Hello from the Common Health Coalition! The 2-4-2 Digest is a weekly snapshot for health leaders - 4 key insights in 2 minutes or with 2 swipes on your phone. 

Weekly Health Insights

COVID-19 Vaccines: Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania are among the states taking action to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines amidst a changing federal landscape and resulting confusion. For the latest on state action, see here. 

Mifepristone: Texas lawmakers passed a bill banning the mailing of abortion pills to Texans and enabling lawsuits of at least $100,000 against providers and manufacturers, while New York and other “shield law” states are moving to protect clinicians who prescribe and ship the medication to patients in states with bans. Legal battles between states are now headed to New York courts and could escalate to the Supreme Court.

ACA Tax Subsidies: With enhanced ACA premium tax credits set to expire at year’s end, HHS issued new guidance to broaden access to lower-cost catastrophic plans based on income starting Nov. 1. At the same time, House Republicans introduced a bill to extend the subsidies for one year—pushing the debate past the 2026 midterms—as both parties position around policies affecting ​​the affordability of health coverage that 24 million people now get in the federal and state marketplaces.

Older Adults: Fall-related deaths among Americans over 65 have more than tripled in the past 30 years, with researchers pointing to prescription drug use and frailty as key drivers. In response to broader safety concerns for aging populations, the Michigan House passed a bill to create a statewide alert system for missing seniors and vulnerable adults, modeled after Amber Alerts.

Vax News: The American Academy of Family Physicians released updated vaccine guidance for the 2025–26 season today. Also check out our Vaccine Resources page, including our FDA Label Explainer, Provider, Payer, and State Public Health scenario planning toolkits. 

Colleague Corner

In a STAT First Opinion, Dr. Stuart Buck says NIH should focus on reform rather than budget cuts. He highlights issues such as research reproducibility, administrative burden, and outdated institute structures, and calls for steps to strengthen credibility and efficiency.

“The obstacles are political and cultural, not legal. Yet the stakes are too high for incremental change. Public trust in scientific institutions has eroded. Fundamentally, the current system fails the patients whose lives depend on research breakthroughs that bureaucratic dysfunction can delay or prevent.”

– Dr. Stuart Buck, Executive Director, Good Science Project

Data Watch

A new JAMA Network Open study of 11,000+ adults 65+ found that monthly social group participation lowered depression risk by 2.2 percentage points overall, with the greatest gains (4.1 points) among older, lower-income, less educated, or socially isolated seniors. 

Figure 2. Estimated Reduction in the Risk of Depressive Symptoms in 2022 by Social Participation in 2019 by Age

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