• California: Last week, over 30,000 Kaiser Permanente workers went on strike in California, Hawaii, and Oregon for higher wages and increased staffing at their facilities. The strike lasted five days, from Tuesday to Sunday morning. In a statement, Kaiser said it was "deeply grateful to our front-line care teams who leaned in to ensure the continuity of outstanding patient care last week [during the strike]." Officials from the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) said the strike sent a powerful message. "What we've shown this week is the collective strength of health care professionals who refuse to stay silent while patient care suffers,'' said Charmaine Morales, an RN and president of UNAC/UHCP. "We've been loud, visible, and united -- and it's working. Our pressure on these lines has compelled Kaiser Permanente to come back to the table. Now we expect management to do what's right: commit to enforceable staffing standards and fair pay for the professionals who keep our communities healthy." Kaiser and union officials have agreed to resume contract negotiations this week, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday and focus on economic issues. They will also return to the national bargaining table on Oct. 28 and 29. (Associated Press, 10/19; ABC7, 10/19)
• Kentucky: Humana lost its latest lawsuit challenging CMS' calculation of the company's 2025 Medicare Advantage (MA) Star Ratings. For 2024, 94% of Humana's MA members were enrolled in plans that received at least four stars, which allowed the company to earn the largest quality bonuses. However, only a quarter of Humana's MA plans achieved a four-star rating for 2025, a decline that cost the insurer an estimated $3 billion in bonus revenue. In October 2024, Humana sued CMS over its MA Star Ratings, arguing that the agency did not properly evaluate the company's foreign language call center services when it gave them a 3.5-star rating. The lawsuit was initially dismissed, but Humana refiled it. Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled against Humana, saying that CMS did not violate the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946. "We are disappointed with the court's ruling but remain committed to delivering meaningful improvements to our star measurements," Humana said in a statement. We will consider all available legal options to ensure the star ratings calculated by CMS are accurate, consistent and representative of plan quality." According to Modern Healthcare, several insurers have sued CMS over the last two years to secure higher MA Star Ratings. Although a few insurers, including Elevance Health and Scan Health Plan, have succeeded, most of these cases have failed. (Tepper, Modern Healthcare, 10/14)
• New York: Health officials in New York reported its first locally acquired case of chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne disease, in a patient in Nassau County on Long Island. According to CDC, it is the first locally acquired case of chikungunya virus reported in any U.S. state or territory since 2019 and the first reported in any state since 2015. "Given the much colder nighttime temperatures, the current risk in New York is very low," said New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald. "We urge everyone to take simple precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites." Although chikungunya virus is not usually fatal, it can cause severe joint pain, fever, headaches, and muscle pain. Most symptoms typically stop within a week, but some patients may experience joint pain for months. According to The Hill, chikungunya cases have surged across the world this year, particularly in the Americas and China, which saw its largest outbreak of the virus since 2008. (Fortinsky, The Hill, 10/15)

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