A new poll finds most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive. That comes as Americans make decisions about next year's health coverage and a government shutdown keeps future health costs in limbo for millions. The AP-NORC poll shows about 6 in 10 Americans are "extremely" or "very" concerned about their health costs going up in the next year, a worry that extends across age groups and includes people with and without health insurance. The findings show that many Americans are feeling vulnerable to spiking health care costs, with some expressing concerns about whether they'll have coverage at all.

The federal government was thrown into a shutdown with no easy endgame in sight. Democrats held firm Wednesday to their demands to salvage health care subsidies that President Donald Trump and Republican in Congress have refused to negotiate. The White House threatened mass layoffs of federal workers in a matter of days. No new talks were scheduled after the president failed this week to secure a deal with congressional leaders. Blame was being cast on all sides. A vote to end the government shutdown has failed. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he's praying that Democrats come to their senses.

Drugmaker Pfizer has agreed to lower drug costs under a deal struck with President Donald Trump's administration. Trump made the announcement Tuesday with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla at the White House. Under the agreement, New York-based Pfizer will charge most-favored-nation pricing to Medicaid and guarantee the same pricing on newly launched drugs. That involves matching the lowest price offered in other developed nations. The agreement by Pfizfer builds on an executive order Trump signed in May setting a deadline for drugmakers to electively lower prices or face new limits on what the government will pay.

Prices are falling for the popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound, but steady access to the drugs remains challenging. Reduced monthly costs for uninsured patients still amount to around $500. That can put the drugs out of reach for many. Coverage also continues to shift or restrict how patients get prescriptions. Doctors say the patchy coverage and costs force them to get creative in treating patients. But there's hope that prices for the injectable drugs may fall more in the future, especially once pill versions enter the market.

A new poll shows most U.S. adults don't think the government is overspending on the programs Republicans in Congress have focused on cutting, like Medicaid and food stamps. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows Americans broadly support increasing or maintaining existing levels of funding for popular safety net programs, including Social Security and Medicare. They're more divided on spending around the military and border security. As Republican senators debate President Donald Trump's bill that could slash federal spending and extend tax cuts, the survey points to a disconnect between Republicans' policy agenda and public sentiment around the domestic programs that are up for debate.

President Donald Trump's administration has released to deportation officials the personal data for millions of Medicaid enrollees, including their immigration status. That's according to an internal memo and emails obtained by The Associated Press. Trump officials have been reaching deep into communities across the country to ramp up deportations and fought for the health data on immigrants from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The dataset released this week includes the information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., which all allow immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to enroll in relatively new Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. or face new limits down the road over what the government will pay. The Republican president's order Monday calls on the health department to broker new price tags for drugs. If deals are not reached, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be tasked with developing a rule tying the price the U.S. pays for medications to lower prices paid by other countries. The nation's pharmaceutical lobby calls Trump's order a "bad deal" for American patients. Drugmakers argue threats to their profits could impact research to develop new drugs.