Modern Healthcare (12/5, Early, Subscription Publication) reported that states are “taking matters into their own hands as health insurance exchange customers confront huge rate hikes and shrinking federal aid.” So far, proposed initiatives “include state-funded premium ‘wraparound’ subsidies, reinsurance programs, new benefit designs and intensified consumer outreach. These states are striving to reduce the coverage losses and risk pool deterioration expected because of skyrocketing premiums. The open enrollment period began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15 in most states.”

Related Links:

— “States get creative as exchange subsidies expiration looms,”Bridget Early, Modern Healthcare, December 5, 2025

Psychiatric News (12/5) reported a study suggests that “compared with people who don’t play video games, individuals who engage in recreational gaming showed enhanced attention-related performance in cognitive tests, while those at risk of gaming disorders had reduced working memory.” Researchers observed that “compared with non-gamers, those at risk of gaming disorders performed worse on two tasks (Digit Span and Counting Span) designed to assess working memory capacity.” Furthermore, participants “in the gaming disorder risk group also had a higher number of incorrect responses compared with the recreational gamer group in the 1-back task, which assesses the ability to adapt to new information – suggesting more impulsive response tendencies.” However, gamers “showed enhanced response readiness and attentional control compared with non-gamers, as evidenced by their higher accuracy in the Go/No-Go task, which assesses inhibitory control.” The study was published in Computers in Human Behavior.

Related Links:

— “Gaming Disorders Linked to Cognitive Impairment—but Recreational Gaming May Offer Benefit, Psychiatric News, December 5, 2025

Forbes (12/4, Japsen) reports that a new KFF survey found that “one in four” Affordable Care Act “enrollees will ‘very likely go without’ coverage next year if tax credits aren’t extended and premiums doubled for those who buy individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act.” KFF said in its 21-page analysis of the survey results, “When asked what they would do if the amount they pay for health insurance each month doubled, one in three enrollees (32%) say they are very likely to shop for a lower-premium plan (with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs) and one in four (25%) say they would be very likely to go uninsured.” If the survey results are accurate, “the nation’s uninsured would rise by more than 5 million.”

Related Links:

— “1 In 4 Obamacare Enrollees May Drop Coverage If Tax Credits Go Away, Poll Says,”Bruce Japsen, Forbes, December 4, 2025

Psychiatric News (12/4) reports a study found that “children born extremely premature demonstrate increasing levels of autistic social traits (ASTs) from ages 10 to 17 – with no differences between sexes.” The research team “evaluated AST scores for 527 extremely premature youth (52% female) at ages 10 and 17 using the parent-reported Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). SRS scores increased an average of 19 raw points between the two assessments, pushing standardized SRS scores from the ‘normal’ range at age 10 to ‘mild concern’ at age 17.” They noted that “nearly 70% of youth exhibited significant increases in ASTs between 10 and 17, while just 8% saw decreasing ASTs. At age 17, youth who experienced greater increases in ASTs reported worse self-esteem and overall health.” The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Youth Born Extremely Premature Show Increasing Signs of Autistic Social Traits Over Time, Psychiatric News, December 4, 2025

Reuters (12/3, Singh, Catchpole, Stapleton, Brock, Oladipo, Barrington, Kalra, Ganapavaram) interviewed “at least 24 commercial pilots at U.S. and foreign carriers who said that they were reluctant to disclose mental health issues – even minor or treatable ones – fearing immediate grounding and a lengthy, costly medical review that could end their careers.” The pilots “cited multiple reasons for not coming forward with mental health challenges, including airline policies, regulatory requirements and social stigma.” In most professions, “individuals can seek medical or psychological treatment without involving employers or regulators, such as the Federal Aviation Administration.” However, “aviation operates under stricter standards: pilots must meet rigorous physical and psychological criteria to maintain their FAA medical certification, in some cases undergoing medical exams every six months. Pilots who report anxiety or depression may be grounded.” In a statement, the FAA “said…that it is committed to prioritizing the mental health of pilots and is continually updating its approach based on the best medical science available.”

Related Links:

— “‘If you aren’t lying, you aren’t flying.’ Airline pilots hide mental health struggles,” Rajesh Kumar Singh, Reuters , December 3, 2025

HealthDay (12/3, Thompson) reports a study found that individuals “who land in the hospital due to hallucinogens are six times more likely to be diagnosed with mania within a few years.” The research team “analyzed records of nearly 7,300 patients treated in a hospital or ER for hallucinogen use, comparing them to more than 78,000 people hospitalized for other causes. Those treated for hallucinogen use had a six-fold higher risk of needing treatment for mania within the next three years, researchers found. They also were four times more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, results show.” Overall, researchers believe “hallucinogen use likely exposes a greater risk of mood disorders that already existed in these patients, rather than the psychedelics directly causing later manic episodes.” The study was published in PLOS Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Patients Who Are Hospitalized For Hallucinogen Use Are More Likely To Be Diagnosed With Mania, Bipolar Disorder Within A Few Years, Study Suggests,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 3, 2025

MedPage Today (12/3, Monaco) reports a study found that “low-dose semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) improved glycemic control and weight outcomes in a randomized trial of adults whose schizophrenia was being treated with the second-generation antipsychotics clozapine or olanzapine.” According to researchers, “the 73 randomized study participants all had early-stage metabolic abnormalities, and a once-weekly 1-mg dose of semaglutide significantly reduced HbA1c compared with placebo at week 26.” Furthermore, “more than 40% of the patients assigned to semaglutide achieved a low-risk HbA1c at that point versus 3% of those on placebo.” The researchers noted that after 26 weeks, “the semaglutide group also achieved significant reductions versus the placebo group in body weight (mean difference -20.3 lb), waist circumference (-7.0 cm), and fat mass (-13.4 lb).” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

CNN (12/2, LaMotte) reports that cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) – also known as “scromiting” on social media “due to the combination of screaming and loud vomiting” – is on the “rise in the United States. Habitual users of cannabis, including teenagers, are showing up in emergency rooms complaining of severe intestinal distress.” A studypublished in July “found emergency room visits for adolescents aged 13 to 21 years across the nation increased more than 10-fold between 2016 and 2023,” while a November study“found the rate of CHS among adults 18 to 35 rose sharply during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 and remained high.” THC and other cannabinoids in the marijuana plant “have been used for pain relief – paradoxically relieving nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. However, despite the popularity of marijuana as a [pain reliever], study results on its effectiveness have been mixed.” One possible reason to explain why “the same compound relieve and also cause pain” is “the ever increasing potency of THC in today’s marijuana products.”

Related Links:

— “‘Scromiting,’ a bizarre condition linked to chronic marijuana use, is on the rise,”Sandee LaMotte, CNN, December 2, 2025

The Washington Post (12/2, Sima) reports that researchers earlier this year reported “that the shingles vaccine cuts the risk of developing dementia by 20 percent over a seven-year period.” A large follow-up studypublished Tuesday in Cell “found that shingles vaccination may protect against risks at different stages of dementia – including for people already diagnosed.” The research “found that cognitively healthy people who received the vaccine were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, an early symptomatic phase before dementia.” The study suggests that the shingles vaccine “may help people who already have dementia. Those who got the vaccine were almost 30 percent less likely to die of dementia over nine years, suggesting the vaccine may be slowing the progression of the neurodegenerative syndrome.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (12/2, Gotkine) reports a study found that “in early adolescence, smartphone ownership is associated with depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep.” The researchers observed that at age 12 years, “smartphone ownership versus not owning a smartphone was associated with an increased risk for depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep. Associations were seen for younger age of smartphone acquisition with obesity and insufficient sleep. After controlling for baseline mental health and sleep, at age 13 years, among 3,486 youth who did not own a smartphone at age 12 years, those who had acquired a smartphone in the past year had increased odds of reporting clinical-level psychopathology and insufficient sleep when compared with those who had not acquired a smartphone.” The study was published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Smartphone Ownership Linked To Depression, Obesity, Insufficient Sleep in Early Adolescence, Study Finds,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay , December 2, 2025