Global Scans · Health · Weekly Summary

• [New] As the United States trails in rankings of health care systems of developed nations, value-based care could improve patient outcomes, but might not smooth out administrative efficiency. Medical Economics
• [New] An already strained NHS will feel that considerably and will have to increasingly shift its services towards geriatric, dementia and palliative care over maternity and paediatrics and labour shortages could hit the healthcare sector particularly hard. Royal London Asset Management
• [New] In the U.S., the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will add further complexity, with private healthcare services becoming essential to providing support where public provision falls short. Aon
• [New] AI will disrupt nearly every aspect of health care delivery in the coming years. Countercurrents
• [New] The Association of American Medical Colleges has estimated a shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036. AJMC
• [New] In 2025, the collective understanding of sleep as an active and essential contributor to both physical and mental health will become mainstream. Acceler8ar.com
• [New] Universal screening for youth suicide risk is recommended in healthcare settings. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Universal screening for youth suicide risk is feasible in healthcare settings, identifies previously unrecognized risk, and has sufficient sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of suicide attempts. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The end result is that nearly half of U.S. adults expect they will not be able to afford necessary health care in 2026. NPR
• [New] The costs of both Obamacare and employer-sponsored insurance plans are set to skyrocket in 2026, in a country where health care is already the most expensive in the developed world. NPR
• [New] On World AIDS Day, the World Health Organization calls on governments and partners to rapidly expand access to new WHO-approved tools including lenacapavir to drive down infections and counter disruption to essential health services caused by cuts to foreign aid. World Health Organization: WHO
• [New] International health assistance is projected to decline by 30% -40% in 2025 compared with 2023. Contagion Live
• [New] NIH has strengthened expectations to prioritize non-animal alternatives where scientifically appropriate and implemented new guidance encouraging the use of innovative methods that may better predict human health. The Guardian
• [New] Home health aides and personal care workers are among the fastest-growing occupations, with more than one million new job openings projected by 2029. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Federal expenditures on major health programs for older adults, including Medicare and Medicaid, are expected to increase from 6.6% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 to 9.2% by 2050. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The implementation of the MDR and IVDR is progressing, but it is recognized that the identified challenges pose significant threats to the proper functioning of the regulatory framework, which is having an impact on the availability of medical devices and IVDs in the EU. Arnold & Porter
• [New] In April of 2025, FDA will issue a final rule on food labeling regarding health claims for soy protein and coronary heart disease. Arnold & Porter
• [New] Despite rising challenges, global leaders emphasize that with coordinated action, innovation, and strengthened health systems, the world can still accelerate progress toward ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Contagion Live
• [New] Drug resistance threatens progress made over the last two decades and could reverse gains toward ending AIDS and controlling hepatitis and STIs as public health threats. Contagion Live
• [New] The World Health Organization has issued its first global guidance on the use of weight loss injections like Ozempic and Wegovy, warning that fewer than one in ten people who could benefit are currently able to access them. Bizclik Media Ltd
• [New] With over one billion women projected to be in perimenopause or menopause by 2030, insurers and health systems are beginning to integrate menopause-specific care pathways. FemTech World

Last updated: 12 December 2025