Category: Health

(NEW YORK) — So-called “night owls” may face a higher risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study published Wednesday finds.

Researchers found that “evening type” people had poorer cardiovascular health scores than those who were neither “morning type” or “evening type” people and had an associated 16% higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed survey and biometric data from more than 320,000 British adults aged 39 to 74.

Participants were asked whether they considered themselves a “definite morning” person, a “definite evening” person or somewhere in between, termed “intermediate.”

Researchers then calculated each person’s heart health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) score. These factors include four health behaviors — diet quality, physical activity, sleep duration and nicotine exposure — and four health factors, including blood pressure, body mass index, blood sugar and blood fat levels.

“These are the factors the American Heart Association has identified as cardiovascular disease risk factors,” Kristen Knutson, associate professor of neurology and peventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine specializing in sleep and circadian rhythm research and fellow at the American Heart Association, told ABC News.

“Different people will have them in different combinations, but they are all correlated with one another,” she added.

Evening people were 79% more likely to have poor overall heart health compared with those in the intermediate group, the study found. Morning people did slightly better than the intermediate group, with a 5% lower risk of having a poor LE8 score.

Researchers found the evening people had a 16% higher risk of both heart attack and stroke. Researchers estimated that about 75% of this higher risk was explained by other LE8 factors, rather than sleep timing alone.

“It isn’t being a night owl that’s a problem,” Knutson said. “I think being a night owl who’s trying to live in a morning lark’s world is a conflict between one’s internal clock and their social clock.”

The higher risk appeared to be due to certain lifestyle behaviors and other health factors, the study found.

Nicotine use had the strongest impact on heart health, explaining 34% of the link between late bedtime and heart disease. Shorter sleep duration accounted for 14% of the extra risk, high blood sugar for 12% and body weight and diet each accounted for about 11% of the increased risk.

Behavioral effects of being a night owl were stronger in women than in men — women were 96% more likely to have lower LE8 scores compared to 67% in men, though they did not have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke.

“Women are further stressed by that lifestyle because they’re having to still get up and be the primary caregiver for family members,” Dr. Sonia Tolani, preventative cardiologist, Associate Professor of Medicine, and co-director of the Columbia University Women’s Heart Center, told ABC News.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers concluded prevention efforts should focus on improving lifestyle habits when spending more time awake at night.

“The most obvious way is to quit smoking and that’s not new advice,” Knutson says. “But sleep regularity, meaning trying to go to bed at about the same time every day and not jumping around the clock — particularly on days off — can really help lead to regular timing of other behaviors like light exposure, meals, exercise activity.”

“Prioritize the low-hanging fruit” recommended Tolani. If an hour at the gym is not doable, “maybe you can find a way to do a 10-minute walk or cut a little bit of salt from your diet. Just try to make small changes,” she said.

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(NEW YORK) — Over the last several days, many Americans have seen upsetting, and often violent, images and videos of protests in Minneapolis amid a flood of ICE agents entering the city for a federal immigration enforcement operation.

Research has shown that images of extreme violence can impact mental health, increasing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Among the videos and images that circulated widely in recent weeks have been the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens involving federal agents just 17 days apart: Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Psychologists and psychiatrists told ABC News that witnessing a death can add an extra level of distress for some people and lead to long-lasting consequences.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression
Studies have shown the symptoms of depression and anxiety can increase when exposed to negative news.

One 2011 study from the University of Sussex in Brighton, U.K., found that people had worsened mood and anxiety symptoms after just 14 minutes of negative news consumption.

Another 2022 study from Rutgers University, focused on COVID-19 news, found that greater daily exposure to news about the virus was linked to higher same-day and next-day worry about the pandemic as well as feelings of hopelessness and general worry.

Dr. Pierluigi Mancini, a psychologist and interim president and CEO of the nonprofit Mental Health America, told ABC News that witnessing any kind of violence whether through news, on social media or in person can lead to psychological effects

“So, people will experience fear, they’ll experience hypervigilance, they’ll experience emotional exhaustion, and they will have effects on their mental health,” he said.

Mancini added that witnessing violent events can activate the body’s “fight-or-flight response” which can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, nausea, irritability and difficulty concentrating, especially when the events happen in one’s own community.

“So, the individuals that are on site where they are witnessing these effects in their neighborhoods get affected at a much higher level, but even those millions more that end up watching it on social media or traditional news sites also have those experiences,” he said.

Witnessing deaths may be especially traumatic
Research has shown that mental health impacts are even more profound when someone’s unexpected death is witnessed and shared.

A May 2021 article looked at emotional and mental health impacts after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed in Minneapolis in 2020 after a white police officer knelt on his neck.

The team analyzed Gallup poll data and found that in the week following Floyd’s death, more than one-third of respondents reported feelings of anger and sadness.

Researchers found a 1.5-fold increase in feelings of anger and a 1.3-fold increase in feelings of sadness compared to poll data for the four weeks preceding Floyd’s death. Increases were seen despite already elevated levels of anger and sadness due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johannes Eichstaedt, co-author of the study and an assistant professor in psychology at Stanford University, told ABC News he sees some similarities between the death of Floyd and the deaths of Good and Pretti, all of which occurred in Minneapolis.

He said there is scientific literature about linked fate, or the sensation someone has that a horrible event could have happened to them or someone they know.

“There is a very real fear response in the human body with lots of physiological consequences that are very real and when something like this happens and it’s recorded like this and then it traumatizes more or less everybody who watches this,” Eichstaedt said. “The problem is not that these things are getting captured in a video. The problem is that these things happen.”

Dr. Anthony Feinstein, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, told ABC News that witnessing a death can be distressing to anyone, but that it is important to determine when the stress becomes pathological.

“I think any individual with a moral compass would be distressed by seeing someone die like this on television,” he said. “It’s a very distressing thing to witness. And to feel momentary dismay and stress and sadness or anxiety in response to it strikes me as a normal human response to an abnormal event. Where it becomes problematic is when that stress and that distress doesn’t go away, when it lingers.”

Experts said witnessing deaths on the news, such as what occurred in Minneapolis, can elevate the level of potential mental health impacts, especially among those who are most vulnerable.

“It is extremely traumatic to see someone die,” Mancini said. “Once that sinks in that you witnessed someone lose their life, especially in a violent situation. It’s always traumatic even if you’re next to a loved one who’s passing and you’re expecting it, but when it’s unexpected and when it is violent, it is extremely difficult to watch and to process.”

Mancini said some people may be desensitized to violence, but others can be severely impacted. Witnessing violence can violate a person’s feeling of safety and stability, he said.

“In Minnesota, many people are experiencing that escalating stress,” he said. “They’re experiencing that fear, that violence and uncertainty in their communities. So, it’s gonna make you question everything that you were taught when you were growing up.”

How to protect mental health
For those who are experiencing mental health impacts, experts say there are steps people can take to protect their mental health.

Rather than avoiding the news altogether, Mancini said people can purposely limit the time they spend watching news coverage.

He added that watching the news is important to remain informed, but that it is just as important to have intentional engagement.

“So, for example, it is as simple as maybe … I will watch the news two times a day, and when I’m watching this news, I’m going to set a timer,” he said. “I’m gonna limit the time that I’m to be watching this news. That is the healthy thing to do.”

To limit mental health impacts, people can also take action by getting involved with a group focused on the issues they are most passionate about or joining an affinity group, which are supportive communities of people who share a common identity, experts said.

Feinstein said having psychosocial supports can help people maintain mental well-being and allow them to be more vulnerable as well.

“Peer support is important and there is literature out there that peer support is comforting and it’s protective and it’s helpful when it comes to managing situations like this,” Feinstein said. “Obviously you want to keep your responses within the letter of the law … but being part of a support group is helpful.”

Feinstein added that, in stressful times, it’s important for people to devote sufficient time to things that are healthy and meaningful in their lives, whether it be friendships, hobbies or interests.

“And, by the way, don’t feel guilty by doing it,” he said. “That’s really important. People feel, ‘Well, I’ve got a good life, and I feel guilty that I can go to the cinema and theater with other people.’ No, it’s really important that you hold on to those good positive things, because that’s how you maintain your mental well-being.”

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(NEW YORK) — Tens of thousands of nurses and health care workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities across California and Hawaii went on strike on Monday morning.

More than 31,000 workers across at least two dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics run by the non-profit health care system walked off the job at 7 a.m. PT, marking the largest strike of health care professionals so far this year.

The striking workers, who are members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), said they are fighting for safe staffing levels and fair wages and compensation.

UNAC/UHCP said many Kaiser facilities are currently experiencing staffing shortages, which is leading to delays in care and a risk of errors, as well as burnout and turnover.

The union also states that Kaiser is seeking wage cuts and a reduction in benefits and retirement, including active medical coverage and pension benefits.

“Kaiser’s own communications to employees reveal exactly why we are striking,” Charmaine Morales, president of UNAC/UHCP, said in a statement. “Instead of addressing unsafe staffing and patient care concerns, Kaiser is issuing messages that pressure workers not to strike, exaggerate the risks of participation, and encourage employees to report one another. That is intimidation.”

The union argues that Kaiser is engaging in unfair labor practices by stalling negotiations and attempting to bypass “the established national bargaining process.”

Both sides have been negotiation since May but are currently in a stalemate. The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Kaiser of walking away from the bargaining table in December.

Additionally, UNAC/UHCP released a report earlier this month, accusing Kaiser of earning a net income and surplus above what is traditional for a non-profit health care system.

The report also criticized Kaiser for allegedly investing in private prisons and ICE detention centers, which the union claims raises “urgent ethical questions.”

“Kaiser isn’t strapped for resources. It’s making choices — and those choices are hurting people. It’s time for accountability,” Morales said in a statement at the time.

In a statement, Kaiser referred to the strike as “unnecessary when such a generous offer is on the table” and said the strike has occurred despite a recent agreement to return to local bargaining.

Kaiser said that as health care costs rise, and many Americans risk losing access to health insurance, it is committed to delivering fair and competitive pay for its staff while protecting affordability for patients.

“Despite the union’s claims, this strike is about wages,” the statement read, in part. “The strike is designed to disrupt the lives of our patients — the very people we are all here to serve.”

The health care system said that all of its hospitals and nearly all of its medical offices will remain open during the strike and that contingency plans have been put in place to ease disruptions.

Kaiser said that some in-person appointments may need to be virtual instead and some appointments, elective surgeries and procedures may need to be rescheduled.

This is not the first time Kaiser workers have gone on strike. In October, thousands of workers participated in a five-day strike across California and Hawaii to demand safer staffing and fair compensation. 

Kaiser’s strike comes amid the largest nursing strike in New York City history with nearly 15,000 nurses walking off the job at five hospitals across the city.

The strike, which began two weeks ago, has shown some signs of progress with the New York State Nurses Association — the union representing the workers — saying at least two hospitals have agreed on maintaining health benefits for nurses.

However, nurses have indicated that the strike will continue until at least tentative contract agreements are reached.

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(NEW YORK) — Long-term alcohol use has been linked to higher risks of colorectal cancer, according to a study published Monday in the journal Cancer.

Researchers found that those with heavy lifetime alcohol consumption have up to a 91% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with those who drank very little. That risk significantly increased with consistent heavy consumption, whereas those who quit drinking may have demonstrated decreased risk of precancerous tissue.

“The longer someone drinks, the longer their colon and rectum are exposed damage and impaired repair, both major mechanisms of cancer,” Dr. Lynn M O’Connor, section chief of colon and rectal surgery at Mercy Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in New York, told ABC News.

The study followed more than 88,000 adults with no prior history of cancer. Participants reported their alcohol use beginning in early adulthood and were followed for nearly a decade to track cancer outcomes.

Compared with those who averaged one drink or less per week over their lifetime, those who consumed over 14 drinks a week had a 25% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. The link was even stronger for rectal cancer, where one’s risk nearly doubled.

Rectal cancer is “often more difficult to treat and more involved clinically, which makes screening and early identification all the more important,” Dr. Jeffrey Farma, a colorectal cancer specialist, told ABC News.

The results come as colorectal cancers are on the rise, especially in younger people.

“We’re seeing an uptick in rectal cancers. If alcohol affects the lower part of the colon differently —we need to understand why,” Dr. Fola May, a GI specialist and associate director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, told ABC News.

In the study, researchers found the highest risks among people who drank heavily at every stage of life. Those who consistently exceeded recommended drinking limits across each stage of adulthood had a 91% higher risk of colorectal cancer compared with lifelong light drinkers or those with gaps in heavy drinking.

“These numbers are not guarantees, but signals to do something before it’s too late,” May said. “Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers we can actually prevent or catch early, but fewer than 70% of eligible people get screened.”

The study also looked at adenomas —polyps that can develop into cancer. While heavy drinking was not strongly linked to adenoma risk, those who quit drinking had significantly lower odds of developing nonadvanced adenomas compared to light drinkers.

“These are modifiable risks. The choices people make over time matter, and the body can respond when those risks are reduced,” Farma said.

The results align with a growing body of evidence linking alcohol, a well-recognized carcinogen, to colorectal cancer.

Colorectal screening is recommended for all adults starting at age 45 according to the United States Preventative Services Task Force. Screening tools include annual stool tests, CT scans every five years, or colonoscopies every 10 years.

“Everyone should be screened. It saves lives, and people are dying unnecessarily when they put it off,” May said.

Those who may be at higher risk may need to be screened at an early age or more often than typically recommended.

“If you’ve had prolonged heavy drinking and you develop symptoms like bleeding or persistent changes in bowel habits, you need to be evaluated — even in your 30s,” Farma said. “That’s how we catch this early and save lives.”

Tyler Beauchamp, MD, is a pediatric resident at UNC Children’s Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(NEW YORK ) — Fewer people are dying from heart disease, but the condition is still the leading cause of death in the U.S., a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA) finds.

Although death rates from heart disease have dropped for the first time in the past five years, it still kills more Americans than any other condition, according to the report, published early Wednesday in the journal Circulation.

Annual heart disease deaths decreased by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023 — from 941,652 to 915,973, according to the report. However, cardiovascular disease still killed more people in the U.S. than cancer and accidents combined.

Deaths related to blockages in the coronary arteries, which are blood vessels that wrap around the heart’s surface, decreased by 5.9% from 371,506 to 349,470 over the same period, the report found.

Coronary artery disease often leads to a heart attack, with two people dying of coronary heart disease every three minutes, the report noted.

Other chronic conditions that damage blood vessels and increase risks for heart disease are also common among Americans, according to the report.

The percentage of U.S. adults with high blood pressure increased slightly to 47.3% while the rate of obesity decreased slightly to 50%, the report found. However, obesity is on the rise among the younger generation — increasing from 25.4% to 28.1% among those between ages 2 and 19, according to the report.

Prevention, including addressing risk factors, remains key in reducing heart disease deaths, Dr. Sadiya Khan, a board-certified cardiologist at Northwestern and vice chair of the volunteer committee behind the report, told ABC News.

“We cannot cure heart disease and so, if we wait until symptoms are present, we are left with trying to manage symptoms and treat, which saves lives but the yield of prevention is even greater,” she said.

There are four lifestyle behaviors and four health metrics essential for heart health, according to the AHA report. These include healthy eating, physical activity, sleeping well and quitting tobacco as well as controlling weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.

Addressing these eight factors could prevent up to 40% of heart disease deaths and lower the risk of developing major heart disease symptoms by up to 74%, according to a 2024 analysis from researchers in the Netherlands and Sweden.

Those same preventative measures have benefits beyond the heart, Khan pointed out. They can also help slow brain aging and lower the risk for dementia. Managing blood pressure is especially helpful against cognitive decline, she added.

Reducing cardiovascular disease in the U.S. could improve the health of not just the general public but also the health of the economy, Dr. Jennifer Miao, a board-certified Yale cardiologist and ABC Medical Unit fellow, told ABC News.

“We’re seeing an incredible financial burden of cardiovascular disease on the U.S. economy, with an estimated average of $414.7 billion in direct and indirect costs of treating cardiovascular disease from 2021 to 2022,” she said.

Despite the well-documented positive effects from good lifestyle habits, getting Americans to focus on their cardiovascular health has been an uphill battle, Khan said.

For example, only one in four US adults currently meet national guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise. Additionally, only 43.5% of Americans with type 2 diabetes have their condition under control, according to the report.

“Staying physically active and engaging in regular exercise routines to the best of your ability are day-to-day goals that can significantly impact your overall health,” Miao said. “Talk to your health care provider about any questions you might have on safe exercise plans and appropriate health screenings that are suited for you as an individual.”

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(NEW YORK) — The American Red Cross declared a severe emergency blood shortage on Monday and called on people to donate.

The humanitarian organization, which says it’s the largest supplier of blood products for hospitals and for patient need in the U.S., said the demand from hospitals has outpaced the available supply of blood.

Dr. Courtney Lawrence, divisional chief medical officer at American Red Cross, told ABC News that almost one-third of the organization’s blood stores across the country have been depleted due to hospital need.

Lawrence said inclement winter weather, which has forced more than 400 Red Cross blood drives around the U.S. to be canceled, is among the reasons that donations are down.

Additionally, the U.S. is experiencing a moderately severe flu season, with some states reporting record levels of weekly cases and hospitalizations.

“That can overwhelm our health care system, and it can also mean that donors may not be feeling well enough to come in to donate or may be busy taking care of their loved ones who are sick,” Lawrence said.

When blood supplies are low, it can affect the ability to treat patients in need including trauma patients, chemotherapy patients with underlying blood disorders, those living with sickle cell disease and others, Lawrence said. She called on Americans to donate if they’re able to.

Reihaneh Hajibeigi, 34, from Austin, Texas, was one of those patients in need, telling ABC News that blood transfusions saved her life.

Hajibeigi said she lost a lot of blood while giving birth to her first child in 2023, and that the hospital gave her some blood and sent her home with her husband and newborn daughter.

“After about a couple weeks, things started to not be so great,” she told ABC News. “What I assumed was just being new mom tired really turned into fatigue. I was losing a lot of blood. I was starting to just not feel so great”

When Hajibeigi went back to the doctor two and a half weeks after giving birth, she said medical staff discovered she had retained a roughly four-centimeter piece of placenta on her uterine wall that was becoming toxic.

Hajibeigi said she underwent a procedure the next morning and began hemorrhaging during the operation, losing about 40% of her total blood volume.

In the recovery room, Hajibeigi said she started to crash again from the loss of blood and doctors raced to give her a blood transfusion.

“Fortunately, they had the blood on hand. They were able to get it into my system and basically brought me back to life,” she said.

Hajibeigi said she hopes that by sharing her story, she can encourage people to donate if they’re able, especially knowing there’s a chance their donation can help someone in need.

“It just made it that much clearer how vital blood donations are and how much sometimes we take it for granted, just assuming that the blood supply was always going to be intact,” she said. “And in that case, I needed the blood. Wonderful.”

“It’s a scary thought to think what if the blood product that I needed wasn’t there?” Hajibeigi said. “Then what would have happened?”

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(SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C.) — At least 88 new measles cases in South Carolina have been confirmed amid the state’s outbreak, bringing the total number of infections to 646, state health officials said Tuesday.

The majority of cases have been found in the Upstate region and around Spartanburg County, which sits on the border with North Carolina.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — On the last day to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance plans in most states, President Donald Trump presented his own ideas for a health care plan that left some health policy experts that spoke to ABC News with unanswered questions.

Trump has long been asked for a health care plan amid sustained criticism of the ACA, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama. “The Great Healthcare Plan” presents a proposal to shift government insurance subsidies directly to consumers through health savings accounts and take advantage of his “most favored nation” drug price initiative.

“My plan would reduce your insurance premiums by stopping government payoffs to big insurance companies and sending that money directly to the people,” Trump said in a video announcing the plan.

However, the video and one-page fact sheet posted on the White House website were light on specifics about how much would actually go to Americans or how much funding the plan would require or how the funds would be distributed.

Dr. Sachin Jain, a former official in the Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, acknowledged that it’s a “pretty big step” for Trump to articulate health care as a major priority during his second term.

Jain, who is now the president and CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, a not-for-profit Medicare Advantage provider, told ABC News “health care is one of these areas where the devil is always in the details” in terms of what changes could be implemented.

Aside from lowering drug prices through most-favored nation deals and cutting back on insurance subsidies, the plan proposes a cost-sharing provision that the Congressional Budget Office estimates would reduce most Obamacare premiums by 10%.

The plan also proposes to hold insurance companies accountable with a “Plain English” standard and institute pricing requirements for providers who accept Medicare and Medicaid to “prominently post their pricing and fees.”

Trump urged Congress to “pass this framework into law without delay.”

Some provisions will have ‘virtually no effect’

Some health policy experts believe with just a one-page fact sheet that there’s no way to tell how impactful these ideas could be and if they will expand on the plans already in existence through the ACA.

“Several of these provisions would have virtually no effect because they’re already in the ACA, or they look very similar to ones that are already in the ACA,” KFF Senior Vice President Cynthia Cox told ABC News.

Cox, the director of the Program on the ACA at the independent health policy research organization, stressed that Trump’s plan, in many respects, already exists, including price transparency and holding big insurance companies accountable.

Speaking about his plan, the president said Thursday that “nobody’s ever heard of” this idea to give money directly to the consumer, but Jain noted that what’s known as “consumerism” has been around for a long time.

“One of the big challenges with consumerism is health care is a complex industry to navigate, and people don’t often understand what it is that they’re buying or not buying,” Jain told ABC News.

Patients might also have a “degree of anxiety” because they don’t always know what bill they’re going to get, according to Jain.

“When it comes to true consumerism, shopping for health care isn’t like shopping for other goods and services, mostly because people don’t actually want to consume more health care,” he said.

Cox stressed that not only is giving money directly to Americans not a new proposal, it was already in multiple Republican proposals that failed to advance through the Senate in December.

Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy argued at the time of the bill’s consideration that his legislative package would have put “thousands in patients’ pockets” to help pay for their out-of-pocket expenses. But the measure failed by a 51-48 vote just days before the expiration of the enhanced ACA tax credits.

White House officials on Thursday said Congress’ legislative plans haven’t been able to “effectuate” Trump’s desire to pay people directly for their health care costs. Without referencing any lawmakers and their existing packages specifically, the administration officials told reporters on Thursday that the White House has engaged with many Hill “allies” on the details of the president’s new plan.

Cox said she believes the president’s new strategy could also create problems for vulnerable Americans, leaving them with no option for health insurance if they don’t get it through their employer.

“One possible interpretation of this [plan] is that, you know, if you give cash to people without any requirement that they use that cash to purchase ACA marketplace coverage — or coverage that has protections for people with pre-existing conditions — then you might see that healthy people use taxpayer dollars to purchase coverage that’s not compliant with the Affordable Care Act,” Cox told ABC News.

“What that would mean is that the ACA or Obamacare markets become destabilized, possibly to the point of collapsing, which would leave people who have pre-existing conditions and who would otherwise rely on that coverage without any options,” she said.

“It could effectively do away with the pre-existing condition protection provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and at least for people who are buying their own health insurance, which is over 20 million people,” Cox added.

What’s next?

Experts suggest it’s too early to tell how soon the new proposal could impact people’s health care, especially with Congress virtually gone through Tuesday.

White House officials said the president wants Congress to codify his plan, but didn’t specify how much input congressional leaders had on the new proposal.

The House last week passed a Democratic-led bill that would see the enhanced premium tax credits extended by three years.

But a path forward that sends the legislation through the Senate to the Resolute Desk for Trump’s signature remains in question.

GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said that there’s “no appetite” for an extension in the upper chamber but pointed to ongoing bipartisan talks on the extensions between senators and House members.

Since Trump’s video announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson has vowed to continue deliberative discussions with the White House to lower health care costs for Americans.

In reference to the president’s healthcare plan, Cassidy said his Senate committee will “take action” on Trump’s affordability agenda. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall also lobbied to work with the president on a comprehensive package that includes his bill to make health care more affordable.

Still, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray blasted the plan in a post on X, writing that it took the president over a decade to come up with a health care plan that is “one entire page.”

“It will do absolutely NOTHING to stop your premiums from more than doubling,” she said.

Meanwhile, the president’s plan came on the last day to enroll in ACA health insurance plans in most states, with a few exceptions. According to government data, about 1.4 million fewer people have signed up so far this year, as premiums skyrocketed after ACA tax credits expired at the end of 2025.

Cox, at KFF, emphasized that many people could face dire consequences with the health care coverage currently available to them.

“People are really, in some cases, facing life or death decisions because they can’t afford to pay another $10,000 to keep their insurance coverage, which might mean they go uninsured,” she said.

ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.

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