Axios

WASHINGTON — Health care costs and how to address them dominated the conversations at Axios' second annual Future of Health Summit this week as the country approaches the 2026 midterm elections.

Why it matters: Prices are top of mind for executives, policymakers and industry leaders as health care bills continue to strain Americans' finances.

• The event was sponsored by Covista, Genentech, Heartland Forward and UnitedHealth Group.

By the numbers: A KFF poll released this week revealed more than half of voters said health care costs would influence their votes.

• 75% of respondents in the summit's live audience poll said the one thing they'd change about the health care system would be costs.

Catch up quick: Here are our top five takeaways from the conversations …

1. Pharmaceutical leaders say high drug costs are being driven by complex legislation, FDA volatility and unfair international policy.

• "340B [the federal discount drug program] is a classic example of legislation that was well-intentioned, that has gotten out of control," Bristol Myers Squibb board chair and CEO Chris Boerner said.
• "We need predictability and, by extension, stability," he added.
• Other countries not paying their fair share of prescription medicine "amounts to about a 26% tax on U.S. consumers," PhRMA president and CEO Stephen J. Ubl said.

2. Fraud is top of mind, as leaders point to wasteful and inaccurate spending.

• Caryn Seidman Becker, chair and CEO of facial recognition technology CLEAR, says identify verification can reduce instances of fraud and save the government money.
• "If you look at a GAO report from December … there were 125 [policies] associated with one Social Security number," she said.
• "We are putting a national moratorium on all new hospices," Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told Axios' Caitlin Owens, citing concerns in New York and California.

3. The health care system itself isn't designed for our modern reality, Sesame co-founder and CEO David Goldhill said.

• "We built a health care system based on what health care looked like in the mid-20th century," and now it "has more people managing the payment system than practicing physicians," he said.
• The company hopes to alleviate barriers between patients and providers by eliminating the insurance go-between entirely.

4. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said he would support a proposal from President Trump to reduce health care costs for American families.

• He would "not only vote for it, I would work actively and aggressively to make it happen."
• Reality check: "The president hasn't introduced any legislation."

5. Oz announced a coalition to address prior authorization delays.

• "All of a sudden, the long arm of insurance comes in there, even though you're paying your fees [and] your premiums," he said. It is "probably the single most disliked part of the health care system."
• "The payers, the insurance companies, have been playing ball. Guess who's not been playing ball until today? The providers."

What's next: Republicans must decide whether they want to wade into controversial waters between now and the November election.

Content from the sponsors' segments:

In View From the Top conversations, Covista medical and veterinary president Scott Liles shared that 80% of health care professionals who responded to a joint survey with Gallup reported not having enough of what they need, "including colleagues on the floor."

• The report also found that 92% of health care executives are struggling to hire physician specialists.

Olivia Walton, founder of the maternal and child health center for policy and practice at Heartland Forward, and founder and CEO at Ingeborg, said solutions to the maternal mortality crisis aren't unaffordable.

• "America spends on average $19,000 per birth," Walton said. "You can actually make birth safer while spending less money on it."
• Maternal mortality "is a systemic issue, and it is going to require systemic interventions," said Elaine Welteroth, founder of BirthFund, author of "More Than Enough" and former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief.

Jon Mahrt, CEO of Optum Rx and chief growth officer of Optum, said the company is focused on addressing costs and transparency.

• "The pharmacy care ecosystem was designed for a simpler time," he said. "Patients crave that simplicity, and the opacity of the system undermines the confidence in that system today."
• "Consumers want direct-to-consumer cash price. … We've built and are launching the Optum Price pharmacy to do just that."

Go deeper: Watch the full conversations on YouTube.

College-educated fathers are spending less time doing paid work and more time doing things like child care and chores at home, according to a new analysis of Census data.

Why it matters: Millennial and Gen X men are more involved fathers than previous generations, a pattern that appears to have accelerated in the post-pandemic period.

The exceptionally high U.S. maternal mortality rate may be a grim topic, but it's also one of health care's solvable problems that can rally widespread bipartisan support.

Why it matters: While health policy is notorious for creating winners and losers, making a dent in maternal mortality stands out for its lack of downsides.

Two high-profile doctors are urging policymakers to support autonomous vehicle deployment, arguing the technology is already saving lives and should be a public health imperative.

Why it matters: It adds a public health voice to a broader policy push by the AV industry as state legislation stalls and debate over long-delayed federal regulations heats up in Congress.

The federal government's lagging response to the hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship is fueling concerns about the government's preparedness for a more widespread infectious disease emergency.

Why it matters: Public health experts say the response underscored vulnerabilities tied to the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, as well as layoffs and leadership turnover at federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Anyone who's been on a dating app knows the weary disclaimer: "Not looking for a pen pal." Since the pandemic, and as Gen Z has come of age, people looking for love have soured entirely on swiping.

Why it matters: The push for in-person connection shows up in research data, product launches, extensive coverage of the loneliness epidemic, and Gen Z's app aversion.

But approaching and connecting with strangers in real life is a different skill — and for many daters, a rusty one.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is stepping down after a turbulent 13-month term marked by organizational upheaval, controversies over drug approvals and tensions with the White House.

• Kyle Diamantas, the agency's deputy commissioner for food, will serve as acting commissioner, President Trump posted on Truth Social.

Weight-loss drugs are reshaping bridal retail — and David's Bridal is responding to brides' growing "fit anxiety" with a new guarantee.

Why it matters: GLP-1 medications are changing how consumers shop for wedding attire, forcing retailers to adapt to rapidly shifting body sizes, compressed shopping timelines and a surge in last-minute alterations.

The leading chatbots mostly avoid giving dangerous answers to prompts about suicide, but still struggle when mental health risks show up subtly or unfold over long conversations, according to new research from Seattle-based Mpathic.

Why it matters: People are increasingly turning to AI systems for emotional support in conversations where models can sound supportive while missing serious risk — and where mounting lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny are pushing labs to prove their bots are safe enough.

Nurses are using AI less frequently than physicians, and many feel like they're being excluded from decision-making, according to survey data from scientific publisher Elsevier shown first to Axios.

Why it matters: Nurses are often where the rubber meets the road in health care. Without their buy-in and input, hospitals could spend on medical tools that don't actually help staff or patients.