What election results say about health care costs; blood tests for Alzheimer’s reach primary care; heart attacks and late-onset epilepsy – Morning Medical Update

What the election results say about health care costs

2025 election results from Virginia and New Jersey suggest that voters’ concerns about the economy and health care costs are increasingly intertwined. According to the 2025 Voter Poll, nearly half of Virginia voters and one-third of New Jersey voters cited the economy as their top issue, while about one in five prioritized health care — most of whom overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates. In Virginia, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate won 81% of voters who named health care their main concern; in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill captured 92% of that group. An analysis from KFF notes that Democrats also gained ground among voters focused on the economy, a bloc that favored President Trump in 2024. With debate ongoing in Washington over extending enhanced ACA premium tax credits amid a federal shutdown, the results underscore how rising health care costs have become a central economic worry for many Americans — and a potent political force heading into 2026. KFF has more.

Blood tests for Alzheimer’s reach primary care

The first FDA-approved blood test for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, Roche’s Elecsys pTau181, could transform early detection and access to treatment. The test measures a phosphorylated form of the tau protein in blood plasma — an indicator of the amyloid and tau buildup characteristic of Alzheimer’s. Already authorized in Europe, Elecsys pTau181 is the first screening tool cleared for use in primary care, where it can help identify patients who should undergo more definitive testing such as PET imaging or cerebrospinal fluid analysis. With a 97.9% reliability in ruling out amyloid disease, the test offers a less invasive and more scalable alternative to current diagnostics. Its approval coincides with the rise of monoclonal antibody treatments that modestly slow symptom progression when started early. Experts caution, however, that the test’s positive results are less reliable and that it should not be used for self-screening or diagnosis without clinical evaluation. More from Wired.

Heart attacks may double risk for late-onset epilepsy

Older adults who experience a heart attack could face an elevated risk of developing epilepsy later in life, according to a new study published in Neurology. Researchers followed more than 3,100 stroke-free adults over three decades and found that those who had a heart attack were twice as likely to develop epilepsy after age 60 compared with peers who did not. People who developed late-onset epilepsy were also nearly three times more likely to die from vascular causes other than stroke.