The Daily Trickle

Oregon temporary rule amends prior authorization criteria and preferred drug list

The Oregon Health Authority has filed a temporary rule in the Oregon Bulletin that amends the prior authorization (PA) criteria and the preferred drug list (PDL) under Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 410. The change implements recommendations from a drug utilization review and pharmacy and therapeutics (DUR/P&T) action. The filing does not describe the specific changes.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Oregon rule covers its move to a state-based marketplace

The Oregon Health Authority has filed a permanent rule in the Oregon Bulletin on Oregon's transition from using the Federally Facilitated Marketplace to a State-Based Marketplace, under Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 410. The filing describes only the subject and does not give a start date.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Oregon Board of Pharmacy proposes rules on vaccine prescribing protocols

The Oregon Board of Pharmacy has proposed rules on prescribing pursuant to protocol, covering COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine protocols and standard vaccination protocols. The notice appears in the Oregon Bulletin under Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 855. If adopted, the rules would govern prescribing under these protocols.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment deadline is listed; see the document.

Oregon proposes changes to preferred drug list and prior authorization criteria

The Oregon Health Authority has proposed amendments to its preferred drug list (PDL) and prior authorization (PA) criteria, implementing recommendations from a drug utilization review and pharmacy and therapeutics (DUR/P&T) action. The notice is under Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 410 and does not describe the specific changes.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment deadline is listed; see the document.

Industrialization reshapes gut microbes and intestinal physiology, study reports

A peer-reviewed study in the journal Cell combined microbiome and host data from populations around the world. The authors report that industrialization restructures gut microbial ecosystems, reducing microbial diversity, and alters intestinal immune and physiological responses. They also found that microbiome-based disease predictors had limited portability across populations.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

Antiviral stockpiles alone cannot prevent hospital overload in severe influenza pandemics

A peer-reviewed modeling study in PLOS Medicine, led by Nir Gavish, compared pandemic influenza antiviral stockpiles with hospital capacity in the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States. The authors report that stockpiles kept demand manageable in moderate scenarios, but in high-severity scenarios the daily surge of patients exceeded available hospital capacity by a factor of 5–9, even with perfect distribution of antivirals. They say their optimistic assumptions make the structural failures a lower-bound estimate, and they argue for a capacity-based approach to planning.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Preprint describes human antibodies that bind a conserved influenza protein site

A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by J. Finney uses in vitro immunoassays and structural imaging to study a class of broadly protective human antibodies that binds a conserved site on influenza hemagglutinin. The authors report that recognition depends on specific germline gene variants of the antibody gene IGHV1-2, and that most people carry the necessary variants. They conclude that an immunogen displaying this site might reliably elicit broadly protective influenza antibodies in most humans.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Preprint says disease controls can distort estimates of transmission timing

A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by K. V. Parag argues that public health interventions reshape generation times, the intervals between successive infections, for directly transmitted diseases. The authors say that ignoring this can under- or over-estimate intervention effectiveness by as much as 100% under realistic settings. They argue this bias can limit model-driven public health policy and pandemic preparedness.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Preprint finds antibiotics can alter how human immune cells respond

A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by S. Hen-Avivi examined how clinically used antibiotics affect the activation of primary human immune cells. The authors report that ciprofloxacin impaired the expansion and activation of human T-cells and changed mitochondrial function, and that immune activation changed in mice after a single antibiotic dose. They conclude that antibiotics can directly affect host immunity.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Washington proposes uniform hospital charity care standards

The Washington Department of Health proposes to update chapter 246-453 WAC to align hospital charity care rules with chapter 70.170 RCW, which changed after legislation in 2018 and 2022. The stated goal is to set uniform standards for charity care procedures and processes. The proposal would give more flexibility on when a responsible party can apply, raise income thresholds for eligibility, remove the sliding fee schedule of discounts, and allow assets to be considered when reducing a discount.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Comments close

Dec 1, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by December 1, 2026.

Preprint links pandemic disruption to shifts in RSV spread and evolution

A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by E. Gustani-Buss analyzes genetic data on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors report new RSV-A genotypes and an expanded RSV-B genotype after the pandemic, and say air-travel volume was the strongest predictor of global spread. They also report positive selection at 20 sites in key viral proteins.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Preprint proposes computer tool to guide COVID-19 vaccine composition choices

A preprint on medRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by P. Gangwar describes VaccineScout, a computational framework that recommends SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates by minimizing spike amino acid distances to forecast variant prevalence. The authors report that over half of spike sequences seen in the six months after vaccine selection were already circulating at the time, compared with 5–10% later. In retrospective analyses, its recommendations either matched U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations or had lower spike distances to future variants.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Preprint finds post-Covid inflation was driven mainly by strong demand

A preprint from NBER, not yet peer-reviewed, argues that post-Covid inflation in the United States and the Euro Area was driven mainly by unexpectedly strong demand rather than supply shocks. The paper says that demand reflected pent-up demand after pandemic restrictions, stronger-than-expected expansionary fiscal policy and an unusually accommodative monetary stance. These forces cushioned the recessionary effects of supply shocks, at the cost of higher inflation.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

Preprint argues globalisation is shifting from factories to offices

A preprint from NBER, not yet peer-reviewed, argues that globalisation's frontier has moved from manufacturing to services trade, which it calls the Global Office. It reports that all of the world's export-linked net job creation from 2008 to 2022 occurred in digitally delivered services rather than manufacturing. The paper also finds that each hour of time-zone separation reduces Office exports by roughly 4%.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

Preprint argues automation growth depends on how much capital is saved

A preprint from NBER, not yet peer-reviewed, argues that in a standard task model of automation, the amount of capital accumulated sets the size of the growth boom, while the task structure sets how long it lasts. The paper says the same technology produces 11.7% annual growth with optimal household saving but only 2.2% when the saving rate is fixed at 23%, so slow growth may reflect too little capital accumulation. It also says the ten-year real yield would jump from 5.1% to 13.6% on impact.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

UK regulations require ongoing HMRC data on interest and card transactions

The Data-gathering (Ongoing Data: Interest and Payment Card Transactions) Regulations 2026 are UK law, made on November 2, 2026. They require persons of specified descriptions to provide specified data to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on an ongoing basis. The regulations come into force on March 1, 2028.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Made

Nov 2, 2026

Effective

Mar 1, 2028

Washington proposes insurance rules to implement 2025 mental health law

The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) proposes rules to implement E2SHB 1432 (2025), which improves access to appropriate mental health and substance use disorder services. The proposal would create new sections and update existing chapters of health care and insurance rules so they match the law. The rules are intended to help affected entities understand their rights and obligations.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Comments close

Dec 2, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by December 2, 2026.

Preprint argues AI labs race faster than a common research-share rule would allow

A preprint on arXiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, argues that frontier AI labs race because each gains from arriving first but bears only part of the catastrophe hazard its speed adds. In an illustrative model, three racing labs get through the takeoff period in 18 months, compared with 69 months under a common rule on research shares. The paper says the White House Accord on Super Intelligence, which audits safety but sets no limit on speed, would not slow the race in the model.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Preprint argues AI pause agreements face a clock as compute keeps growing

A preprint on arXiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, asks what an agreement to pause frontier AI would need. The paper argues that as compute grows during a pause, a secret advance reaches the frozen frontier sooner, which shrinks the response window. In its example, cooperation is supportable through month 18.9, extended to month 25.5 with verified matched safety research and to month 31.8 with half the monitoring cost.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Preprint models how AI could reorganize firms, employment and wages

A preprint on arXiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, models how advances in AI could change organizations, the key unit of economic production. The paper says that when AI is more capable than the average human, organizations of complementary humans can still outperform AI, and that as AI coordination improves, the market could shift toward large, concentrated AI-heavy firms. It also says wage changes come from a technology effect and a reorganization effect, and that reorganization can reverse the technology effect.

Published

Nov 5, 2026

Final rule requires pharmacy benefit managers to disclose compensation

The Labor Department's Employee Benefits Security Administration has issued a final rule requiring providers of pharmacy benefit management services, and affiliated brokerage and consulting providers, to disclose their compensation to fiduciaries of large, self-insured group health plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The rule takes effect on January 4, 2027, and is meant so that fiduciaries can assess whether these service arrangements and their fees are reasonable. It affects plan sponsors and other fiduciaries of those plans, and certain service providers to them.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

Effective

Jan 4, 2027

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Oregon sets 2027 workers' compensation premium assessment rates

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services has adopted 2027 workers' compensation premium assessment rates in a permanent rule published in the Oregon Bulletin. The rule is in Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 440. The filing does not state the rates themselves or a start date.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Oregon adopts workplace violence prevention rules for health care employers

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, part of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, has adopted permanent rules on workplace violence prevention for health care employers. The rules are in Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 437 and were published in the Oregon Bulletin. The filing gives no effective date.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

Oregon sets 2027 workers' benefit fund assessment rate

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Workers' Compensation Division, has adopted the 2027 workers' benefit fund assessment rate in a permanent rule published in the Oregon Bulletin. It is in Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 436. The filing does not state the rate or a start date.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment period: this is a final rule.

UK draft rules would create a negotiating body for adult social care in England

This UK draft statutory instrument has been laid before Parliament and would become law only if approved and made. It would create a new, independent body, the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body England (ASCNB), under the Employment Rights Act 2025, and set out the body's operational framework. The title places the body in England.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Washington proposes WA Cares penalty and interest rules for unpaid premiums

The Washington Employment Security Department proposes rules for the WA Cares fund program on penalties and interest for unpaid premiums, implementing parts of ESSB 5291 from the 2025 legislative session. The proposal would also clarify exemption application requirements and premium payment timelines for out-of-state participants.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Comments close

Nov 24, 2026

How to weigh in: Comment by November 24, 2026.

Federal Communications Commission proposes updating ultra-wideband device rules

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposes to update its rules for ultra-wideband (UWB) devices, first adopted in 2002, to reflect how the technology has matured. The Commission says the existing rules have not kept pace, which has led to a growing number of waiver requests for modern devices. The proposal would give more flexibility for future applications while protecting incumbent federal and non-federal spectrum users.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

Comments close

Jan 4, 2027

How to weigh in: Comment by January 4, 2027.

Oregon proposes update to its middle housing model code

The Oregon Land Conservation and Development Department has proposed an update to its Middle Housing Model Code, in a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Oregon Bulletin. The notice is under Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 660 and does not describe the specific changes.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

How to weigh in: No comment deadline is listed; see the document.

Planting forests increased wildfire activity on average, a study finds

A peer-reviewed study in PNAS, led by Irene Repeto-Deudero, analyzed land-use change, satellite fire records and climate data for 67,248 patches in temperate regions, using satellite records starting in 2001. On average, afforestation (converting non-forest land to planted forest) increased fire occurrence by 26% and burned area by 23%. The effect varied sharply by biome, from a near-threefold rise in fire occurrence in temperate conifer forests to an 18% reduction in temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

Preprint models copper-lead alloys as catalysts for CO2 reduction

A computational preprint on ChemRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by Oliver Kratz, examines copper-lead surface alloys as catalysts for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. The authors report that, through strain and ligand effects, these alloys could be favorable catalysts for valuable hydrocarbons. The work is based on density functional theory calculations.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Preprint tests concrete waste for carbon dioxide removal by microalgae

A preprint on bioRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by M. Ferriere tests whether lime and ground waste concrete can supply calcium and alkalinity to cultures of the coccolithophore Chrysotila sp. In a 26-day experiment, the authors report that lime and concrete did not inhibit growth or calcification, and that the added alkalinity could offset the CO2 released by calcification. They describe the results as proof of concept for coupling this cultivation with concrete waste reuse.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

UK rules widen when government funds can cut Contracts for Difference levy

The Contracts for Difference (Electricity Supplier Obligations) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 are UK law, made on November 2, 2026, and come into force on November 24, 2026. They broaden the circumstances in which government funds can be paid into the Contracts for Difference scheme to reduce the levy that supports it. The change responds to a decision to provide financial assistance under section 13 of the Energy Prices Act 2022 through the scheme’s counterparty.

Published

Nov 3, 2026

Made

Nov 2, 2026

Effective

Nov 24, 2026

Preprint reports near-zero energy CO2 capture with a porous material

A preprint on ChemRxiv, not yet reviewed by other scientists, led by Isaiah Borne reports that a hydrogen bonded organic framework (HOF) can switch between porous and non-porous phases using amine vapour and alcohol exposure. The authors say the vapour assisted phase swing adsorption (VAPSA) process they demonstrate, with repeated CO2 adsorption and release, needs near-zero direct energy input.

Published

Nov 2, 2026

Study finds implicit and explicit bias rose from 2021 to 2025 after years of decline

A peer-reviewed study in PNAS, led by Tessa E. S. Charlesworth, analyzed implicit and explicit intergroup attitudes from 2.8 million U.S. respondents surveyed from 2021 to 2025. The authors report that bias, which declined steadily from 2007 to 2020, has stalled or reversed, with the largest increases for sexuality, transgender, race and skin-tone bias. They suggest that 2020 to 2021 marked a turning point in the sociopolitical climate.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Long-term nitrogen input shifts soil carbon release from boost to suppression

A peer-reviewed study in PNAS, led by Aijun Xing, combined a global time-series dataset from 38 long-term experiments in forests and grasslands. It found that the response of soil respiration to nitrogen addition moves from a transient increase lasting about 2 years to a sustained suppression, with a mean effect of −6%. The suppression was associated with soil acidification and changes in microbial properties, and it appeared once cumulative nitrogen inputs exceeded about 100 kg N per hectare.

Published

Nov 4, 2026

Study in Nature covers hydrogen derivatives and carbon neutrality in China

A peer-reviewed study in Nature is titled 'Hydrogen Derivatives Enable Cost-Effective Carbon Neutrality in China'. The abstract available here only repeats that title, so this item does not describe the study's methods or results.

Published

Nov 5, 2026