The Washington Post (9/30, Weber, Thadani) reports that millions of American seniors “could lose access to telehealth appointments with their doctors if Congress fails to fund them amid a looming government shutdown, while thousands more who have been receiving high-level, acute care at home face being sent back to the hospital or discharged.” Most Medicare reimbursements to physicians and hospitals will continue in the event of a government shutdown, but “payments for video health care visits – which gained in popularity during the pandemic and must be separately authorized for an extension by Congress – face elimination.” Without payment or guarantee that “they would be compensated retroactively, doctors and hospitals say they will be unable to provide services. Particularly for elderly people with limited mobility or transportation hurdles, telehealth has become a vital service improving their access to care, advocates say.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Reuters (9/29, Choudhury, Sunny) reports the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) announced Monday it would launch a new website, to be called AmericasMedicines.com, “to help patients buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers, bypassing pharmacy benefit managers and other middlemen.” The website, set to be launched in January, “will allow drugmakers to list medicines available for direct purchase and connect patients with programs that offer lower prices and fewer barriers to access.”

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— “US lobby group PhRMA plans website to boost access to cheaper drugs, Reuters, September 29, 2025

Modern Healthcare (9/26, Tepper, Subscription Publication) reported, “Medicare Advantage enrollment could slip next year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Friday.” Health insurers “project Medicare Advantage membership will fall from 34.9 million this year to 34 million in 2026, CMS said in a news release.” Additionally, “insurers…predict that Medicare Advantage will lose ground to fee-for-service Medicare next year.” Modern Healthcare adds, “The privatized program surpassed traditional Medicare in 2023 but will cover 48% of beneficiaries in 2026, down from 50% this year, according to industry estimates reported to CMS.”

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— “Medicare Advantage enrollment may shrink in 2026, CMS says,”Nona Tepper, Modern Healthcare, September 26, 2025

Psychiatric News (9/26) reported a study found that “older adults who took medications to treat hypertension had slower cognitive decline compared with their peers who did not take such medications.” The researchers “combined data from three studies that included 3,361 participants who were taking antihypertensives at baseline and 586 participants who never took these medications.” They observed that “participants using antihypertensives had higher levels of global cognition at baseline and a slower rate of cognitive decline over follow-up compared with non-users – especially in the domains of episodic and semantic memory.” Meanwhile, brain autopsy results “showed that taking antihypertensives was associated with a lower tau tangle density (a marker of Alzheimer’s disease) but not with other neurodegenerative or cerebrovascular pathologies.” The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

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— “Antihypertensive Drugs Associated With Slower Cognitive Decline, Psychiatric News , September 26, 2025

HealthDay (9/25, Thompson) reports a study found that “a growing number of Americans appear to be losing their brain power, particularly younger adults.” Researchers analyzed CDC survey data collected annually between 2013 and 2023 and observed that the U.S. “experienced a sharp increase in adults experiencing serious problems with memory, concentration and decision-making.” Overall, “the rate of people reporting thinking problems increased from 5.3% in 2013 to 7.4% in 2023, the survey found. For adults under 40, the rate rose sharply from 5.1% to 9.7%, nearly doubling, researchers said. On the other hand, rates among seniors 70 and older declined slightly, from 7.3% to 6.6%.” According to the study, “the biggest increases were found among people who had less education and earned lower wages.” The study was published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Lights Are Dimming For America’s Brain Power, Study Says,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, September 25, 2025