Resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital Center have reached a tentative deal following a three-day strike and will begin returning to work, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and New York.

• District of Columbia: The uninsured rate in the United States has dropped to a record-low 8.3% but is likely to increase as insurance protections created during the COVID-19 pandemic wind down, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). According to Caroline Hanson, principal analyst at the CBO, temporary policies enacted during the pandemic "have contributed to a record low uninsurance rate in 2023 of 8.3% and record-high enrollment in both Medicaid and [Affordable Care Act] marketplace coverage. As those temporary policies expire under current law, the distribution of coverage will change and the share of people who lack insurance is expected to increase by 2033." CBO projects the uninsured rate will increase to 10.1% by 2033, which Hanson noted is still "lower than the uninsured rate in the last year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic," which was around 12%. (Frieden, MedPage Today, 5/24)
• Maryland: Homes with gas stoves saw levels of indoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations more than double the levels in homes with electric stoves, according to an analysis from Hewlett Pham, a post doc research assistant at Johns Hopkins Allergy and Asthma Center. For the analysis, Pham measured NO2 levels in 702 homes, 64% of which reported having gas stoves. He found that NO2 levels averaged 15.79 parts per billion across all homes, but 20.89 parts per billion in homes with gas stoves compared to 6.74 parts per billion in homes with electric stoves. Pham's group noted there is some evidence that elevated indoor levels of NO2 concentrations are linked to increased respiratory morbidity. (Boyles, MedPage Today, 5/25)
• New York: Resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital Center have reached a tentative deal following a three-day  strike  and will begin returning to work. In a release, union officials said the tentative contract included wage increases of 18% over three years, a $2,000 ratification bonus, and a meal allowance that reaches parity with residents at Mount Sinai. "This fight was always about power, and Elmhurst residents are truly building that together," said psychiatry resident Sarah Hafuth. A spokesperson for Mount Sinai said the proposed agreement is "fair, responsible, and puts patients and residents' educational training first." (Associated Press, 5/24)