Surprise! Pharma-Grade Speed Hits the Brain’s Reward Centers, AI Starts Prescribing Meds in Utah, and KFF Finds "Cheap" Health Plans Are No Longer Cheap

Hey all,

Happy Hump Day!  We treat childhood ADHD with "artisanal speed" while letting AI handle the refills, effectively outsourcing our collective chemical stability. We are leaning into a healthcare era where a robot’s cold logic replaces the human touch, ensuring minds stay stimulated even as skyrocketing insurance premiums become their own kind of medical emergency. It feels like a dystopian choreographed cycle: the AI keeps the prescriptions flowing and the marketplace keeps the prices soaring, leaving us all remarkably focused, skinny, and broke.

Enjoy the rundown!

Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroRX)

(Cell) How ADHD Medications Affect the Developing Brain

New research indicates that ADHD medications primarily target the brain’s reward and wakefulness centers rather than the areas previously assumed by medical experts. A large-scale analysis of brain imaging from nearly 5,800 children further highlights a significant correlation between the disorder and chronic sleep deprivation. It turns out that if you give a child pharmaceutical-grade speed, it shockingly heads straight for the pleasure and wakefulness centers just like the illicit stuff, rather than politely navigating to the "attention center" simply because it has a brand name on the bottle. Full Article 

(Politico) Artificial Intelligence Begins Prescribing Medications in Utah

Utah has launched a groundbreaking pilot program with health-tech startup Doctronic that allows an artificial intelligence system to independently renew routine prescriptions for chronic conditions without human doctor oversight. While state officials argue this automation will lower healthcare costs and improve access for patients in rural areas, medical groups have raised concerns regarding patient safety and the lack of physician supervision. This initiative challenges regulatory norms, but considering how often human doctors seem to be on autopilot during routine refills, we might as well cut out the middleman and let the actual robots do it. Full Article

(Fierce Healthcare) KFF Analysis of Catastrophic ACA Plans

A new KFF analysis reveals that catastrophic plans are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, with availability dropping to 36 states and premiums jumping 29% for 2026 alone. While these plans are designed as a low-cost safety net, consumers are facing a maximum deductible of $10,600, forcing a risky trade-off between monthly savings and potential financial ruin. With the "low-cost" option now costing nearly as much as better coverage in some counties, it seems the marketplace has achieved the grim irony where the "catastrophic" label refers less to medical emergencies and more to the monthly premiums themselves.

Full Article