Just 8% of Americans were uninsured in the first three months of this year, and the record low is expected to drop further following the extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, the federal government's nearly $100 million investment for health coverage enrollment assistance, and expansion announcements by major insurance providers. Cigna, for instance, recently announced plans to expand its ACA reach to 363 counties in 16 states, while Aetna and CVS Health plans will be sold through ACA exchanges in 12 states.

The CDC and local health officials confirmed that a resident of Los Angeles County who had a severely compromised immune system died of monkeypox, the first known US death from the disease. The US has recorded nearly 22,000 confirmed or probable monkeypox infections since the outbreak started, and California has the most documented cases at 4,300, according to the CDC.

A Merritt Hawkins survey of more than 1,000 doctor's offices in 15 major US cities found that the average wait time for a physician appointment was 26 days, up from 24.1 days when the last survey was conducted in 2017. For an appointment at an obstetrics and gynecology practice, patients wait an average of 31.4 days, up from 26.4 days in 2017, and wait times vary dramatically by metro area, including for dermatology, which saw delays ranging from 9 to 84 days.

A meta-analysis of clinical trial data, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, did not show a significant association between dietary intake of saturated fat and risk of cardiovascular disease, CV events or mortality. The review included articles published between 2010 and 2021 on saturated fat intake and cardiovascular outcomes.

L.A. Care Health Plan and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan have opened a 9,000-square-foot community center in Inglewood, Calif., to provide free fitness classes and other health resources. The facility, which houses activity rooms, office space and a full-size kitchen, will also offer a monthly food pantry.

An unpublished report by the Satcher Health Leadership Institute estimates that from 2016 to 2020, the costs tied to premature mental health, substance use and suicide-related mortality in racial and ethnic minority groups and native populations in the US totaled $278 billion. Authors say the report is the first of its kind, and they noted that during the study period, 116,722 members of racial and ethnic minority and indigenous groups died due to premature mental and behavioral health-related causes.

Food insecurity among families with children fell to 12.5% last year -- its lowest rate in over 20 years -- according to a report released by the USDA. The progress was made in a year when several social safety net programs were still in place, including universal access to free school meals.

A study published in the journal Neurology associated receiving an influenza vaccination with a 12% lower risk of stroke among adults. Receiving a pneumococcal vaccine was not linked to a lower risk of stroke.

Bristol Myers Squibb's oral allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor Sotyktu, or deucravacitinib, received FDA approval for treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis among adult patients who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy. The approval was based on late-stage clinical trial data that showed Sotyktu offered superior efficacy compared with twice-daily Otezla and placebo.

President Joe Biden appointed Renee Wegrzyn of Ginkgo Bioworks to lead the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, launched the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, and outlined plans for a "moonshot" to develop better screenings and treatments for cancer and improve access to cancer care. "ARPA-H will create the transformative and collaborative space that is required to support the next generation of moonshots for health -- not only for complex diseases like cancer, but also systemic barriers like supply chain gaps and equitable access to breakthrough technologies and cures for everyone," Wegrzyn said.

Does your health insurance provider organization have timely news about a breakthrough that's guiding greater health for more Americans? Tell your story during one of AHIP's conferences. Proposals may be submitted throughout the year but be sure to check the deadlines for each conference. Learn more.

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for "Reimagining Laboratory Benefit Management" as Optum discusses a unique, comprehensive solution that manages lab test spending using evidence-based guidelines; and Friday, Sept. 16 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for "Unlocking the Promise of Biosimilars in Pharmacy Benefit Management" as Sandoz discusses the impact of self-administered pharmacy benefit biosimilars for inflammatory diseases.

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