Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of Oct. 19, 2026–Oct. 23, 2026.
Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage is now over $28,000
The New York Times (10/22, Abelson) reports that a survey from KFF indicates that the annual average price for an employee to cover his or her family under an employer-sponsored health insurance plan “is now $7,471 a year, up 9% from 2025.” Meanwhile, “the total cost for a family plan, including the amount the employer contributes to the annual premiums, has reached $28,303.”
The AP (10/22, Hussein) reports, “Covered workers at smaller firms contributed an average of $9,687 in 2026 toward family coverage, compared with $6,840 at firms with 200 or more workers, the survey says.” The report indicates that “in 2025, they paid roughly $8,900, compared with about $6,200 for larger firms.” The survey also “found that covered workers at smaller firms contribute an average of 37% of the premium for family coverage, compared with 25% at larger firms.”
The Hill (10/22, Weixel) reports, “Overall, the average deductible for U.S. workers is approaching $2,000 before insurance kicks in, according to the survey.”
Certain napping practices may be linked to higher risk of dementia
HealthDay (10/16, Thompson) reports, “Older adults who fall into unintended naps, nap frequently or take shorter naps may have a higher risk of developing dementia,” according to researchers. “For the new study, researchers followed over 990 Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older for up to 10 years starting in 2013. All of the participants were free of dementia at the beginning of the study.” The “results showed that people who napped most days or every day had a 48% higher risk of dementia compared to those who rarely or never napped.” Meanwhile, “unintentional napping was linked to a 39% higher risk of dementia, and napping for 30 minutes or less to a 40% higher risk.” The findings were published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series A.
You also may be interested in: What sleep medicine experts say about napping.
ADHD linked to higher mortality risk across multiple causes
MedPage Today (10/19, George) reports, “People with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had a higher mortality risk compared with others, a study of 16 million people showed.” In the “systematic review and meta-analysis, ADHD was tied to a 71% increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.31-2.24, P<0.001).” Additionally, the “risks of suicide (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.21-2.95, P=0.005), unintentional or intentional injury (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.22-2.00, P<0.001), and natural-cause mortality (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.16-1.38, P<0.001) also were higher.” However, “ADHD medication use was linked with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.87, P<0.001).” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
Physicians urge Americans to get vaccinated against flu after unusual early rise in cases
Reuters (10/20, Erman) reports that physicians “are urging Americans aged 6 months and older to get vaccinated against the flu after an unusual early rise in cases on the West Coast that virologists are still working to understand.” This year’s “predominant flu strain...is H1N1,” but the version of the virus this year “has a new mutation called G155E.” Individuals “who have been previously exposed to H1N1, either through infection or vaccination, would only have some residual protection from the older versions, scientists say.”
You also may be interested in: What doctors want patients to know about flu vaccines.
Rabies in the spotlight in recent months, although no human cases reported in U.S.
The New York Times (10/21, Anthes) reports, “In the United States, rabies can seem like a disease of the past, a remote risk caused by a mostly vanquished virus. But in recent months, this ancient foe has returned to the spotlight.” In September, “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a national health advisory, citing reports of ‘local increases in human rabies exposures.’” The CDC “reported an uptick in the use of medical interventions – antibody treatments and vaccines – designed to protect people exposed to potentially rabid animals.” Still, “no human rabies cases have been reported” this year. While “it’s unclear whether the reported surges reflect a real increase in rabies risk,” it is “worth keeping a close eye on, experts said, and highlight the persistence of rabies as a complex, ever-evolving threat.”
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