The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that more than 22.8 million individuals have enrolled in 2026 health insurance coverage through Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, a record-breaking figure that surpasses all previous enrollment periods. This national snapshot captures signups from both the federal HealthCare.gov platform and state-based exchanges (SBEs), marking a clear high point in the ACA’s implementation. But behind the headline growth lies a more nuanced, and increasingly urgent, set of questions for healthcare leaders tasked with navigating cost structures, compliance shifts, and continuity of care.

The launch of Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center’s AI-powered clinical trial matching platform, PRISM, marks a decisive shift in how large health systems may approach research participation at scale. While artificial intelligence continues to draw headlines across diagnostics, imaging, and documentation, this initiative surfaces a quieter transformation: the operational integration of trial eligibility into real-time care workflows.

The lawsuit fallout from the TriZetto data breach has accelerated a reckoning long overdue in healthcare IT governance: vendor partnerships are not cybersecurity strategies. As Cognizant Technology Solutions now faces multiple U.S. class-action suits over its handling of a 2020 breach affecting its TriZetto Provider Solutions platform, the liability spotlight is shifting upstream. In a sector increasingly dependent on outsourced infrastructure, cloud-based platforms, and revenue cycle management automation, enterprise buyers can no longer separate procurement from risk management.

For nearly four years, the viability of Medicare-funded telehealth has hinged not on clinical efficacy or infrastructure investment but on arbitrary congressional timelines. The latest deadline, January 30, once again threatens to dismantle a vital pillar of modern care delivery if policymakers fail to authorize permanent legislative protections. While telehealth utilization has matured past its emergency roots, policy continues to treat it as provisional. This mismatch is not only structurally unsustainable but fiscally shortsighted.