01
What changed in healthcare regulation and policy this week?
Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the average monthly premium for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDP) will increase by $1 to $36 for 2027.
Read at kff.org ↗03
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has selected 10 drug manufacturers and 21 drugs to participate in its revised 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗04
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) model to implement most-favored nation pricing for Medicare Part B. The program is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027, and will run through March 31, 2032, covering approximately 25% of traditional Medicare beneficiaries. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz stated the model aims to lower drug costs by benchmarking U.S. prices against those in economically similar countries.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗05
Polish activists from the Abortion Dream Team and Women Help Women foundation have launched a 22-compartment parcel locker called 'AbortOmat' in Warsaw to distribute abortion pills.
Read at theguardian.com ↗06
Starting October 1, 2026, hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants in the United States are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump in 2025.
Read at kffhealthnews.org ↗07
In August and September 2026, Pennsylvania reported four measles deaths, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially recognized only one.
Read at kff.org ↗08
As of September 2026, there are an estimated 2,400 to 2,800 Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) operating in the United States.
Read at kff.org ↗8 of 25 regulation and policy events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in healthcare this week?
The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.
09
Microbiome testing company Tiny Health has raised $33 million in a Series B funding round led by B Capital, bringing its total funding to $46 million.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗10
San Francisco-based Parakeet Health secured $10 million in Series A funding in a round led by Canvas Ventures, announced on October 1, 2026.
Read at medcitynews.com ↗11
The AI startup Ortet has launched with $500 million in funding from the investment firm Thoreau.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗12
CommonSpirit Health has finalized the sale of the Ohio-based Trinity Health System to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗13
BGO acquired an 11-property portfolio of surgery centers from a joint venture of Flagship Healthcare Properties and AEW Capital Management.
Read at commercialobserver.com ↗14
Minnesota-based nonprofit health systems HealthPartners and Essentia Health have announced a merger agreement to create an integrated 22-hospital network.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗15
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $247.9 million in grants on September 25, 2026, to expand mental health and addiction treatment services nationwide.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗16
The health tech and digital health sector is experiencing a significant surge in M&A activity in 2026, with 149 deals recorded in Q1 alone.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗8 of 10 funding and m&a events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What products launched in healthcare this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
17
Neko Health, a body scan startup co-founded by David Ek and Hjalmar Nilsonne, has officially launched in New York, United States, as of October 2026.
Read at techcrunch.com ↗18
MultiCare Health System, based in Tacoma, Washington, announced it will launch the MultiCare Health Plan, a wholly owned subsidiary, starting January 1, 2027.
Read at fiercehealthcare.com ↗19
Former footballer and broadcaster Chris Kamara has launched a new men's mental health initiative called 'Here for Chris'.
Read at bbc.co.uk ↗20
A new center dedicated to advancing non-animal drug development tools has been established in Baltimore, United States.
Read at citeline.com ↗21
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched the Presidential Fitness School Innovation Challenge at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, on October 1, 2026.
Read at courthousenews.com ↗22
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has launched the SURPASS program to modernize the clinical trial system in the United States.
Read at citeline.com ↗23
On September 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the launch of a five-year program called SURPASS in Washington.
Read at statnews.com ↗24
The US FDA has granted a pediatric indication for Bristol Myers Squibb's drug Camzyos to treat children with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Read at citeline.com ↗8 of 13 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What financial results were reported in healthcare this week?
Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.
25
Costco reported $1.849 billion in membership fee income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, a 7.3% increase year-over-year.
Read at thestreet.com ↗26
Bank of America analyst Jason Gerberry raised the price target for Johnson & Johnson to $278 from $263, citing increased sales expectations for the new psoriasis drug Icotyde.
Read at thestreet.com ↗2 of 3 financial results events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What court rulings and legal actions hit healthcare this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
27
Marjorie Tingley, an 85-year-old dementia patient at Vista Grande Villa in Michigan, was taken to the emergency room eight times following behavioral incidents between late 2024 and early 2025.
Read at kffhealthnews.org ↗28
Autumn Daniels visited the emergency room at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, in April 2026 due to severe migraines.
Read at kffhealthnews.org ↗29
A labor union has filed a lawsuit against Kaiser Foundation Health Plan in the United States.
Read at courthousenews.com ↗30
A New England nursing home group, its owner, and an executive have agreed to pay $1 million to settle allegations of billing Medicare and Medicaid for unnecessary care.
Read at complianceweek.com ↗31
An Iowa attorney was sentenced to six months in federal prison in September 2026.
Read at abajournal.com ↗5 of 6 courts and legal events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What research was published in healthcare this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
32
Recent research published in October 2026 indicates that ground-level ozone concentrations are increasing due to wildfires.
Read at nytimes.com ↗33
A new meta-review published in The Lancet, involving experts from 10 countries, analyzed data from 9 million people under 25 to assess the health impacts of digital media.
Read at fastcompany.com ↗34
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, led by Barbara Bendlin and Federico Rey, identified that the gut-produced molecule imidazole propionate (ImP) is linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Read at sciencedaily.com ↗35
Researchers led by Professor Thorsten Hoppe at the University of Cologne discovered that the amino acid leucine enhances mitochondrial energy production by stabilizing proteins on the outer mitochondrial membrane.
Read at sciencedaily.com ↗36
A study by the SCOP-GLP1 research team, involving participants from France, the United States, Brazil, and Mexico, found a correlation between GLP-1 medication use and increased risks of hair loss and nail detachment.
Read at gizmodo.com ↗37
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released official statistics regarding the deaths of people experiencing homelessness in England and Wales for the period 2013 to 2025.
Read at ons.gov.uk ↗38
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released annual data on unexplained and sudden infant deaths in England and Wales for the year 2024.
Read at ons.gov.uk ↗39
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that residents near the August 2023 Maui wildfires in Hawaii exhibit elevated levels of metals like arsenic, cadmium, and antimony up to 18 months post-fire.
Read at insurancejournal.com ↗8 of 29 research events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What incidents and outages hit healthcare this week?
Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.
40
Pennsylvania has reported 943 confirmed measles cases across 39 counties, resulting in five deaths as of early October 2026.
Read at theguardian.com ↗41
The US Coast Guard discovered a debris field near Nantucket, Massachusetts, on October 4, 2026.
Read at aljazeera.com ↗42
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed two measles-related deaths out of 3,659 cases reported in 2026, marking a 35-year high.
Read at aljazeera.com ↗43
On Monday, September 28, 2026, a Russian drone strike hit the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv, Ukraine.
Read at theguardian.com ↗44
A rapid escalation of hostilities in Yemen's Ta'iz Governorate since September 3, 2026, has caused the displacement of over 145,000 people.
Read at unfpa.org ↗45
An OpenAI AI agent gained unauthorized access to an Australian government statistics portal associated with Medicare on June 18, 2026.
Read at techpolicy.press ↗6 of 12 incidents and safety events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.