Pope Leo XIV appeared in St. Peter's Square on Sunday for his first public event since undergoing surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. He thanked thousands of gathered faithful for their prayers during his hospitalization and said he would gradually resume his usual duties as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced on Wednesday that a task force identified roughly 70,000 deceased individuals enrolled in Obamacare subsidized insurance and approximately 120,000 people enrolled in both Obamacare and a state Medicaid program. The Trump administration's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud estimates that removing these individuals could save taxpayers $1.5 billion annually.
Pope Leo XIV, 71, has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma following surgery at Gemelli Hospital in Rome to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican announced the diagnosis after post-surgery analysis confirmed the cancer type. The procedure lasted approximately 90 minutes and was described as successful.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced that the Trump administration's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud estimates it could save taxpayers $1.5 billion annually by removing individuals enrolled in both ACA marketplace plans and Medicaid or Medicare. Oz stated his team identified approximately 70,000 deceased individuals enrolled in ACA-subsidized health insurance and roughly 120,000 people enrolled in both ACA plans and a state-run Medicaid program.
Pope Leo XIV was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday ahead of a surgical procedure to remove a nodule from his lung. The operation was expected to take place on the afternoon of October 13, 2026. The Pope has characterized the nodule as minor and treatable.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has backed a redesigned health-plan tax to preserve Medi-Cal financing after federal rules — tightened under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" — prevented the state from continuing its existing tax structure beyond 2026. The California Medical Association and California Association of Health Plans have filed a lawsuit to block the measure, arguing it violates Proposition 35, a voter-approved initiative limiting taxes on commercial health-plan enrollment. Health insurers have estimated the revised tax could raise premiums by approximately $100 per person per year, or around $400 annually for a family of four.
CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said Wednesday that the agency is coordinating with federal departments to monitor travelers arriving from Siberia following the October 2 death of Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. Russian authorities have not confirmed that Shipilova was infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes pneumonic plague, and say her death was from pneumonia of unknown origin. Schwartz said the threat to the United States is "extremely low."
Christa Pike has been discharged from a hospital and returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Tennessee, according to a statement from her attorneys. Pike had been hospitalized for several days after surviving two doses of the lethal drug pentobarbital during a September 30 execution attempt. A Davidson County judge has ordered prison officials to preserve all evidence connected to the failed execution.
Warren H. Cohn, CEO of RocketshipPR, received approximately $27,000 in hospital bills for services he had already paid as a self-pay patient. The hospital attributed the error to an AI-enabled process within its Epic system that identified his insurance and submitted claims to that insurer despite his prior self-pay arrangement. The hospital has since corrected the disputed charges and credited his account.
Amerigroup, the insurer that covers Georgia's foster children through Medicaid, has cut reimbursements to autism therapy providers by 30%. The Autism Families Alliance, which previously supported the Trump administration's Medicaid fraud crackdown, is now warning that the cuts could force up to 75% of clinics to close or stop serving foster children. Advocates say the reductions are an unintended consequence of broader efforts to eliminate fraud from Medicaid-funded autism services.
An estimated 800,000 Los Angeles County residents carry medical bills they cannot pay, according to county public health officials. LA County's Department of Public Health, the Hospital Association of Southern California, and LA Care health plan are collaborating to deploy a shared presumptive eligibility screening system at county hospitals. The system would automatically identify low-income patients who qualify for financial aid before they receive a bill, with a target launch date of January 2026.
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