate when using three-year averages.  

All but one (New Mexico) of the 11 states with official+ poverty rates significantly above the national rate of 10.7% were in the South.

From 2023 to 2025, the national SPM rate was 13.0% and the official rate was 10.7%. SPM rates were higher than official poverty rates in 26 states and the District of Columbia, lower in five states and not significantly different in the remaining 19.

The Census Bureau recommends using three-year averages for state-level analyses based on the CPS ASEC due to sample size.

The version of the official poverty rate used in this article (hereafter official+) includes unrelated individuals under age 15 to allow direct comparisons to the SPM. 

Comparing Official⁺ Poverty and the SPM

The official poverty measure defines poverty by comparing pre-tax money income — gross (before taxes) income from things like earnings, Social Security, and pensions — to a threshold based on family size. Families or individuals are considered to be in poverty if their income falls below that threshold.

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Reported by the FDA: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the final design of the Expedited Investigational New Drug (IND) Pilot. Accelerating clinical trial timelines and eliminating regulatory hurdles to maintain American leadership in global medical innovation is a core priority for the Trump Administration. Driven by the President's directive, the pilot seeks to accelerate the time it takes from identifying a drug to initiating a first-in-human clinical trial by partnering drug companies with qualified research institutions (QRI) that have scientific expertise to support efficient development of IND applications. The FDA will accept applications to participate in the pilot until October 30, 2026.

Currently, first-in-human clinical trials may take up to two years to complete in the United States. The same types of trials are completed much faster in China and Australia, threatening America's leadership in scientific innovation. As a key component of the Trump Administration's healthcare modernization efforts and as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Operation TrialBlazer, the FDA has committed to proactively addressing these clinical development challenges through dedicated initiatives such as the Expedited IND Pilot.

"The pilot not only pairs industry innovators with top research institutions to accelerate high-quality data being submitted to the FDA, it also tests if the partnership can accelerate what happens after the FDA allows a clinical trial to proceed," said Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, J.D. "Under the Trump Administration, boosting domestic innovation and ensuring American patients have first access to groundbreaking treatments is a top priority. The FDA will continue implementing Operation TrialBlazer to modernize regulatory processes to keep our country ahead of global competitors without compromising patient safety."

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You may be interested in our 2nd Maternal & Child Health Symposium on Sept. 28th, 2026. Full Day- Eight Sessions - 12 Speakers. For more details and to register> 

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CIDRAP reported: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is merging its Influenza Division with the Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Diseases Division to create the Influenza and Respiratory Viruses Division (IRVD).

The organizational change has been planned since the Biden administration. The new division is tasked with preventing disease, disability, and death through the control of seasonal epidemics and pandemic respiratory viral diseases. Its mandate includes disease surveillance, providing support and technical assistance to state and local health departments, and improving detection, diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments. 

The reorganization "will strengthen operational efficiency, pandemic preparedness and laboratory capabilities while streamlining coordination across CDC, federal agencies, jurisdictions and external partners, and optimizing expertise and resources," CDC senior public affairs specialist Belsie González, MPH, told CIDRAP News.

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For information on topics such as today's post, consider attending the 

2nd Maternal & Child Health Symposium on Sept. 28th, 2026. More details and to register here>

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Health News Illinois reported: More than one-third of Chicago households now struggle with food insecurity, according to a report released Monday by the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

About 36 percent of Chicago households, lack consistent access to enough food.

Additionally, about 47 percent of households with children struggle with food insecurity, compared to 30 percent of households without children.

The report found inequities persist in the city’s historically underserved neighborhoods. Just over half of households on the south side face food insecurities, compared to 27 percent of households on the northwest side and 20 percent on the north side.

Forty-five percent of households on the west side face food insecurity, compared to 41 percent of households on the southwest side.

The organization said the growth is expected to get worse as federal guidelines shrink support for safety nets.

Since July 2025, enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Cook County dropped by nearly 196,000 individuals.

“This report makes clear what we hear every day from neighbors and community partners: hunger is happening right now, in every part of our city, driven by unaffordability and a shrinking federal safety net,” Greater Chicago Food Depository CEO Kate Maehr said in a statement. “It underscores the lived experience behind the data: parents are skipping meals so their children can eat, older adults are stretching fixed incomes as rent and grocery bills rise, working families are doing everything they can and still coming up short.”

The report, released in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, is based on a June survey of 1,200 Chicago residents.

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MEDPAGE TODAY reported More than 6 years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, its effects have continued. In March 2024, roughly 17 million adults (7% of all U.S. adults) reported ever having symptoms consistent with long COVID, a chronic condition characterized by persistent symptoms lasting 3 months or longer after infection. Long COVID can affect any system or organ in the body. Symptoms of long COVID include chronic fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, severe tiredness after exercise, lightheadedness and palpitations when standing, and many other problems. Those chronic symptoms often make it difficult for people to go to work or school.

As a result, long COVID imposes substantial disability. In fact, researchers have estimated that years lived with disability attributable to long COVID is comparable to other common diseases like Alzheimer's and asthma. In addition to the immediate effects on patients and their families, that disability translates into profound economic losses. Economists estimated in 2022 that the costs of long COVID will result in more than $3 trillion lost to society over 5 years, either through reduced quality of life and increased medical care or through lost economic productivity.

The Disconnect

However, research suggests long COVID may be underdiagnosed. Millions of Americans are thought to be suffering but not receiving appropriate clinical care. Furthermore, even now, well after the acute phase of the COVID pandemic has passed, an estimated 30,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with long COVID each year. But this is far fewer than expected, based on 2023 data. Thus, long COVID appears to have become a hidden cause of disease and disability.

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Health News Illinois reported The Department of Public Health issued its fall respiratory virus immunization guidance on Thursday.

The agency’s endorsement aligns with previous guidance, which calls for eligible residents to receive the influenza, RSV and COVID vaccines ahead of the fall.

The guidance was adopted by IDPH upon the recommendation of the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee, which approved it at a meeting earlier this month.

“Illinois residents and health care providers deserve credible, transparent, and science-based immunization guidance,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “IDPH’s recommendations, developed in consultation with the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee, ensure our residents have the best available information this respiratory season to protect themselves and their families.”

Vohra also issued a standing order this week to allow pharmacies and other clinical settings to administer the COVID vaccine.

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Modern Healthcare reports U.S. doctor groups issued their own vaccine recommendations for the coming cold and flu season, breaking from the country’s foremost public health agency and widening the divide with the federal government over immunization policy.

The American Medical Association and four other major medical societies said rising mistrust with the direction of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention led them to formalize an independent review process, building on an effort began last year. Developed with the independent Vaccine Integrity Project, it includes the recommendations for the use of shots to prevent infections with Covid-19, the flu and RSV, along with the scientific rationale behind them.

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This may be of interest to you...don't miss the conversation on topics such as the above at the upcoming symposium. 

Institute of Medicine of Chicago

2nd Maternal & Child Health Symposium 

September 28, 2026 

Full Day| 8 Sessions | 12 Speakers 

Attendees: Doctors, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Researchers, Pharma, Policymakers, Doulas, Midwives, Community Advocates, Agency Leaders, and more. 

Full details and more here>

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The Health Resources and Services Administration Aug. 12 announced a modernized framework for addressing national newborn screening topics, which includes evaluating conditions for inclusion in the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel. HRSA also said it will provide supplemental funding to the Association of Public Health Laboratories through the National Center for Newborn Screening Systems Excellence for the establishment of a new workgroup to address emerging issues affecting newborn screening.

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Other information>

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KFF Health News reported: The CDC's chief operating officer, Sean Slovenski, announced the project in an email late last week, MedPage Today reported. The initiative aims to focus on emergency public health responses and infectious diseases, as well as "immediate improvements" to "simplify processes, reduce administrative burden, and remove barriers to advancing mission-critical work."

More on this from MEDPAGE TODAY>

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