Government Reports on Healthcare Require a Closer Look
•February 15, 2026
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Why It Matters
Rising labor and service costs strain hospital margins and patient affordability, while healthcare’s expanding role in employment makes it a pivotal driver of overall economic stability.
Key Takeaways
- •Hospital compensation costs rose 3.6% YoY
- •Healthcare added 82,000 jobs in Jan 2026
- •CPI hospital services up 6.6% year‑over‑year
- •Hospital spending drove 40% of health‑spending growth
- •Housing cost pressures amplify medical debt risk
Pulse Analysis
The latest BLS reports reveal that compensation for hospital staff climbed 3.6% in 2025, outpacing the overall 3.4% rise for civilian workers. This wage growth reflects a broader labor surge: healthcare accounted for the majority of the 130,000 jobs added in January 2026, with ambulatory services, hospitals, and nursing facilities all posting gains. As the sector absorbs a larger share of the national workforce, its influence on GDP intensifies, supporting projections that healthcare will represent roughly 20% of economic output by 2033.
Price dynamics compound the staffing challenge. The January 2026 CPI showed hospital service costs jumping 6.6% year‑over‑year, far above the modest 0.3% increase in medical‑care commodities. Hospital pricing now drives a third of total health‑spending growth, contributing $277 billion—40% of the overall rise between 2022 and 2024. Simultaneously, rising housing costs erode household budgets, increasing medical debt and delaying care. The convergence of higher labor expenses and steep service price inflation squeezes both provider margins and patient affordability, prompting heightened scrutiny of executive compensation and pricing transparency.
For executives, the data signal an urgent need to align compensation, talent acquisition, and operational efficiency. Retaining skilled nurses and allied staff requires competitive wages and benefits, yet payer reimbursement models often penalize productivity gains. Strategic investments in technology, such as AI‑driven practice management, can offset labor intensity, but must be paired with policy advocacy for fair reimbursement. As healthcare continues to prop up the broader labor market, leaders who navigate these cost pressures while maintaining quality will shape the sector’s long‑term resilience.
Government Reports on Healthcare require a Closer Look
Last week, the Federal Government released agency reports that paint a perplexing picture for the health industry entering 2026:
Tuesday, The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the EMPLOYMENT COST INDEX SUMMARY noting “Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.7%, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in December 2025 and 3.4% for the 12-month period ending December, 2025.” Closer look: it was +3.6% for hospitals and +3.2% for nursing homes.
Employment Cost Index Summary – 2025 Q04 Results
Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION — JANUARY 2026: “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 130,000 in January, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.3%… Job gains occurred in health care, social assistance, and construction, while federal government and financial activities lost jobs…Health care added 82,000 jobs in January, with gains in ambulatory health care services (+50,000), hospitals (+18,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+13,000). Job growth in health care averaged 33,000 per month in 2025. Employment in social assistance increased by 42,000 in January, primarily in individual and family services (+38,000).” Closer look: the jobs report is based on employer sampling which is revised as subsequent surveys are added to the sample. Thus, data for any single month is at best only directionally accurate. Reliable federal data about the healthcare workforce remains a work in process.
Employment Situation Summary – 2026 M01 Results
Friday, BLS released the CONSUMER PRICE INDEX REPORT FOR JANUARY, 2026: **“**Consumer prices rose 2.4% in January from a year earlier down from 2.7% in December.” Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy items, rose 2.5% from a year earlier vs. medical care commodities (+.3%), hospital services (+6.6%) and physician services (+2.1%). Closer look: prices for hospitals and physicians vary widely (by ownership, specialty, size and location) but differ in one respect: Medicare rates are used as a proxy for both, but rate setting for physicians disallows inflationary adjustments.
Consumer Price Index February 13, 2026 https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category.htm#
Taken together, they reflect the obvious: The healthcare economy is a big deal in the scheme of the overall economy and the nation’s monetary policy. The CBO’s revised projection shows it increasing from 18% of the GDP today to 20.3% by 2033.
But a closer look exposes worrisome signals in the reports:
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Increased housing costs are destabilizing lower-and-middle income household finances resulting in increased medical debt, delayed care and heightened sensitivity to healthcare affordability. It also has direct impact on the availability of the local workforce where home ownership or rental costs are out of reach.
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Hospital price increases used to offset escalating labor and supply chain costs are well-above other spending categories; some have healthy margins while others are struggling. Public perception about hospital finances is susceptible to misinformation and executive compensation is a lightning rod for detractors. Per a KFF report last week, hospitals accounted for a third of total health spending increases since 2023 but 40% of the total spending increase—higher than any other factor. That puts added pressure on hospitals to justify costs and account for prices.
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The healthcare workforce has become the backbone of the labor market: the majority of its expanded labor pool are skilled and unskilled hourly workers for whom competitive wages and benefits are key. Healthcare delivery is labor intense. Across all settings in healthcare, efforts to increase productivity via data-driven, technology-dependent process improvements have been made. But reimbursements by payers have punished improvements in productivity requiring more work for less money. The result: disenchantment about the future of the system is a tsunami in the healthcare workforce.
In every hospital, medical group nursing home and home care organization, pressure to attract and keep a viable workforce is mission critical. In some, the Human Resource function is effectively aligned with regulatory, clinical and technology changes, in some, compensation plans from executive to support are strategically designed to optimize short and long-term performance and ROI. In some, the Board Compensation committee is well-prepared to adjust policies as talent requirements change. In some, leaders and frontline teams show mutual respect and sincere appreciation. But many fall short.
These reports are public record. But their headline stats don’t tell a complete story. Every healthcare organization is obligated to do the rest.
Paul
Sections in today’s report
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Quotables
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Economy
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Hospitals
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Insurers
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Polling
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Population Health
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Prescription Drugs
Quotables
Jain on system: “I’ve been thinking a lot about how we effectively have two healthcare systems in the United States. One for most people: Frustration. Confusion. Waits. Delays. Endless phone trees and opaque rules.
And another for people who know people: (Relative) peace of mind. Texts that get answered. Appointments that suddenly open up. Problems that quietly get fixed.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Many of the people who run healthcare institutions live almost entirely in the second system. Which means they rarely experience how broken the first one feels.
So I wonder: What if every healthcare executive had to navigate care exactly the way patients do? No back channels. No personal favors. No shortcuts. Would urgency increase? Would bureaucracy shrink? Would “good enough” finally stop being acceptable? And maybe the better question is this: What if healthcare simply worked for everyone the way it currently works for those who know someone? Shouldn’t that be the aspiration?
Because access to humane, responsive care shouldn’t depend on who’s number is stored on your phone. It should be the system.”
Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA | LinkedIn
MS Now on Medical Debt: “This TV star died with crushing medical debt. His family’s response is too familiar. The average American has every right to be disturbed at learning about the GoFundMe for actor James Van Der Beek’s family, who were left with expensive medical bills after the star of “Dawson’s Creek” died of colorectal cancer this week at age 48. As of Friday afternoon, more than $2 million had been raised for the Van Der Beek family, an amount that no doubt owes to the popularity the actor gained over six seasons playing Dawson Leery on the WB teen drama. The family of a celebrity depending on crowdfunding to pay off his medical debt is a tragedy in itself. But the much bigger tragedy is that Americans in general are increasingly relying on these campaigns as a kind of health care coverage.
In 2024, in a perspective piece for KFF Health News, Elisabeth Rosenthal reported that “medical expenses” is GoFundMe’s most common fundraising category.
There’s an obvious reason why. In the United States, medical debt is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy. According to KFF, just less than half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford health care costs, and about 1 in 5 say they have not filled a prescription because of the cost.”
Why James Van Der Beek’s GoFundMe campaign is especially heartbreaking
WSJ on healthcare job growth: “Over the past year, demand for healthcare workers has quietly propped up the labor market as other sectors reined in hiring or even shed jobs. On Wednesday, the full power of healthcare’s role burst into full view, and marked a clear shift in a labor market now geared toward the hard, often physical, work of caring for America’s aging population.
Nearly all of the 130,000 new jobs added in January were healthcare jobs or positions related to healthcare. The construction and manufacturing sectors also took on new workers, while employers cut jobs in government, finance, information and transportation and warehousing.”
Healthcare Jobs Have Become the Engine of America’s Labor Market – WSJ
RFKJ and Midterm Elections. “Despite his unpopularity, RFK Jr.
is seeking to become a central player in the 2026 midterms, using his MAHA agenda and
alliance with Trump to shape Senate and House contests while emerging as a prized surrogate
for Republican candidates looking to campaign on food, vaccine, and wellness fights…
At the same time, Kennedy’s disastrous tenure at HHS has spurred a wave of Democratic physician and STEM candidates, with groups like 314 Action and other pro‑science networks recruiting doctors, researchers, and public‑health professionals who explicitly cite his vaccine rollbacks and attacks on public health as their motivation to run.”
Year One of RFK Jr. Public Health Enemy #1 Public Health Watch February 2026 http://www.protectourcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/REPORT-RFK-Jr-Public-Health-Enemy-Number-One.pdf
Hill: Conservative groups oppose MFN policy: “A coalition of more than 50 leaders of conservative and free-market organizations signed a letter to members of Congress on Thursday, opposing codifying President Trump’s “most favored nation” (MFN) drug pricing policy model into law.
The letter, which argues an MFN pricing law would “import socialist price controls and values into our country,” highlights the growing tension between Trump and a portion of the conservative movement.”
Conservative leaders sour on codifying Donald Trump’s drug pricing policy
Economy
WSJ on healthcare job growth: “The U.S. economy might be in the hospital. Literally.
Amid all the hand-wringing about a decline in job openings and rising layoffs, there’s a less-followed labor-market trend that’s been a saving grace. It’s worth watching when the Labor Department releases delayed January data on Wednesday.
Healthcare and social-assistance jobs have boomed, even as most others haven’t. Year-over-year payroll growth outside of that area turned negative in December for the first time since the last recession. In other words, all of America’s jobs growth now comes from a category responsible for less than 15% of total employment.
The boom in health jobs isn’t recent, but it has become more noticeable as other sectors got cautious. In the past three years, health and social assistance employment grew by 12.5% while growth in every other job category has been less than 2%…
High healthcare costs certainly are a drag on U.S. competitiveness. Trying to solve that with a sharp cutback in government spending could spark some nasty withdrawal symptoms.”
Healthcare Is Propping Up the Job Market WSJ February 10, 2026 https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/healthcare-is-propping-up-the-job-market-
BLS Wages & Employment Report for 4Q 2025: Highlights:
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Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.7%, seasonally adjusted.
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Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 3.4% not seasonally adjusted, for the 12-month
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Wages and salaries increased 3.3% and benefit costs increased 3.4 % over the year.
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Within the private industry, compensation costs increased 4.0% for union workers and 3.3 % for non-union workers for the 12-month period ending in December 2025. Wages and salaries increased 4.3 % for union workers and 3.3% for non-union workers over the year. Benefit costs increased 3.6% for union workers and 3.4% for non-union workers over the year.
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All workers: .4% in 4Q and 3.4% in LTM; hospitals increased .8% in 4Q and 3.6% LTM; nursing facilities increased .6% in 4Q and 3.2% LTM
Employment Cost Index Summary – 2025 Q04 Results
Quartz on housing costs: “Shelter costs are both hard to reach and deeply felt. Economists generally consider housing to be the stickiest, most stubborn piece of the inflation puzzle — which is one reason it accounts for some 35% of the overall CPI. While consumers can cut back on takeout and Ubers, housing is the opposite of discretionary or even flexible.
It’s also hard to reach from a policy standpoint, in the sense that monetary policy can’t build apartments. Fed policy affects borrowing costs across the board. Still, housing builds and rents happen considerably down the line of such inputs. Thus, housing costs can drag significantly even when inflation eases elsewhere.
In short, household budgets might be benefitting in some areas, but American consumers are likely still feeling as if inflation is tough. Essentially: A $50 fill-up at the local is nice, but when you’re staring down yet another rent increase, that’s the line item to weigh on your mind.”
“Inflation is slowing. Try telling that to the landlord Quartz February 13, 2026 https://qz.com/january-2026-cpi-inflation-rents-mortgages-housing
CBO: Revised 2026-2036 Federal Deficit Projections: “The Federal Budget Deficits are large by historical standards. The deficit totals $1.9 trillion in fiscal year 2026 and grows to $3.1 trillion in 2036. Relative to the size of the economy, the deficit is 5.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 and increases to 6.7% in 2036. Deficits averaged 3.8% of GDP over the last 50 years. Debt held by the public rises from 10% of GDP in 2026 to 120% in 2036, well above the previous record of 106% just after World War II. Outlays are large by historical standards—and growing. They total 23.3% of GDP in 2026, exceeding their 50-year average of 21.2%. After being adjusted for shifts in the timing of certain payments, outlays remain at about that level through 2028 but then grow steadily, boosted by rising spending on mandatory programs and increasing net interest costs. Outlays in 2036 are 24.4 % of GDP.”
The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2026 to 2036
Pitchbook: 2026 Private equity deal market: Highlights:
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In 2025, deals were up 9.5% (747 vs, 682 deals in 2024 and 801 deals in 2023)
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4Q deals were 15% below 4Q 24 due to political uncertainty
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Physician practice management deals will pick up this year, as artificial intelligence tools bring more efficiency and return value to practices. Oncology and musculoskeletal care are expected to be strong investment areas. Value for aggregators will shift from M&A to operational execution.
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Ambulatory surgery deals will increase as health systems increase their investments
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Skilled nursing (+143%) and specialty pharmacy (+138%) led deal count growth in 2025
Pitchbook https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/healthcare-deals-gain-greater-share-of-private-credit-loans-as-tech-share-falls
J Alix Disruption Index: “The 2026 AlixPartners Disruption Index—our seventh annual—based on responses from over 3,200 senior executives across 11 countries and 10 industries, reveals a complex picture…. This year, the overall Disruption Index declined by 3 points from 73 in 2025 to 70 in 2026, reflecting the fact that executives feel less pressure from the disruptive impact of new technologies, tariffs, inflation, regulation, and other disruptive forces than last year. Indeed, the number of executives who report feeling highly disrupted dropped 9%to 48%.
Among industries, healthcare has the highest percentage of mature use cases (i.e., showing quantifiable impact). Among functions, finance is the maturity leader. The highest maturity use cases were in finance and accounting, operations, and procurement. The lowest were in product management, corporate strategy, and research and development.”
2026 AlixPartners Disruption Index
Hospitals
KFF on hospital spending: “National spending on health has increased rapidly over time—rising to $5.3 trillion and 18% of GDP in 2024—and is projected to continue to do so into the future… In 2025, average annual premiums for employer-sponsored family coverage reached $26,993, with workers paying $6,850 for their coverage, according to KFF’s annual survey of employers. Hospital care accounted for nearly one-third of national health expenditures in 2024, and more than doubled in nominal terms over the preceding two decades, making hospitals a major driver of health spending growth over time…
National health expenditures increased by $692 billion between 2022 and 2024, from $4.6 trillion to $5.3 trillion. During this period, spending on hospital care alone accounted for $277 billion of spending growth, or 40% of the total increase in national health spending. The large contribution of hospital care to overall health spending growth reflects the fact that hospital spending accounted for nearly a third of national health expenditures in 2022 (30%) and grew more quickly than national health expenditures overall in both 2023 (10.6% versus 7.4%) and 2024 (8.9% versus 7.2%).”
JAMA Study: Nurse retention in hospitals:” In this cross-sectional study of 4043 RNs who recently left a hospital staff nurse job, we found opportunities for reattracting an existing RN workforce if hospitals are willing to address organizational issues driving RNs away. Many nonretired RNs, particularly those not currently employed, reported being very likely to return to work. The top factors to increase their likelihood of returning were adequate staffing, flexible scheduling, and better wages or benefits.
Inadequate staffing is a top reason RNs leave, and as this study suggests, improving staffing adequacy could bring them back. Opening more RN positions at the bedside and providing flexible scheduling arrangements are promising strategies to reattract RNs. A limitation of this study is that we were only able to survey RNs who maintained a license; thus, the sample may be biased toward RNs who are more likely to return to work.
Most RNs are satisfied with nursing as a career but dissatisfied with their employers. High RN turnover is a solvable crisis that can be remedied by employers because the reasons RNs leave are the same reasons they would return, if addressed.”
Chartis on rural health: “Today, more than 40% of rural hospitals are operating at a loss. As a result, 417 facilities are vulnerable to closure. Care deserts, where services such as obstetrics (OB), chemotherapy, and general surgery are nowhere to be found, are expanding at an alarming rate.
The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program is injecting $50 billion into rural healthcare over the next 5 years and promises to address “the fundamental hindrances of improvement in rural health care.”
This is an unprecedented investment in rural healthcare, but states will only use a small fraction to stabilize rural hospitals. Estimates also indicate that the program won’t offset the nearly $140 billion in expected losses from Medicaid-related cuts stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1).
Rural healthcare is at a crossroads. RHT-funded initiatives will support innovation and improve care delivery, but our latest analysis suggests that time is of the essence. Many baseline indicators that Chartis has tracked for more than a decade, as well as new measures, reveal that the challenges facing rural hospitals and the difficulties in accessing care within rural communities are deepening. “
2026 State of the State | Chartis
Insurers
House Judiciary Committee subpoenas insurers over marketplace fraud: “The subpoenas to Blue Shield of CA, Centene Corporation, CVS Health, Elevance Health, GuideWell, Health Care Service Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, and Oscar Health demand information on each company’s fraud-protection measures after failing to fully comply with the Committee’s voluntary process. A recent Government Accountability Office’s report found billions of dollars in unreconciled Obamacare subsidies per year and examples of tens of thousands of Social Security Numbers subject to potential fraud.
In June 2025, the Trump Administration issued the Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule to help limit Obamacare fraud, but a Biden-appointed judge issued a stay that blocked these fraud-protection measures. The court asserted that the Trump Administration had violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) when promulgating the rule. That decision is currently on appeal. “
Chairmen Jordan, Fitzgerald, and Van Drew Subpoena Insurance Providers for Documents About Obamacare Fraud February 10, 2026 https://judiciary.house.gov/media/press-releases/chairmen-jordan-fitzgerald-and-van-drew-subpoena-insurance-providers-documents
Physicians
The Hill: AMA Launching Vaccine Safety Initiative**:** : “The American Medical Association (AMA) on Tuesday announced the launch of its own “evidence-based review process” of vaccine safety and efficacy for the next respiratory viral season, an apparent tacit rebuke of the federal government’s current regulations. The AMA’s evaluation process will be conducted in collaboration with the Vaccine Integrity Project at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. The review will focus on immunizations for flu, COVID-19 and RSV.”
The Hill: AMA Launching Its Own Vaccine Safety, Effectiveness Review System
Bain: PE value creation in practice acquisitions: “Scaled, integrated platforms define the next phase of investment. For success in the next phase of physician group investment, firms will need to build scaled, integrated platforms. To respond to the turbulence caused by staffing shortages and reimbursement challenges, physician groups must evolve from loose confederations into coordinated platforms that provide clinicians with the tools and support to deliver high-quality care. The most successful of these will have a clearly defined role of the center, shared infrastructure, and a compelling value proposition for clinicians.”
New Models of Value Creation for Physician Groups Bain January 8, 2026 https://www.bain.com/insights/new-models-of-value-creation-for-physician-groups-global-healthcare-private-equity-report-2026/
Kaufman Hall Physician Flash Report: Q4 2025 Metrics: Key Takeaways:
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“Compensation is not keeping pace with physician productivity. Physician
productivity, as measured by work relative value units (wRVUs) per FTE, is up
9% since 2023 while physician compensation is only up 6%.
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Patient demand, as measured by net patient revenue, is up. But on a
per provider wRVU basis, net patient revenue has decreased 1% since 2023,
reflecting lower reimbursement rates.
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The proportion of advanced practice providers (APPs) continues to rise.
APPs are now 40.7% of the workforce.”
Keckley Note: the Kaufman Hall Physician data is based on employed physicians (hospitals, corporate owners) and does not capture physicians in independent/others settings.
Kaufman Hall Physician Flash Report https://www.kaufmanhall.com/insights/research-report/physician-flash-report-q4-2025-metrics?utm_source=agcy&utm_campaign=26-ENT-FINANCE&utm_medium=pr&utm_term=q4-ma-report&utm_content=260210
Polling
Gallup: sources of medical information: The Gallup Panel poll on medical information sourcing found 73% of U.S. adults reported going to a doctor or other professionals at a practice they regularly visit for health advice, 53% said they visit websites associated with established medical authorities, 33% said they talk with friends or family members who are medical professionals and16% reported turning to AI chatbots, less than the percentage who said they look to books or friends and family who aren’t medical professionals.
Four Ways Americans Seek Medical Advice
Penn survey: Confidence in safety of vaccines: The University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center surveyed 1637 adults between Nov. 17 and Dec. 1, 2025. Results:
“The survey finds that 83% of U.S. adults see the MMR vaccine as safe, 80% see the flu vaccine as safe, and 65% see the Covid-19 vaccine as safe.”
Population Health
JAMA Study: Prevalence of youth obesity: “Data were available for 6,094,825 youths (49.1% female; 2,437,173 aged 12-19 years 40.0%; 0.7% American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.2% Asian, 17.0% Black, 0.3% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; 55.1% White, 2.6% multiple races, 7.9% other race, and 11.2% missing race; 24.1% Hispanic or Latino) across the US, with broad geographic representation. Among youths ages 2 to 19 years, 19.8% had obesity. In early childhood (ages 2-5 years), 26.9% had overweight or obesity, increasing to 38.5% in adolescence and young adulthood (ages 12-19 years). Severe obesity occurred among 9.2% of adolescents and young adults… Among ages 12 to 19 years, healthy weight was found in 49.5% of American Indian or Alaska Native, 52.3% of Black, 49.1% of Hispanic, 47.3% of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 59.3% of White youths.
EBRI report on employee wellness: “This edition of the Workplace Wellness Survey found that American workers’ average level of concern about their physical, mental, and workplace well-being was a 5.8 out of 10, up from 5.5 in 2024. Some other the key conclusions in the survey were that 56% of workers were very or extremely satisfied with their current job, with a few expressing dissatisfaction; top suggestions for improvement to benefits were a greater employer contribution and more flexibility of benefits to choose from; and half of the workers were open to using AI as a tool to help with benefits, but significant shares remained skeptical.”
EBRI/Greenwald Workplace Wellness Survey
Milbank: primary care access and chronic care: “The analysis of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data from 2016 to 2022 (most recent year of data available) shows:
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Nearly all adults (95.5%) with a usual source of primary care received preventive services for chronic disease, compared to 67.6% of those without a usual source of primary care.
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Children with a usual source of primary care were also more likely to receive preventive services for vision testing (73.7% vs. 20.9%), accident or injury prevention (43.7% vs. 21.7%), secondhand smoke exposure (37.1% vs. 20.9%), and obesity prevention (95.6% vs. 80.6%).
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For those adults who do develop chronic disease, having a usual source of primary care lowered their odds of going to the emergency department (ED) by 11%, and of hospitalization by 20%.
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For children with chronic disease, having a usual source of primary care lowered their odds of going to the ED or being hospitalized for a condition that can be treated in an outpatient setting by 50%.
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Having a usual source of primary care was associated with having nearly 54% lower total health care expenditures for adults with chronic disease, and nearly 40% lower health care expenditures for children with chronic disease, compared to those who did not have a usual source of primary care.
Investing in Primary Care: The Missing Strategy in America’s Fight Against Chronic Disease Milbank February 12, 2026 https://www.milbank.org/publications/investing-in-primary-care-the-missing-strategy-in-americas-fight-against-chronic-disease
Study: Ultra-processed (UPF) baby food: “This cross-sectional analysis of 651 infant and toddler food products sold by the top 10 largest US grocery stores in 2023. Data were collected from 8 of the 10 stores in Raleigh, North Carolina, and from 2 of the 10 stores online. Ingredients were classified into types and subtypes using Codex Alimentarius and US FDA taxonomies. Results:
71% of products were classified as UPFs. In addition, additives were present in 71% of products, with flavor enhancers (36%), thickeners (29%), emulsifiers (19%), and colors (19%) being the most common UPF-marker additives used. Ingredient counts varied widely (range 1–56), with snacks containing the most ingredients. Processed fruit and vegetable ingredients were common, while dairy, meat, and legume ingredients were uncommon. UPF products contained higher mean levels of total sugar, added sugar, sodium, and energy density than non-UPF products. Added sugars were present exclusively in UPF products…
“Most US commercial complementary foods are ultra-processed and contain multiple additives. These findings highlight the need for improved labeling and regulatory standards for identifying UPF ingredients and additives to ensure the availability of appropriate and healthy products targeting the youngest consumers.”
Prescription Drugs
STAT on TrumpRx: “The Trump administration is preparing to launch TrumpRx.com, an initiative aimed at lowering drug costs by aggregating direct-to-consumer access to branded prescription medications at discounted cash prices.
The promise is seductive: lower prices on brand-name medications, available to anyone willing to bypass their insurance and pay out of pocket.
But for most Americans, this initiative represents not a solution to our prescription drug price dilemma, but rather a distraction from it. In fact, TrumpRx won’t help most Americans because it is designed for cash-paying, uninsured patients rather than the roughly 85% of Americans with prescription drug insurance coverage. For insured people, existing pharmacy benefits remain cheaper, and using TrumpRx may prevent payments from counting toward insurance deductibles and annual out-of-pocket maximums.
The fundamental flaw in the TrumpRx model lies in a misunderstanding — or perhaps a willful misrepresentation — of how most Americans pay for their prescription medications. Most insured people pay far less out of pocket when using their insurance coverage than they would by paying “discounted” cash prices, even when those prices are subsidized by manufacturers.”
Who does TrumpRx actually benefit? | STAT
Study: elimination of OOP costs for prescription drugs: The study evaluates Poland’s “Drugs 75+” policy, introduced in September 2016, which eliminated out-of-pocket costs for a defined list of prescription medications for individuals aged 75 and older.
“Following implementation of the policy, monthly out-of-pocket medication spending dropped by $8.36 at the eligibility threshold, a 23% reduction relative to baseline spending among 74-year-olds. The share of disposable income devoted to medications declined by 2 percentage points, from approximately 5.4% just below the cutoff, indicating that the policy meaningfully eased the financial burden of prescription drugs for seniors…
Overall, the findings suggest that fully subsidizing prescription drugs for seniors can substantially reduce financial risk, particularly catastrophic expenditures. At the same time, policymakers may need to consider potential behavioral responses and distributional effects when designing universal pharmaceutical benefit programs.”
Majewska G, Zaremba K. The financial and behavioral effects of free prescription drugs: evidence from a policy discontinuity in Poland. Health Econ. 2026;00:1-35. doi:10.1002/hec.70083
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