Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of July 21, 2025–July 25, 2025.
Health insurers propose double-digit price increases for plans sold through ACA marketplaces
The Washington Post (7/18, Cunningham) reported, “Health insurers are proposing double-digit price hikes for plans sold through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, as extra federal subsidies for premiums expire at the end of the year…” One “new analysis of insurer filings conducted by the nonpartisan health policy organization KFF” found that “the median monthly premium increase would be 15%.” The increase “in costs would mark the largest premium hike in seven years, according to KFF’s analysis of preliminary filings by 105 insurers in 19 states and the District.”
Reuters (7/18, Santhosh) reported KFF’s analysis showed that “insurers will raise premiums by an additional 4% than they would if the” pandemic-era premium tax credits “were renewed.”
FDA panel discusses safety of SSRI use during pregnancy
The New York Times (7/21, Barry) reports, “Over nearly four decades since Prozac [fluoxetine] was approved for the treatment of depression, waves of concern about the effects of antidepressants during pregnancy have resulted in a practical consensus: Though use of the drugs may be associated with a slight rise in the odds of birth defects, the risk of leaving a mother’s depression untreated is often greater.” Now, among a “select group of experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday to discuss the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy, around half said that women should receive a more clear and forceful warning about potential risks to the fetus.” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon “said the agency would not comment on whether there were plans to require a so-called black box warning about the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, in pregnancy.”
Brain aging sped up during COVID-19 pandemic, study suggests
NBC News (7/22, Carroll) reports, “Brain aging may have sped up during the pandemic, even in people who didn’t get sick from COVID, a new study suggests.” By “using brain scans from a very large database, British researchers determined that during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022, people’s brains showed signs of aging, including shrinkage, according to the report.” Individuals “who got infected with the virus also showed deficits in certain cognitive abilities, such as processing speed and mental flexibility.” The findings were published in Nature Communications.
Diets including eggs may help reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease
The Hill (7/23, Delandro) reports that research “suggests diets including eggs, especially the yolk, may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.” Investigators “followed more than 1,000 U.S. adults and found that those who consumed more than one egg weekly had a 47% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s.” During “an average follow-up of 6.7 years, 280 participants, or 27.3%, were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia.” The investigators “found that 39% of the ‘total effect of egg intake’ was linked to choline, a nutrient found in egg yolks known to support memory and brain function.” The findings were published in The Journal of Nutrition.
You may also be interested in: What doctors wish patients knew about Alzheimer's disease.
U.S. measles cases continuing to rise after breaking record
ABC News (7/24, Benadjaoud) reports, “Measles cases in the United States are continuing to rise after breaking a decades-long record just two weeks ago.” Now, there are “1,319 confirmed measles cases across 39 states," according to data from the CDC updated Wednesday. That number marks “the highest nationwide measles figure seen since 1992.” Cases in the U.S. “are more than 4.5 times higher than the entirety of last year, which had an estimated 285 cases reported.”
You may also be interested in: Get news and resources from the AMA to stay informed on current measles outbreaks.
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