Mandy Oaklander | October 23, 2026

Even when employers offer health insurance, workers can’t always afford it. New research out yesterday from the Commonwealth Fund found that more working-age adults are uninsured this year than in 2024—and a separate KFF survey found that workers’ premium contributions for employer-sponsored health plans are up 9% since last year.

My colleague Alana Semuels wrote about this troubling trend, which one expert told her was “unsustainable.”

TODAY’S TOPICS

Take the long way
Unfurl and unwind
More Americans go uninsured
Stitching a second act

QUICK CHAT

What happens when you take a long, long walk?

I’ve grown fascinated with the culture of long-distance walking in England, where I live—and where more than 90,000 miles of public footpaths criss-cross the countryside. Martin Mau is a psychologist in Denmark who has written at length about the study of long walks as mental-health interventions. I recently spoke to him about his work. —Veronique Greenwood

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

nikom1234—Getty Images

What do people mean when they say “long-distance walking”?

It’s difficult to be precise. A long walk for some would be short for others. But I would say you need to have the feeling that you are away, disconnected. It needs to feel long, subjectively. It also has to be very simple. You walk from A to B, and you don't need to do many other things while you do that.

There is a destination, yes, but this is not in your mind at all times. You have this openness in front of you.

What kinds of mental-health benefits do psychologists think we might get from long-distance walking?

There are three different types people study. There’s the idea that being in nature can facilitate the restoration of cognitive resources. When you are in a natural surrounding, the type of attention that you use to navigate this terrain is different from, say, an urban setting. There's more room for what's called “soft fascination,” and this can be restorative.

Another large group of studies focus more on the feeling of competence or strength, also related to the concept of flow. You feel that you master or accomplish something by doing this.

The third one is a little more abstract, more existential: where long-distance walking can be used to process difficult experiences or life transitions—say, divorce or problems in the job market.

Have you done any long-distance walking yourself?

Very little, and just to be totally honest, I find it extremely boring. While I was writing my PhD, I felt I had to do it. I have to get some real experience with it. But the nothingness of it hit me so hard. I was just so bored. And if I were to take my own advice, I would say that's precisely why you should do it: to be confronted with this nothingness.

Some people say that when there is nothing there, then you automatically start to contemplate what's actually important. If there's trouble at home, trouble at the job, then this comes up, and then you digest this at a time when you cannot be distracted.

Did that happen to you?

I don't know. Maybe if I had continued. I didn't go for that long because, as I said, I didn't have the patience.

HOW WE RELAX

I watch my plants turn over a new leaf

Angela Haupt

I surround myself with rare aroids—tropical plants with some very showy foliage—and watching them grow is one of my favorite ways to unwind. Just look at my current favorite showstopper: the monstera devil monster. How could I ever get tired of staring at it?

The real excitement happens when a new leaf unfurls. There’s so much anticipation in watching it slowly open, revealing its shape and pattern. Tending to something and getting to see it thrive brings me a lot of joy. —Angela Haupt

TODAY I LEARNED

More U.S. adults are uninsured

Health insurance got more expensive in 2026, after Congress decided last year not to renew expiring premiums for plans on the Affordable Care Act. New research published yesterday found that 11.2% of working-age adults went without health insurance this year, compared to 8.9% in 2024.

Many of these people might have decided that even employer-sponsored plans are too expensive. Another new survey out yesterday found that employers are shifting more costs onto workers. –Alana Semuels

Read the full story here.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

MAHA leader Calley Means stepped down from his health advisory role in the Trump Administration yesterday, Chantelle Lee writes for TIME.
A new KFF poll finds that confidence in most childhood vaccines remains high in the U.S., but Republicans and Democrats are divided in their views of COVID vaccine safety and whether it’s healthier to space out vaccines for kids.
He learned to quilt while serving decades in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. NPR tells the remarkable story of Gary Tyler, whose artwork is now being celebrated in museums.