January 2026 Health News
Date postedJanuary 3, 2026
Topics in this News Roundup
- Care and Insurance Costs
- Caregiving and Patient Support
- Chronic Health Conditions
- Criminalization of Medicine
- Disabled Populations and Health Care
- Endocrinology
- Flu and Respiratory Virus Season
- Gastrointestinal Health
- Government and Advocacy
- Health Equity and Access to Care
- Measles Outbreak
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Medications and Prescribing
- Mental and Behavioral Health
- Reproductive and Sexual Health
- Vaccination
Care and Insurance Costs
- Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes (AP, 1/1/26)
- ObamaCare subsidies expire; premiums spike for millions: What to know (The Hill, 1/1/26)
Caregiving and Patient Support
- (New Hampshire) Ayotte says NH has not received any notice of a pause in federal childcare funding — for now (NH Public Radio, 1/2/26)
Chronic Health Conditions
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Kidney Disease Risk Common in Patients With Down Syndrome (Medscape, 1/1/26)
- Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
- Prediabetes Remission Halves MI and HF Risk, The Lancet Study (Medscape, 1/2/26)
- Some Diabetes Drugs May Slow Frailty Progression in Older Adults (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1/2/26)
- Hepatitis
- AAP Continues Recommending Birth Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine After ACIP’s Vote to Remove (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1/2/26)
- HIV/AIDS
- Number of Medicare Beneficiaries With HIV Expected to Double in Next Decade (American Journal of Managed Care, 1/2/26)
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Biologic Therapies in IBD: Drug Persistence Pattern Explored (Medscape, 1/2/26)
Criminalization of Medicine
- EPA urged to classify abortion drugs as pollutants (The Hill, 1/2/26)
- US woman charged with fetal homicide after allegedly inducing own abortion (The Guardian, 1/2/26)
- Federal employees file complaint against Trump administration’s ban on gender-affirming care (AP, 1/1/26)
Disabled Populations and Health Care
- Kidney Disease Risk Common in Patients With Down Syndrome (Medscape, 1/1/26)
Endocrinology
- Prediabetes Remission Halves MI and HF Risk, The Lancet Study (Medscape, 1/2/26)
- Some Diabetes Drugs May Slow Frailty Progression in Older Adults (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1/2/26)
Flu and Respiratory Virus Season
- Early, Intense Flu Across Europe as Subclade K Dominates (Medscape, 1/2/26)
- Holiday Flu Surge Drives Record Illness Across the United States (HealthDay, 1/2/26)
- Flu cases are rising with a strain that makes older people sicker (NH Union Leader, 1/1/26)
Gastrointestinal Health
- Biologic Therapies in IBD: Drug Persistence Pattern Explored (Medscape, 1/2/26)
Government and Advocacy
- General:
- (New Hampshire) New year brings new laws to NH, including bans on trans care and housing measures (NH Union Leader, 1/2/26)
- Care and Insurance Costs - View more Care and Insurance Costs articles >>
- Caregiving and Patient Support - View more Caregiving and Patient Support articles >>
- (New Hampshire) Ayotte says NH has not received any notice of a pause in federal childcare funding — for now (NH Public Radio, 1/2/26)
- Health Equity and Access to Care - View more Health Equity and Access to Care articles >>
- Reproductive and Sexual Health - View more Reproductive and Sexual Health articles >>
- EPA urged to classify abortion drugs as pollutants (The Hill, 1/2/26)
- US woman charged with fetal homicide after allegedly inducing own abortion (The Guardian, 1/2/26)
Health Equity and Access to Care
- Federal employees file complaint against Trump administration’s ban on gender-affirming care (AP, 1/1/26)
Measles Outbreak
- More than 2,000 measles cases reported in the US in 2025 as ongoing outbreaks threaten elimination status (CNN, 1/1/26)
Medicare and Medicaid
- Number of Medicare Beneficiaries With HIV Expected to Double in Next Decade (American Journal of Managed Care, 1/2/26)
Medications and Prescribing
Mental and Behavioral Health
- Misinterpretation of Instructions for Patient Health Questionnaire Widespread (HealthDay, 1/2/26)
Reproductive and Sexual Health
- COVID-19 in Pregnancy Linked With Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Early Childhood (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1/2/26)
- EPA urged to classify abortion drugs as pollutants (The Hill, 1/2/26)
- US woman charged with fetal homicide after allegedly inducing own abortion (The Guardian, 1/2/26)
Vaccination
- AAP Continues Recommending Birth Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine After ACIP’s Vote to Remove (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1/2/26)