NPR shares its favorite articles with “actionable, evidence-based strategies for cultivating a healthy body and mind.”
Fortune Well identifies “six foods and drinks to choose in the New Year to improve mood, energy, and longevity” and discusses the differences between dry January and damp January.
The American Medical Associations tells us about what doctors wish their patients knew about effective New Years resolutions.
From Capitol Hill, the Wall Street Journal reports
A new era of divided government dawns this week as the 118th Congress begins, with Republicans looking to deploy their power with a fragile majority in the House and Democrats doing the same in the Senate.
The House of Representatives will convene on Tuesday, a date designated by the 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that stipulates Congress should begin each new session at noon on Jan. 3.
The first order of business will be electing a new Speaker. The last time that the election went beyond one ballot was one hundred years ago, but the streak could be broken tomorrow as Roll Call explains.
The Senate whose leadership is not changing will hold a routine opening day tomorrow.
No Congressional Committee hearings will be held this week.
From the Omicron and siblings front, NBC News and Forbes each offer detailed looks at the latest dominant Omicron variant XBB and XBB 1.5. NBC News states
“It’s clear that there’s immune evasive properties of XBB,” said Dr. Isaach Bogoch, an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist at the University of Toronto. “That’s been demonstrated both in laboratory studies and seen clinically in cases and hospitalizations.”
Given the high level of population immunity in the U.S. — either through infection, vaccination or both — Bogoch and others hope that, even if cases start to rise significantly, there won’t be a dramatic spike in hospitalizations or deaths as seen in previous waves.
Antibody studies don’t tell the whole story. Other parts of the immune system can protect against the virus and the Covid vaccines should remain effective at preventing severe illness and death from the virus, evidence suggests.
From the FEHB front, the Postal Service’s Inspector General released a “primer” on the 2022 Postal Reform Act, which requires a new Postal Service Health Benefits Program to be launched in two years.
From the Affordable Care Act marketplace, Health Payer Intelligence informs us
Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace enrollment has grown 18 percent from last year, with 11.5 million people signing up for coverage as of December 15, 2022, HHS announced.
“Unprecedented investments lead to unprecedented results. Under President Biden’s leadership, we have strengthened the Affordable Care Act Marketplace with continued record affordability, robust competition, and historic outreach efforts – and today’s enrollment numbers reflect that,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the press release. * * *
“Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, four out of five customers will be able to find a plan for $10 or less. As we head into the new year, there is no greater gift than the peace of mind that comes with having high-quality, affordable health care. There is still time to sign up until January 15 – visit HealthCare.gov today,” Becerra added.