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While Generation Z and millennial workers still account for fewer claims than their baby boomer counterparts, claims in these populations are rising fast, according to a new report. UnitedHealthcare and the Health Action Council (HAC) earlier this month released their annual white paper digging into key trends impacting the employer market and found that the number of claims for lower-aged workers are increasing more quickly than they did for baby boomers. (Minemyer, 2/13)

The Senate Health Committee is seeking answers from a private company that makes millions off a federal drug program meant to help the poor. Senator Bill Cassidy, the Republican committee chairman and a doctor from Louisiana, sent a letter last week to Apexus, the Texas-based company, asking about its profits, business practices and role in the 340B Drug Price Program. (Gabler, 2/12)

Humana Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire MaxHealth in a deal valuing the operator of primary care clinics at about $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. An agreement could be announced within days for the company, which is backed by Arsenal Capital Partners, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks were private. A final agreement hasn’t been reached and talks could still end without one, the people said. (Davis and Tozzi, 2/12)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Clinics Sour On CMS After Agency Scraps 10-Year Primary Care Program Only Months In

On a 15-degree morning in January, a clinic in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina began to fill up with patients. An older couple in flannel pajamas sat together in the waiting room. A toddler waved as Patricia Hall walked past him, a stethoscope draped over her neck. The family physician waved and smiled back. (Jones, 2/13)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Health Care Heartaches: Your Winning Health Policy Valentines

Health policy has never looked so flirtatious. Every year, our readers send us valentines that make us swoon, laugh, and occasionally clutch our insurance cards. And in 2026, you did not hold back. You wrote about overcharging, rising insurance, AI in health care, and more. Here are some of our favorites, starting with the poem that stole our hearts like a $0 billing balance — and then was turned into a cartoon by �鶹Ů�� Health News staff illustrator Oona Zenda. (2/13)

The popularity of GLP-1 weight loss drugs is bringing back a historic affliction once suffered by sailors on long journeys at sea. There are reports that those taking the drugs, which include medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, are being diagnosed with scurvy, an illness once common in the 17th and 18th centuries that is now considered rare in developed countries. Clare Collins, a professor of nutrition at the Newcastle School of Health Sciences, conducted research on the long-term effects of GLP-1 drugs and raised the alarm about potential malnutrition with the popular medications. (Whiteside, 2/12)

Risk for a rare, potentially blinding eye condition was low, but it was significantly higher in diabetes patients who started semaglutide (Ozempic) versus SGLT2 inhibitors, an observational study of U.S. veterans showed. (Monaco, 2/12)

Public Citizen petitioned the Trump administration to use a federal law to authorize generic competitors for GLP-1 drugs for treating obesity and diabetes, arguing that prices are “unjustifiably high” for too many Americans. (Silverman, 2/12)

A medication that has been prescribed in the U.S. for decades may be able to stop the earliest steps of Alzheimer’s disease— but only if it is taken long before symptoms appear, according to new research from Northwestern University. Scientists report that levetiracetam, an inexpensive anti-seizure drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, can prevent brain cells from producing one of the most toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer’s. (Patrick, 2/12)

Hurricane Helene’s damage hasn’t ended for Baxter International. The Deerfield-based medical products maker posted a mixed bag of fourth-quarter 2025 financial results this morning and forecast a 2026 profit that’s lower than analyst expectations. Baxter stock fell sharply, down more than 12% to trade in the $19 range by mid-morning, on the news that the company expects 2026 adjusted profit between $1.85 and $2.05 per share. That’s below Wall Street’s previous expectations of about $2.25 per share. (Asplund, 2/12)

A newly launched medical journal says it aims to challenge what its founder describes as long-standing pharmaceutical industry influence over scientific research published in some of the world’s most prestigious journals. (Attkisson, 2/12)