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Hugging Face launches ProtoStar open science and AI initiative | ETIH EdTech News
Hugging Face and university partners launch Project ProtoStar to make publicly funded research easier to reuse with AI. ETIH EdTech News explores the open science initiative and Carnegie Mellon’s November 2–13 climate challenge using weather records from 210 US cities.
Health Officials Cut Certification Rules for Medical Technology
HHS removes 14 of 60 health IT certification criteria, effective December 28, 2026. Read on to see what it means for developers and healthcare providers.
New Xbox PC App Claims 60% Faster Launch Times and UX Improvements
Epic Games's recent proclamation of significantly faster launch times on its new vibe-coded Epic Games Launcher, followed by a Steam update making similar performance improvements, seems to have inspired Microsoft's Xbox to put in the work to improve its Xbox app for PCs, with a new announcement...
Vulnerability allows attackers to log into some Linux devices sans password
Certain configurations of Linux are affected. Other distros may be as well.
Opinion | Politics Shakes Up the Markets
A tech correction could force Washington to focus on the economy.
Brookdale Science Monday Explores New Technologies Protecting New Jersey’s Endangered Species
Brookdale Science Monday Explores New Technologies Protecting New Jersey’s Endangered Species Free November 23 lecture highlights innovative conservation efforts to protect the state’s most vulnerable wildlife How can cutting-edge technology help save New Jersey’s endangered
Startup bringing AI-powered robotics to the cath lab raises $160M from GE HealthCare, other investors
Laza Medical, a California-based medtech company, is developing advanced technologies for the cath lab. GE HealthCare also participated in a previous financing round in 2023.
Disney staffers join team meeting, press managers for layoff details
Disney staffers pushed management for answers about reports of layoffs in a tech town hall. Employees say morale is suffering.
Serve Robotics launches new business to become the AWS for robots
Serve Robotics announced alonsgside its third-quarter earnings that it will launch a new business line called Physical AI Services to offer customers its connectivity and data tools.
This Fintech Company Will Give Your Small Business a $10,000 Grant. Here's How to Apply
Forward Financing launched a Back the Builders Grant Program. It will hand out three $10,000 awards, one of which focuses on AI adoption.
Meta says US users can now video chat with their Muse AI avatar
Meta's AI agent can now take calls as a customizable animated avatar, ahead of the launch of a Tamagotchi-like wearable designed to bring Muse to life.
Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia leader to step down
Lance Collins will step down as Virginia Tech's vice president of the greater Washington, D.C., area in early 2027
Gamers go to ridiculous lengths to "improve" GTA VI with Nvidia's DLSS 5
Using a capture card and open source software to run PS5 video through a PC GPU.
Medicus Pharma proposes $135M SkinJect spinout through SPAC business combination
Medicus Pharma CEO Dr Raza Bokhari joined Steve Darling from Proactive to discuss a proposed transaction involving the company's wholly owned subsidiary, SkinJect, which has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with an undisclosed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) for a potential business combination. The proposed transaction contemplates a US$135 million pre-money enterprise valuation for SkinJect, alongside a concurrent equity financing intended to support the company's SKNJCT-005 clinical study in patients with Gorlin syndrome and preparations for a potential New Drug Application (NDA). Bokhari told Proactive that the proposed deal is designed to establish SkinJect as a separately listed company focused on advancing its dermatology and rare-disease development program. Under the proposed structure, the SPAC would acquire 100% of SkinJect in exchange for newly issued common shares in the combined company. Medicus Pharma intends to retain majority economic and voting ownership, allowing existing Medicus shareholders to maintain significant participation in SkinJect's potential future value. The separation would also provide SkinJect with a dedicated financing platform to fund its clinical development activities, particularly the SKNJCT-005 study targeting Gorlin syndrome, a rare genetic condition associated with the development of multiple basal cell carcinomas. The concurrent financing is expected to support the clinical program and the work required to prepare and potentially submit a New Drug Application, subject to successful development and regulatory progress. Final ownership percentages have not yet been determined. These will depend on negotiations surrounding the definitive transaction agreement and the combined company's capitalization, including retained SPAC cash, public and sponsor shares, warrants and other potentially dilutive securities. Medicus said the proposed transaction remains subject to the completion of definitive documentation and other customary conditions. The planned spinout represents a strategic step in Medicus Pharma's efforts to give SkinJect a dedicated corporate and financial structure, while allowing the parent company to retain majority participation as the dermatology program advances towards its next clinical and regulatory milestones. #proactiveinvestors #nasdaq #mdcx #tsxv #mdcx #pharma #SkinJect #Biotechnology #Healthcare #RareDisease #GorlinSyndrome #Dermatology #SPAC #ClinicalTrials #DrugDevelopment #NDA #Biopharmaceuticals
Elon Musk picks Qualcomm to help deploy Starlink mobile phone service
Qualcomm inked a deal with SpaceX on Wednesday to provide telecommunication technology for its up-and-coming Starlink Mobile service. The multiyear agreement, whose terms were not disclosed, came hours before the
NIST Releases Cybersecurity Guide for Solo Business Owners
What: On November 2, 2026, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a document titled, Small Business Cybersecurity: Non-Employer Firms (NIST Cybersecurity White Paper 50). The guide provides practical cybersecurity steps fo
Op-ed: Protecting New York’s tech talent leadership
According to CBRE’s latest tech talent report, New York City’s tech-talent market has become the largest in the nation.
Scientists Have Found a New Way to Control AI's Behavior
A new study, shared exclusively with TIME ahead of publication, reveals a promising technique for discouraging AI models from cheating by changing how they're trained.
Geneva Health Forum 2026: Rethinking cooperation in global health
From November 10 to 12, at the Biotech Campus in Geneva, the Geneva Health Forum (GHF) will bring together healthcare professionals, researchers, institutional leaders, and representatives from international and humanitarian organizations for three days of debate, networking, and the sharing of experiences.
A self-charging toothbrush that generates electricity to kill bacteria while you brush
A lot of time and effort goes into toothbrush technology, whether changing bristle angles or tweaking and improving electric models. No matter the developments, they all essentially still do the same ...
ElevenLabs now lets users publish AI-generated music directly on SoundCloud
ElevenLabs said more than 25 million tracks have been generated using its music models.
Instagram brings Edits to desktop to take on CapCut
The move puts Edits in more direct competition with ByteDance's CapCut, the video-editing app Meta sought to challenge when it launched Edits last year.
Will NASA's newest X-plane bring science fiction to life?
NASA has unveiled its latest X-plane vision, promising a platform that will advance flight control tech far beyond anything tested in a crewed aircraft before.
TwinkleTwinkleStar announces strategic collaboration with U.K.-based Ventola Projects to transform party room entertainment
TwinkleTwinkleStar announces a strategic collaboration with Ventola Projects Ltd., a United Kingdom-based specialist in LED lighting, immersive technology, audiovisual solutions, and entertainment …
GE HealthCare Technologies' Taha Kass-Hout to Resign as Chief Science and Technology Officer
GE HealthCare Technologies' Chief Science and Technology Officer Taha Kass-Hout will resign effective December 31, 2026.Original SEC Filing: GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. [ GEHC ] - 8-K - Nov. 05, 2026This is an AI-powered summary. It may contain inaccuracies. Consider verifying important informa…
AI Lost Big in the Midterms. What Does That Mean for Your Business?
The message of the “AI midterms” is that technology policy has become an electoral issue, not just a regulatory one. In the U.S., the longstanding embrace of “permissionless innovation” may be fading. If that’s the case, technology companies and their customers face a rapidly changing political environment. What should business leaders do? Many will continue to follow individual bills, lawsuits, elections, and agency proceedings as separate events. This is an essential element of any business’s strategy. But standing alone, it misses the larger picture of how these activities affect each other. Leaders should put together a team to follow six battleground issues: liability for tech-related harms, privacy and data access, competition, infrastructure, public subsidies and other government resources, and preemption and overlapping authority.
Motorola's new Signature 27 has it all if you can stomach the $1,600 price tag
It has all the bells and whistles (and cameras).
A YC startup is putting $1M behind five unsolved materials science problems for AI
Discovered Materials, a months-old YC startup that uses AI to find chip materials, is offering $200,000 for each solution to five open materials science problems.
2026 iPad mini review: Maximizing the mini
It's more compelling than ever, but also more expensive.
Scientists discover that a clogged filter could revolutionize oil refining
Scientists have developed a remarkable new membrane that separates crude oil at room temperature, using the oil itself to create microscopic filtration channels. The breakthrough could cut refining energy consumption by nearly 32%, carbon emissions by almost 38%, and operating costs by 36%, potentially transforming one of the world's most energy-intensive industries.
A clever molecular trick unlocks previously impossible properties in glass
Scientists have discovered how to reprogram the internal structure of glass using a special molecule that rearranges chemical bonds while lowering the melting temperature. The breakthrough could unlock entirely new glass materials with precisely controlled magnetic and optical properties, opening possibilities for advanced electronics, sensors, and other technologies.
Entertainment venue InteractX now open in Cedar Park
The business features 11 challenge rooms and over 45 games that combine physical activity, technology, teamwork and friendly competition, a company representative said in a news release.
The Bulletin welcomes 2026 editorial fellows
The Bulletin proudly welcomes its largest editorial fellow class yet. Fellows work closely with Bulletin editors to produce cutting-edge journalism focused on nuclear risk, climate change, disruptive technologies, or biosecurity. As part of a Bulletin initiative focused on uplifting the next generation of experts, our Editorial Fellows Program is possible because of readers and supporters alike.
Dems inherit Texas colleges remade by GOP in conservative push
Universities were a political target of Texas Republicans. As Gina Hinojosa and other Democrats prepare for office, here’s a look at the turning point facing college campuses.
Parcel Health’s CEO wanted zero plastic. Growing a sustainable business meant changing course.
Melinda Su-En Lee traces her path from a Malaysian recycling center to building an award-winning startup in Pittsburgh
Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe first drive: Where tech and fun collide
The spirit of AMG is alive via three axial flux electric motors.
RiverBank leads Spokane County in SBA lending
Two years after developing its Small Business Administration lending department, RiverBank Holding Co., the parent company of Spokane-based RiverBank, has become the county’s top SBA lender. The increase in SBA lending comes as the community bank establishes a director of fintech position…
Dissecting Colorado’s Democratic sweep
Swoosh. Donald Trump came into his second term with a swoosh. He brought in Elon Musk and his tech bros with a swoosh. They swooshed out thousands of government employees across the nation. Then Trump’s ICE agents swooshed out thousands of recent immigrants, with some American citizens caught in the crossfire. Then Trump swooshed in […]
Imaging Science Thesis Defense: A Step Towards Developing Digital Twins of Forest Environments with Terrestrial Laser Scanning | Events
Imaging Science MS Thesis Defense A Step Towards Developing Digital Twins of Forest Environments with Terrestrial Laser Scanning Zoom Link here Aisha Co Imaging Science MS Candidate Rochester Institute of Technology Abstract: Digital twins have become an increasingly relevant topic as we pursue accurate representations of the real world for planning, research, and even design purposes. This study focuses on the steps for creating digital twins of forest environments using sparse points from terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Specifically, we developed geometric models of structural digital twins (SDTs) from leaf-off terrestrial laser scanning of real-world forests. Three algorithms were used to develop an approach to handle individual tree reconstructions for sparse point clouds, and they were tested and validated with a two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic against an existing inventory of the RIT Nature Trail to evaluate the reconstruction’s fidelity. The key evaluation metrics included diameter at breast height (DBH) and height. The limited nature of available ground truth necessitated the use of an additional validation method using a PANGAEA open dataset, based on comparing DBH, height, and crown diameter against the dataset’s calculated measurements. Reconstructions were compared against per-tree reference values at two-point spacings for sixteen trees from the open BR07 dataset (PANGAEA); these specifications matched the collected RIT Nature Trail data and the scanner’s nominal spacing. On BR07, the proposed method had the lowest median DBH error among the methods that modeled every tree (1.28cm, 4.1%), and this error was nearly unchanged at the coarser spacing, while TreeQSM’s rose from 4.2% to 6.5% and AdTree overestimated DBH by 30% to 40%. Results show the proposed method understates the tree heights by 0.2m to 1.4m but contains the least error when estimating DBH. The proposed method was able to produce all 69 trees, while SimpleTree produced 49 and none at the 4.35 cm BR07 spacing. We concluded that the developed geometric model (digital) twins have significant potential to serve as both simulation and prediction tools. We recommend that future efforts focus on collecting per-tree ground truth measurements within the scanned plot and incorporating leaf-on scans. Leaf-on scans include representative foliage, which would add realism to the model and ecological function of the trees. Intended Audience: Beginners, undergraduates, graduates. Those with interest in the topic. To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu
Siemens Healthineers starts carve-out of diagnostics business
Nov 5 - German medical technology company Siemens Healthineers said on Thursday it had begun carving out its diagnostics business, which it plans to rebrand as Olyrian Diagnostics ahead of a future divestment. The company said the separation proces...
Samsung honors 10 Korean science and AI research pioneers
Samsung awarded 10 researchers across basic science, materials and ICT from 644 projects backed by its future technology program, the first time the company has done so since launching the initiative in 2014.
“Dual-boosting” strategy to enhance radical generation of photosensitizer for mitochondria-targeted phototherapy”
To enhance the type-I PDT efficacy of mitochondria-targeted photosensitizers, Prof. Lin Li's team at the School of Flexible Electronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, has constructed a series of cationic pyrido cyanines with a (D-π)n-A architecture (n = 1,2,3).
Ubisoft Puts in a Bid for Dishonored Studio Arkane Lyon
Ubisoft has made an offer to buy Arkane Lyon, the French studio behind Dishonored, Deathloop and the upcoming Marvel's Blade, according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. At least two other gaming companies have put in offers of their own, though their names haven't come out yet. Apparently, Xbox is...
Uniform Report: Georgia Tech
I enjoy this look. Let’s make it four in a row on Saturday night.
The tech memory shortage comes for Nintendo's cartridge supply chain
And what that could mean for physical Switch game costs.
Hackers exploited iOS and Android flaws to infect phones
Researchers say group may have been Kremlin-sponsored in search of diplomatic targets.
John Deere plans to close Ottumwa, Clarion factories
John Deere announced today it plans to close its production facility in Ottumwa next year and its Clarion factory by the end of fiscal year 2029. According to a news release, the company is working to, among other things, streamline operations and advance automation and modern manufacturing technologies. This follows an announcement last week from…
"Cars That Moved America" automotive exhibition coming to Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
The technological evolution of the automobile has been the subject of some kind of exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry going back more or less forever, but next year, a new approach to the subject with a new collection is coming.
AMD's record quarter: Data center business doubles, while gaming craters
AMD's gaming revenue fell 40 percent in an otherwise record $13.4 billion quarter.
Startup targets new pain point: nighttime | Investors Lab
It's our job to report on investment-worthy innovations coming to market. That doesn't mean we always believe they're in the best interests of the planet. Case in point: a new space-tech project that aims to solve the "problem" of nighttime. With their planned constellation of orbiting satellites equipped with giant mirrors that would beam sunlight to the night side of Earth on demand, the company behind the invention is attracting investors. SN's Lisa Grossman enlightens us.
How a blue wave crushed the tech right
The Democratic wins that swept America on election night was a backlash against data centers, and a rebuke to Silicon Valley elites.
STEM School Highlands Ranch vs. Aurora Science & Tech: Colorado High School Girls Basketball, Dec. 10, 2026
STEM School Highlands Ranch at Aurora Science & Tech, Colorado high school girls basketball, Dec. 10, 2026, 7:15 PM. Records, rosters and head-to-head.
Golden View Classical Academy vs. Aurora Science & Tech: Colorado High School Girls Basketball, Jan. 7, 2027
Golden View Classical Academy at Aurora Science & Tech, Colorado high school girls basketball, Jan. 7, 2027, 5:30 PM. Records, rosters and head-to-head.
WHAT THE TECH? Politics and AI
How do we protect children using AI? Who’s responsible when an AI assistant takes an unauthorized action? And how do we protect essential services as hackers gain access to increasingly
Cheap Android TV boxes came with malware, and Google says the manufacturer was behind it
The backdoor was discovered in the firmware of multiple Videostrong devices, such as the Mecool KTI, as well as several white-label Android TV boxes. Seattle-based cybersecurity and...
Business Aviation Pilot Shares His Inspiring Journey From Line Tech to Learjet Captain
Read the remarkable story of a teen who quickly moved from a job fueling aircraft to a Learjet captain, thanks to hard work, determination and professional relationships.
DXC CEO announces potential sale of business unit
DXC Technology is considering selling its Insurance Software & Services division, one of the company’s three business segments.
Trump’s billionaire-blue collar coalition has been smashed by class politics
As tech bosses get richer and ordinary Americans struggle, Democrats put the case against the US’s grotesque unfairness – and voters responded, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
People say they want small smartphones—the Enough Phone will put that to the test
It won't win the specs race, but it will actually fit in your hand.
Luka Doncic Loses A Stat And The Lakers Love It
Luka Doncic went backward in one stat on Monday, and the Lakers are thrilled. Here is why losing a technical foul is actually a big win for their star.
I tried Apple's Siri Recaps. They're surprisingly useful — and a little unsettling
Apple's AI-powered Siri Recaps won me over in just one day, despite my privacy reservations. But there's still room for improvement.
How Science and the Environment Fared in the 2026 U.S. Midterms
Science was on the ballot across the United States in Tuesday’s midterm elections. On federal, state, and municipal levels, hundreds of people with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine ran for office. Americans also voted on measures related to conservation projects, pollutant abatement, healthcare access, and environmental reviews.
Earth Science Tech (ETST) Wins Through the Inherent Operating Leverage of Its ‘Conglomerate’ Business Model
Austin, Texas, November 4th, 2026, FinanceWireEarth Science Tech (OTCQB: ETST) is a strategic holding company that brings together innovative businesses across the healthcare, pharmacy, technology and telemedicine, real estate, and consumer products spaces. Its primary operating strategy is to cont…
Nintendo Switch 2 Homebrew Is ‘Very Close to an Amazing Era,’ Says Modder Behind a 60 FPS Mario & Luigi: Brothership Mod
A Nintendo Switch 2 mod runs Mario & Luigi: Brothership at 60 FPS, showing the power of backward-compatible homebrew
Opinion: Anthropic’s stark warning makes the case for taking AI out of Silicon Valley’s hands
Anthropic's IPO filing warns of catastrophic risks. An attorney who has challenged AI companies argues for federal control over the technology.
HRS: Careers in business and information technology
Hampton Roads Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina News, Weather, Traffic and Sports.
ASUS Debuts ROG XG Station 3 Dock With Thunderbolt 5 Interface, Supporting Up To 80 Gbps Of Bandwidth For Modern GPUs
ASUS launches ROG XG Station 3, the first external GPU dock with Thunderbolt 5, supporting latest GPUs and offering 80 Gbps bandwidth.
Can RegTech close the blind spots in business verification?
Can RegTech close the blind spots in business verification? Hear some of the key insights from industry leaders here.
S.D. Biotech announces annual award winners
South Dakota Biotech recognized outstanding industry partners recently with awards presented at its annual summit.
PAVS Subsidiary 2Lab3 Launches AniMano+, an AI-Native Digital Entertainment Streaming Platform, on the Apple App Store
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 4, 2026 / Paranovus Entertainment Technology Ltd. NASDAQ:PAVS ("PAVS" or the "Company") today announced that its subsidiary, 2Lab3, launched AniMano+, an AI-native, vertical-first short-form dramas and animation streaming app, on the Apple App Store on Octo…
Opponent Breakdown: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Offense
Brent Key started last season 9-1 before losing three straight games to close out a strong season for a Georgia Tech program that hasn’t had a lot of 9-win seasons as of late. Key faced lofty expectations this season after such a good season, but things have gone about as poorly as possible for Tech. […]
From science experiments to “exploration at scale”
Panellists from State Street, SIX, Standard Chartered, Calastone and BNP Paribas explain why the industry is moving to tokenisation, and take stock of regulation, technology and infrastructure. Regulators are now a springboard for growth, but client interest still isn’t turning into live products. What’s missing is a use case that pays for itself quickly.
Iran Holds Technology Olympics
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has held the third edition of the Technology Olympics, an event aimed at identifying talented young people, strengthening their problem-solving skills, and connecting them with real-world industrial projects and the knowledge-based economy.
EXPO-SCÈNE 2027: Save The Date For Canada’s Leading Entertainment Technology Show
EXPO-SCÈNE 2027: Save the Date for Canada’s Leading Entertainment Technology ShowApril 7–8, 2027 | Palais des congrès de Montréal
No. 15 Texas Tech Faces Must-Win Test Against West Virginia
No. 15 Texas Tech hosts West Virginia Saturday with its College Football Playoff hopes on the line. Injuries and quarterback questions add to the pressure.
Stanislav Kondrashov on Carbon: Exploring Its Essential Role in Science, Technology, and Modern Life
Stanislav Kondrashov on the modern role of carbon
Hidden planet emerges from the glare
Stars are so bright that their glare overwhelms faint nearby planets. Scientists combined detailed physics from telescope observations with modern computational techniques to precisely remove this glare. After applying the tool to existing JWST images, they found a previously hidden giant exoplanet. Technique could improve planet-detection sensitivity without requiring changes to telescope hardware.
HCPSS Teams Up with Student Group to Drive Student Interest in and Understanding of Coding, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence
Several years ago, Julie Wray and Carrie Trudden, Howard County Public School System’s (HCPSS) then- and current coordinators of Instructional Technology, began receiving emails from a group called Howard County Hour of Code (HocoHOC). At the time, Wray and Trudden were unfamiliar with the group and skeptical about its offer to partner with the district […]
Ranking Member Lofgren Announces She Will Seek Chair of House Science Committee as Democrats Win Control of Congress
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
A tiny squeeze dramatically changes the magnetism of exotic materials
Scientists have discovered that a simple mechanical squeeze can dramatically alter the magnetic properties and electrical behavior of exotic materials called altermagnets. The surprising breakthrough could open the door to faster, more energy-efficient electronics and new technologies for quantum computing.
Xeris adds longtime biotech exec to its board
The move to bring Menassie Taddese on comes amid reports that the Chicago-based rare disease and endocrinology drug company is being considered for acquisition.
Scientists find evidence of rarest particle decay after 42-years | Science and Technology Facilities Council
UK physicists have found the first evidence of an extremely rare particle decay at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), after a 42-year hunt.
Abnormal AI hires Don Jeter as CMO
Don Jeter plans to use unconventional marketing techniques to grab attention in the fiercely competitive and increasingly noisy AI market.
Mustafa Foundation unveils programs for International Week of Science and Peace
TEHRAN – The Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation has organized a series of programs and educational and media productions to mark the International Week of Science and Peace (November 9–15) and World Science Day for Peace and Development (November 10).
Decades-old tech gets new life from metro Detroit startup
A metro Detroit startup is looking to take tech developed in 1979 and modernize it for clinical use.
Decades-old tech gets new life from metro Detroit startup
A metro Detroit startup is looking to take tech developed in 1979 and modernize it for clinical use.
2026 science Nobel Prizes: Who are the winners, and is there a gender gap problem?
Password is Euronews Tech Talks’ new monthly series unpacking tech and health tech news from Europe and the world. In this first episode, we discover who the scientists awarded Nobel Prizes are, and w...
Silicon Valley‘s political spending spree meets a blue wave — and a data center revolt
Tech billionaires poured hundreds of millions into the midterms, but it didn’t buy them much.
Texas just went blue, and the tech bros are sad
Texas, with its limited red tape and vast resources, drew in the tech crowds. Now, it's politics turned bluer, and the execs are a little upset.
How a Ms. Frizzle-esque librarian helped Flagship’s Louisa Helms find biotech
BioSpace 40 Under 40 honoree Louisa Helms is a lot of things—athlete, scientist, entrepreneur and likely future biotech executive. Just don’t ask her to pick up any pipettes.
These college students launched legal tech startup during finals week
Raphael Lim and Jamison Teng have had to sacrifice social life, grades, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training to build up Jam & Raph.
AFGHS co-signatory countries ask health care users to help fill the financing gap
Hundreds of thousands of Ugandans living with HIV on antiretrovirals could be targeted for user fees or community health insurance schemes requiring modest premium payments, according to the April 2026 version of the country’s America First Global Health Strategy implementation narrative.1 As part of the “sustainable financing for the private not for profit sector” strategy, 491 facilities will be targeted for a phased introduction of user fees and scale up of community health insurance programs.2 In the Ugandan context, PNFP facilities include faith-based hospitals and other health facilities, US missionary organizations and centers of excellence—services that are often co-located at government facilities but run with additional financial and technical resources. 402,000 people—or about 28 percent of the total Ugandan adult PLHIV population on treatment—get ART from the private not for profit sector. The selected facilities provide the majority of ART and prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services. The plan doesn’t give the total number of clients served by the 491 facilities, so it is not possible to give a precise number. But the majority of 402,000 is a figure in the hundreds of thousands—hence the estimate I’m using.3 The April draft of the Ugandan implementation plan narrative is the only one I’ve been able to review. But the government of Uganda is not alone in turning to health care users to help fill the financing gaps caused by the abrupt withdrawal of US funds. In July 2025, the Government of Liberia introduced user fees for previously free services including “registration, accommodation, patient feeding, hospitalization, and a wide range of surgical and diagnostic procedures.”4 Earlier that year, Liberia rolled out a revolving drug fund designed to stabilize drug supplies by “allowing patients to pay a small fee for standardized, quality medications,” according to a Ministry of Health press release.5 (Both of these approaches had been proposed in the National Health Policy 2022-2031; media coverage explicitly connects the launch with the US foreign aid cuts.) The health financing strategies proposed by Uganda and established in Liberia are qualitatively different from user fees officially adopted by specific health facilities to cover funding shortfalls caused by the new US approach.6 The latter is a stopgap, adhoc change. The former is a national governmental adoption of policies that pass costs on to health care users, despite evidence that such approaches can exacerbate inequities and leave deficits unfilled. Two countries does not make a pattern, but they do point to urgent questions: Have other countries, including Liberia, included user fees or community health insurance schemes in their implementation plans? If so, do any of these narratives have what Uganda’s lacks: a fall-back plan in place in case these strategies for sustainable health systems fail to deliver—as they have before? I wonder if you think about it Subscribe Predictable pitfalls Both community-based health insurance and user fees are as old as the hills. And after decades of people climbing up these hills, duking it out, climbing back down—neither strategy has shown the results the Ugandan implementation plan is counting on. This is, in fact, a hill some folks are willing to die on. (You knew I’d get there, right?) In November 2025, an African-led team of health system experts published a paper directed at low- and middle income country governments trying to figure out how to create self-sustaining health systems. The money wasn’t coming back. It had been more than nine months since the season of freezing, waivering and wood-chippering; two months since AFGHS tumbled into the world touting co-financing requirements and reductions in future US government health aid. Governments were looking for strategies for sustainable, self-financed health systems, the authors wrote. For countries considering user fees and community health insurance to fill the financing gaps, they had a simple message: Don’t. On user fees, the paper states: “Reliance on user fees is ultimately a regressive and inequitable approach. It places a disproportionate burden on the poor and undermines health system goals of equity and financial protection. […] There is overwhelming evidence that user fees mobilise very limited resources for the public health sector, making it an inefficient mechanism for revenue mobilisation.” On community health insurance: “Attempting to shift the burden of funding previously donor-funded services, such as HIV care and management, and TB treatment, onto contributory schemes would exacerbate their fragility and fail to protect the population.”7 The WHO says that community-based health insurance “cannot be expected to provide a major source of funding or coverage,” and noted that most schemes offer only moderate benefit to individuals paying into them, and exclude the poorest segment of the population.8 And yet, the US-Ugandan implementation plan says that community health insurance is “the central pillar of this [PNFP] sustainability strategy” and that this approach that will generate “pre-paid pooled funding at facility and community level [that] improves financial risk protection for households, reduces catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure, and generates structured, transparent revenue streams that can progressively absorb recurrent costs including health worker salaries.” Unfortunately, Uganda’s own history suggests the pillar might not be able to bear this weight. Ugandans Have Been to this Rodeo Before—and Some Want Their Money Back Uganda introduced its first community health insurance scheme in 1996 with support from international donors.9 Thirty years later, somewhere between 0.2 and 0.3 percent of the population is covered by CHI; just over 1 percent has any kind of health insurance.10 User fees were universally introduced in 1993 as a condition of a World Bank loan.11 They were abandoned in 2001, and in 2004—the year I moved to Uganda to watch the free HIV program get underway—a definitive study found that the fees did not improve health systems and outcomes.12 In 2004, most clinics and hospitals had ‘free’ and ‘fee for service’ options for getting care.13 The fee for service, or “cash and carry” programs had often been established in the years prior to PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. People who could afford to paid for the drugs, often at facilities in the private-not-for-profit (PNFP) sector. When free drugs arrived, some people who’d been paying kept on doing so, perhaps because of shorter wait times, greater confidentiality, convenience or other factors. But in the year that I spent visiting the same clinics around the country week after week—including a “center of excellence” that maintained separate days for cash and carry clients and those accessing free ARVs—lots of people who had been paying tried to switch to the free option. They’d paid because they had no other choice. They’d sold pieces of family land, begged family members for loans, bought pills by the week, and sometimes by the day. Or they were just cash-strapped, like most of us, and wanted the funds for other things. 14 Twenty-two years later, this hasn’t changed. Ugandans pay out of pocket for 30-40 percent of their health care costs, leading one paper to declare that “falling ill is more than a health crisis. It is a financial emergency.”15 One recent study found that up to 48.5 percent of households dealing with tuberculosis sold something, took out a loan or dug into savings to defray the costs of TB care—which is supposed to be universally free.16 The Ugandan implementation plan does anticipate challenges. It proposes a phased approach, with 187 facilities introducing user contribution systems in Year 1, 152 in Year 2, and 153 in Year 3. Willingness to pay and feasibility studies will precede roll out; fees will be tiered by region, and a waiver system is proposed to ensure that no one has to pay who is unable to. Moreover, the plan provides for quarterly reviews of epidemiological data to “ensure that user contributions do not compromise epidemic control gains, ART continuity for the client cohort, TB case management, or PMTCT services.” Alt text: A screenshot of a table included in the implementation plan narrative that is the subject of this stack. It’s got a fetching pink bar at the top. It uses the abbreviation “CHI” which is Community Health Insurance, and FBO which is Faith Based Organizations, and it details the number of facilities that will implement user fees with waivers and community health insurance schemes over the five years of the agreement. As I said in the footnote, this is a super interesting document with a lot of other rich material. Tell me what you see—and what you would have focused on. And if you’ve seen something like this, or anything else that strikes you, in another implementation plan, tell me that too. You can use the Substack message platform or try me on Signal at @endaplague_again.25 (because @mercoonfan was, weirdly, taken). But the plan doesn’t fully explain what will happen if this approach doesn’t work out. Yes, progress will be monitored, and corrective action triggered. However, there is no specified funding replacement if premium and fee revenue prove inadequate. Instead, the authors write, “Currently, COEs serve a total client cohort of over 180,000 across 28 facilities. In the initial years, the U.S. Government (USG) will provide financial support for clients; over time, user fees generated by COEs will become the primary source of funding for sustaining their services.” Failure does not really seem to be an option. Health insurance schemes are more acceptable to the Ugandan population than user fees. Members of Parliament and civil society traveled to Ethiopia to see how that country’s scheme worked. In a follow up report, a veteran civil society group recommended allowing the “health insurance ecosystem to grow organically and [to] keep reviewing the law and regulations as this growth takes root.”17 One study found that more than three-quarters of Ugandans were willing to join a health insurance program.18 However, coverage of community-based health insurance is minimal, as is coverage of any kind of insurance—including private plans.19 A national health insurance scheme bill has been stalled for several years and presently sits with President Yoweri Museveni.20 Community-based health insurance scheme that do exist are expanding in number, but losing enrollees. Between 2022 and 2026, the number of community-based health financing schemes across the country increased by 42 percent, while the number of people enrolled decreased by nearly 11 percent.21 None of this means that community-based health insurance should not happen in Uganda—or that people do not want insurance. It doesn’t even mean that user fees and waivers won’t ever work. But there is highly relevant evidence from Uganda and the surrounding region that it is quite optimistic to describe community health insurance and user fees as central supports for sustainable financing in any sector of the health system. And now for the best-case scenario In the best-case scenario22, the Ugandan approach does exactly what it sets out to do, and so does the Liberian fee structure and revolving pharmacy fund—though I’ve not confirmed that these are in the MoU. In one best-case scenario, Uganda is an outlier, and user fees and community health insurance are not recurrent pillars of self-sustaining financing in other countries’ implementation plans. In another best-case scenario, all countries that include these strategies enjoy success beyond anyone’s evidence-informed wildest dreams: reliable funding generated by health care users fees, great health care outcomes for everyone, no exacerbation of inequities, no crippling household debt. No sold land, repurposed school tuition or high-interest loans. In the best-case scenario, not one of the hundreds of thousands of Ugandans living with HIV receiving antiretrovirals from 491 PNFP facilities misses a refill or leaves care because of user fees or community health insurance premiums. This is the best-case scenario for these people for their own health, and for their families. It is also the best-case scenario if Uganda wants to stay on the path to eliminating HIV as a public health threat. According to the country’s most recent data, 96.5 percent of people living with HIV on antiretrovirals are virologically suppressed. Epidemic control depends ensuring that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those individuals are on ART, and 95% of those individuals are virologically suppressed. Uganda is still struggling with the first “95"—a frankly abysmal 85.3 percent. If HIV epidemic control and the attendant prevention of new infections, avoidable suffering and premature death matter, the country cannot afford to lose any clients who are currently in care.23 As I write this a couple hours before the polls close for the US elections in the city I live in, I say with soul-deep sincerity: I am rooting for the best-case scenario. I think it’s safe to say that we all are.24 I think it’s also safe to say that if the US and co-signatory governments have inked plans that lead to successful expansion of community health insurance and strategic use of user fees, we all would like to know, now, so that we don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate when success happens. The implementation plan narratives have to enter the public domain. They are the fullest expression of a strategy co-created by two governments. There are assumptions and details that people living in the US and co-signatory countries need to understand that are not available in the MoUs or, to date, in the Congressional Notifications. Some of these details can help other countries that are, as I write this, still working on implementation plans. Others, like a solid count of how many other countries have plans for expanding user fees or health insurance, are important for regional and global health architecture reform initiatives. No matter how this election night turns out, there will be a slew of new Congressional member orientations, briefings and talking points papers in the next few months. Release of implementation narratives should be a bullet point in every context that AFGHS is discussed. These documents can be redacted so that procurement sensitive information isn’t disclosed. There is much more historical precedent for sharing such documents than there is for relying on user fees to fill health financing gaps. Let’s look at the information together so we can hope for the best and prepare for, you know, the other thing. Alt text: A substack first: a bicep selfie! It’s my arm - peachy-white skin, black shirt (flannel, notch neck, too hot for this appallingly balmy November weather, if you’re wondering) and a sticker that says I VOTED 2026. Beige letters on red for I voted. Beige on blue for 2026. You bet I did.25 In your wildest dreams. Subscribe 1 This is a really, really rich 95 page document. There are fascinating ideas and detailed plans in it. It is all worth reading AND I have, in this post, highlighted an instance of content that could pose challenges and certainly posits success of strategies that haven’t worked before. I would love to hear what readers’ see that’s interesting and should be lifted up as something to check for in other implementation plans. I will also shortly be adding a static page to the substack site where implementation plan documents will live. I will put the url into this footnote and it will also be there on emilybass.substack.com by the end of the week. Uganda Implementation Narrative Section 4 April 22 2026 Draft 1.51MB ∙ PDF file Download Download 2 User fees are costs charged for visits, labs, medicines or other health services, usually at the time they are provided. Community health insurance, or community-based health insurance, is what the World Health Organization calls “micro insurance,” which is health insurance targeted at low-income people. 3 As usual (by which I mean always), please prove me wrong. 4 https://smartnewsliberia.com/liberias-ministry-of-health-announces-2025-hospital-service-fees-for-public-facilities/?utm 5 https://moh.gov.lr/news/2025/grand-cape-mount-leaders-residents-embrace-new-community-pharmacy-program/?utm 6 https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/09/hiv-usaid-pepfar-africa-foreign-aid-cuts-mission-hospitals/?utm 7 https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/11/e021270 8 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/community-based-health-insurance-CBHI 9 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2827475/ 10 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10861328/#b3-jpmph-23-110 11 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC527704/ 12 Same citation as the footnote 2 - the article is called “Learning from failed health care reform in Uganda.” To which I say: If only. If. Only. 13 There is a whole taxonomy of user fees to be aware of, if not commit to memory. Out of pocket costs are everything that someone pays for themselves. In this Stack, user fees are planned and policy-supported out of pocket costs. There are also out of pocket costs that people pay to buy drugs or receive tests or health care assessments that would be free if the drugs were on the shelves, or the machines or kits were available, or the staff were on site. A user fee is usually designed to be modest, pegged to willingness to pay, and may be waiveable at the point of care for anyone who is unable to do so. The costs for things that would otherwise be free are whatever the market will bear and people either have to pay them or go without. Out of pocket costs for services and stuff that aren’t available in public facilities are different again from bribes or unofficial fees that some health workers may impose, even though most are indefatigable, tireless and tired, and devoted to their clients. 14 For the record—which really is these footnotes—I would give a whole stack of fridge magnets for a systematic analysis of the economic and social impact of the Mass Unemployment Event in AFGHS countries among the very people who used to be able to afford and cover user fees, both for themselves and vast family networks. Locally employed USAID technical staff, house cleaners, caregivers, drivers and technicians were financial anchors for cousins, friends, friends’ children, friends’ childrens’ cousins, teachers, pastors, neighbors and so many other kinds of kin. Aid recipients lost direct funding; many other people who had not been aid recipients, but parts of the elaborate care webs that function as safety nets for so many people, lost crucial support too. And that’s even before we get to the people who worked at the hotels and restaurants and bars where people employed by the US and its implementing partners used to spend disposable income. Those businesses have lost revenue; those folks have lost jobs. It will be some time coming—and someone will have to fund this work—but I do hope it happens. And I hope, as usual, to be proven wrong. 15 https://eprcug.org/blog/how-out-of-pocket-healthcare-costs-keep-driving-ugandans-into-poverty/ 16 Another straight-to-the-point journal article title. Households experiencing catastrophic costs due to tuberculosis in Uganda: magnitude and cost drivers. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32938411 17 https://www.cehurd.org/download/technical-policy-brief-on-community-health-insurance-scheme/?wpdmdl=13661&refresh=6ae9122f5d4ed1793659439 18 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10125197/ 19 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10861328/#b3-jpmph-23-110 20 https://ugandapost.news/uganda-to-make-health-insurance-mandatory-by-2026/ 21 https://shu.org.ug/download/235 22 With a nod, tip of the stack hat, and wag of the Mercoon tail to a deeply valued reader who told me that I have a tendency to speculate about the worst-case scenarios a little too much of the time. 23 https://news.mak.ac.ug/2026/10/uphia-2025-shows-ugandas-hiv-status-awareness-gap-despite-strong-treatment-outcomes/ As you’ll see in the next footnote, I’ve already written a subSubstack on another topic, so I will be brief with regard to the study referenced in this article. The Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment, or UPHIA, will never happen in this way again. For more than a decade, PHIAs have been supported by the US government as a way to generate accurate estimates of country progress on key HIV indicators. They are a holdover from the PEPFAR program that was laser focused on ensuring US taxpayer dollars subsidized progress in pandemic control. There may be other population-level surveys and the data may even be publicly released, as the entire set of FY2026 MER data have not. But PHIAs will never happen again. If you’re wondering whether the estimates of HIV progress at country level might get less reliable….you’re not alone. 24 Ooh baby, I hate “we” in almost all forms. But sometimes I go there, when I am looking for company, which I am. Because this Stack moves into the somewhat-uncharted territory of assessing what the implementation plan narratives may suggest about co-signatory countries’ roles and responsibilities to the people living within their borders. The MoUs, specimen and data sharing agreements were templates. Countries’ answers fit into pre-specified questions that did not include, “how are you going to fill financing gaps and stabilize your health system as this plan unfolds?” In contrast, the implementation narratives are open form—the product of co-creation between the two governments. Co-creation can mean lots of things, but nothing leads me to believe that implementation plans are ghost-written by the US government, or that contents were imposed by the US counterparts. Instead, I think the parts of the plans that read like country government initiatives are endorsed, if not initiated by, those governments. For instance, the Ugandan implementation plan narrative describes plans for revenue-generation through fees charged for equipment calibration, repair and maintenance provided through Uganda’s National Equipment Calibration Laboratory, and laboratory accreditation through the Uganda National Accreditation Service (UGANAS), targeting private sector, PNFP, research and academic clients. That’s super specific and also quite ambitious. It doesn’t read like an American idea. There’s also a provision for solar panels, and other stuff that feels country owned and driven. This is where it gets interesting. If co-creation is the case, then both the US and co-signatory governments are accountable for the contents and the outcomes. Most discourse about AFGHS to date has focused on the decisions that America has made, or demanded that other countries make. The AFGHS architects have monopolized the hot seat. As they should, in so many ways. America absolutely created the conditions under which countries needed to come up with health financing strategies to fill unanticipated, catastrophic funding gaps. And with not-too-long a lens, we can look back and see that America is also on the hook for its role in the Bretton Woods institutions that made user fees and health system fiscal austerity conditions of loans during the era of structural adjustment. But in the here and now, it is not at all clear to me that the US is requiring Uganda or any other country to implement specific approaches to sustainable financing. Instead, it is as the authors of that paper up in footnote 6 suggest: African governments have agency. As implementation plans roll out—whether or not the narratives are shared—it will be important to understand what this agency looks like and what it means for people, including the poorest of the poor. And it will be important to figure out how to talk about it safely, respectfully and critically in places other than the literal and metaphorical footnotes. 25 This week’s song is “Once upon a time” by the Moody Blues. (I know, this is gonna be a weird, largely banger-free end of 2026 playlist. HMU with requests.) AND please do watch the video and appreciate the truly amazing opening sequence—a drum kit wasteland, a coupla plastic bags, a bit of sand. Sort of like the hill where fiscal austerity policies that put costs on health care users might go to perish. But then there’s a lady with amazing hair. It’s worth it.
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