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Access, Access to health care, Affordable care act, Birth control, Health insurance, Keep the care, Reproductive health, Reproductive rights, Women’s rights
Contraception Is Free to Women, Except When It’s Not
Read More: Contraception Is Free to Women, Except When It’s NotBy Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News For Stephanie Force, finding a birth control method that she likes and can get without paying out-of-pocket has been a struggle, despite the Affordable Care Act’s promise of free contraceptives for women and adolescent girls in most health plans. The 27-year-old physician recruiter in Roanoke, Virginia, was perfectly happy…
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Access, Access to health care, Adolescent, Affordability, Affordable care act, Anxiety, Depression, Health care, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, Self-Care, sleep, Stress
No Vacancy: How a Shortage of Mental Health Beds Keeps Kids Trapped Inside ERs
Read More: No Vacancy: How a Shortage of Mental Health Beds Keeps Kids Trapped Inside ERsMartha Bebinger, WBUR, Kaiser Health News One evening in late March, a mom called 911. Her daughter, she said, was threatening to kill herself. EMTs arrived at the home north of Boston, helped calm the 13-year-old, and took her to an emergency room. Melinda, like a growing number of children during the covid-19 pandemic, had…
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Hospital Prices Must Now Be Transparent. For Many Consumers, They’re Still Anyone’s Guess.
Read More: Hospital Prices Must Now Be Transparent. For Many Consumers, They’re Still Anyone’s Guess.Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News A colonoscopy might cost you or your insurer a few hundred dollars — or several thousand, depending on which hospital or insurer you use. Long hidden, such price variations are supposed to be available in stark black and white under a Trump administration price transparency rule that took effect at…
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Access, Access to health care, Adolescent, Affordability, Anxiety, Depression, Health care, Health insurance, Hormone health, Keep the care, Lgbtq, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, Research, Stress, Transgender
Transgender Medicine – What Care Looks Like, Who Seeks It out and What’s Still Unknown: 3 Essential Reads
Read More: Transgender Medicine – What Care Looks Like, Who Seeks It out and What’s Still Unknown: 3 Essential ReadsBy Daniel Merino, The Conversation Transgender people continue to be the focus of political culture wars in the U.S. In the spring of 2021, lawmakers in many states sought to limit or ban transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. The laws proposed – and in some cases passed – were written to have a direct…
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Access, Access to health care, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Keep the care, Policy, Prevention, Preventive health, Research
Black and Hispanic Americans Suffer Most in Biggest US Decline in Life Expectancy Since WWII
Read More: Black and Hispanic Americans Suffer Most in Biggest US Decline in Life Expectancy Since WWIILiz Szabo, Kaiser Health News Although James Toussaint has never had covid, the pandemic is taking a profound toll on his health. First, the 57-year-old lost his job delivering parts for a New Orleans auto dealership in spring 2020, when the local economy shut down. Then, he fell behind on his rent. Last month, Toussaint…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Keep the care, Medicare, Policy, Research
Some Hospitals Kept Suing Patients Over Medical Debt Through the Pandemic
Read More: Some Hospitals Kept Suing Patients Over Medical Debt Through the Pandemicby Jenny Deam, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Last year as COVID-19 laid siege to the nation, many U.S. hospitals dramatically reduced their aggressive tactics to collect medical debt.…
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15 minutes with, Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Medicare, Medication safety, Opioid use disorder, Opioids, Otc medication safety, Preventive health, Reproductive rights, Women’s rights
15 Minutes With Congresswoman Debbie Dingell
Read More: 15 Minutes With Congresswoman Debbie DingellCongresswoman Debbie Dingell has long been an advocate for women and children. She is a founder and past chair of the National Women’s Health Resource Center and the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); successfully fought to have women included in federally funded health research; and advocated for greater awareness of issues…
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Access, Access to health care, Anxiety, Chronic conditions, Health care, Health care professionals, Health disparities, mental health, Nutrition, Obesity, Preventive health, Real women real stories
I Thought Weight-Loss Surgery Would End My Struggle With Obesity. Then I Found Out Maintaining a Healthy Body and Mind Is a Lifelong Commitment.
Read More: I Thought Weight-Loss Surgery Would End My Struggle With Obesity. Then I Found Out Maintaining a Healthy Body and Mind Is a Lifelong Commitment.As told to Jackie Froeber In 2001, I was in the checkout aisle at the grocery store when I saw a magazine cover touting Carnie Wilson’s gastric bypass surgery. By the time I was through with the article, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time: hope that I could lose weight. I’ve…
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Access, Access to health care, Chronic conditions, Health care, Health care professionals, Health disparities, Obesity, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Real women real stories
Losing Weight Helped Heal Not Just My Body, But My Mind and Spirit, Too
Read More: Losing Weight Helped Heal Not Just My Body, But My Mind and Spirit, TooAs told to Kimberly Rex Before December 2017, I was anxious every time I had to ride on an airplane. But it’s not because I was afraid to fly. I was angry and embarrassed because I hated asking the flight attendant for a seat belt extender. I was 5 feet 1 inch tall and 323…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Financial health, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Prevention, Preventive health, Telehealth
Health Is Infrastructure, Too
Read More: Health Is Infrastructure, TooDuring opening remarks at HealthyWomen’s recent webinar, “Health is Infrastructure, Too: The Impact on Women’s Health Care,” HealthyWomen’s CEO Beth Battaglino said, “As we slowly emerge from the grips of a very long and difficult pandemic, we are at a pivotal moment for women’s health in this country.” Women, she said, continue to face mental…
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Access, Access to health care, Chronic conditions, Kidney, Policy, Racial disparities, Research, Urinary tracts conditions
Kidney Experts Say It’s Time to Remove Race From Medical Algorithms. Doing so Is Complicated.
Read More: Kidney Experts Say It’s Time to Remove Race From Medical Algorithms. Doing so Is Complicated.By Rae Ellen Bichell and Cara Anthony, Kaiser Health News Alphonso Harried recently came across a newspaper clipping about his grandfather receiving his 1,000th dialysis treatment. His grandfather later died — at a dialysis center — as did his uncle, both from kidney disease. “And that comes in my mind, on my weak days: ‘Are…
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Access, Access to health care, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Preventive health, Telehealth
Covid Was a Tipping Point for Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here to Stay.
Read More: Covid Was a Tipping Point for Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here to Stay.By Noam N. Levey, Kaiser Health News As the covid crisis wanes and life approaches normal across the U.S., health industry leaders and many patient advocates are pushing Congress and the Biden administration to preserve the pandemic-fueled expansion of telehealth that has transformed how millions of Americans see the doctor. This story also ran on…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Financial health, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Preventive health
Roads and Bridges and Tunnels … and Health?
Read More: Roads and Bridges and Tunnels … and Health?Join us on June 10 for our webinar, “Health Is Infrastructure, Too: The Impact on Women’s Health Care,” where we discuss how the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan affect women’s health care, including what was addressed by the legislation — and what isn’t included in the plans. When politicians talk about…
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Access, Access to health care, Anxiety, Depression, Health disparities, mental health, Racial disparities, Self-Care, Stress
Closing The Mental Health Gap for Women of Color
Read More: Closing The Mental Health Gap for Women of ColorFrancisca Porchas Coronado was just nine when she left her home in the Mexican state of Sonora, just south of the border with Arizona, to migrate to the United States. The memories of traveling through the desert and resettling in a new country still linger even though she’s lived in the United States for more…
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Access, Access to health care, Chronic conditions, Depression, exercise, Health care, Health care professionals, Health disparities, Healthy Eating, mental health, Nutrition, Obesity, Policy, Preventive health, Weight Loss, Weight management
Weight Stigma Is a Burden Around the World – and Has Negative Consequences Everywhere
Read More: Weight Stigma Is a Burden Around the World – and Has Negative Consequences EverywhereBy Rebecca Puhl, University of Connecticut Lazy. Unmotivated. No self-discipline. No willpower. These are just a few of the widespread stereotypes ingrained in American society about people who have a higher body weight or larger body size. Known as weight stigma, these attitudes result in many Americans being blamed, teased, bullied, mistreated and discriminated against.…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Body image, Depression, Gender, Hormone health, Lgbtq, Medication safety, Parenting, Transgender
Trans Kids in the US Were Seeking Treatment Decades Before Today’s Political Battles Over Access to Health Care
Read More: Trans Kids in the US Were Seeking Treatment Decades Before Today’s Political Battles Over Access to Health CareBy Jules Gill-Peterson, University of Pittsburgh In 1942, a 17-year-old transgender girl named Lane visited a doctor in her Missouri hometown with her parents. Lane had known that she was a girl from a very young age, but fights with her parents over her transness had made it difficult for her to live comfortably and…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Health care, Health insurance, Preventive health, sleep
Enough to Wreck Their Rest: $10,322 for a Sleep Study
Read More: Enough to Wreck Their Rest: $10,322 for a Sleep StudyBy Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News José Mendoza’s snoring was bad — but the silence when he stopped breathing was even worse for his wife, Nancy. The sudden quiet would wake her and she waited anxiously for him to take another breath. If too many seconds ticked by, she pushed him hard so that he…
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No-Cancel Culture: How Telehealth Is Making It Easier to Keep That Therapy Session
Read More: No-Cancel Culture: How Telehealth Is Making It Easier to Keep That Therapy SessionBy Eric Berger, Kaiser Health News When the covid-19 pandemic forced behavioral health providers to stop seeing patients in person and instead hold therapy sessions remotely, the switch produced an unintended, positive consequence: Fewer patients skipped appointments. This story also ran on NBC News. It can be republished for free. That had long been a…
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Doctors Now Must Provide Patients Their Health Data, Online and on Demand
Read More: Doctors Now Must Provide Patients Their Health Data, Online and on DemandBy Sarah Kwon, Kaiser Health News Last summer, Anna Ramsey suffered a flare-up of juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune condition, posing a terrifying prospect for the Los Angeles resident: She might have to undergo chemotherapy, further compromising her immune system during a pandemic. This story also ran on Los Angeles Times. It can be republished…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, cancer, Clinical trials, Health care, Health policy, Research
‘Kicking You When You’re Down’: Many Cancer Patients Pay Dearly for Parking
Read More: ‘Kicking You When You’re Down’: Many Cancer Patients Pay Dearly for ParkingBy Rebecca J. Ritzel, Kaiser Health News For cancer patients, the road from diagnosis to survivorship feels like a never-ending parade of medical appointments: surgeries, bloodwork, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, scans. The routine is time-consuming and costly. So, when hospitals charge patients double-digit parking fees, patients often leave the garage demoralized. This story also ran on…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Policy, Preventive health
Time to Say Goodbye to Some Insurers’ Waivers for Covid Treatment Fees
Read More: Time to Say Goodbye to Some Insurers’ Waivers for Covid Treatment FeesBy Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Just as other industries are rolling back some consumer-friendly changes made early in the pandemic — think empty middle seats on airplanes — so, too, are health insurers. This story also ran on NBC News. It can be republished for free. Many voluntarily waived all deductibles, copayments and other…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Keep the care, Policy, Preventive health, Racial disparities
Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis Brings More Attention to Solving Long-Ignored Racial Gaps in Health
Read More: Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis Brings More Attention to Solving Long-Ignored Racial Gaps in HealthBy Paul K. Halverson, IUPUI The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined hundreds of cities and counties across the country in declaring racism a public health threat. On April 8, 2021, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky called racism an epidemic that affects “the entire health of our nation.” Declaring racism a public…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Birth control, Contraception, COVID-19, Family planning, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Pandemic, Preventive health
Biden Moves to Overturn Trump Birth Control Rules
Read More: Biden Moves to Overturn Trump Birth Control RulesJulie Rovner, Kaiser Health News The Biden administration Wednesday formally proposed the repeal of Trump-era regulations barring abortion referrals and making other changes intended to evict Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from the federal family planning program, Title X. The 2019 rules dramatically limited access to these family planning services for many low-income people.…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Endometriosis, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Medicare, Multiple sclerosis, Opioid use disorder, Policy, Preventive health
Prior Authorization Doesn’t Have to Be a Barrier to Care
Read More: Prior Authorization Doesn’t Have to Be a Barrier to CareEven after menopause, Gail Weiss had severe endometriosis that caused her excruciating pain. Weiss researched her options and found a surgeon out of state who performed specialized excision surgery. Her insurance company would only pay for a more standard surgery performed by an in-network doctor. The company claimed her local doctor could perform a comparable…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Chronic conditions, chronic pain, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Medication safety, Pain, Pain management, Policy, Preventive health
Learn More About Chronic Pain
Read More: Learn More About Chronic PainReference: Chronic Pain Graphic
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Budget, Financial health, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Policy, Preventive health
What the American Rescue Plan Says About President Biden’s Health Care Priorities – and What They Mean for You
Read More: What the American Rescue Plan Says About President Biden’s Health Care Priorities – and What They Mean for YouBy Zack Buck, University of Tennessee As millions of Americans receive COVID-19 vaccines, the Affordable Care Act just got a booster shot of its own. After 11 years of existential threat and months after an argument before the Supreme Court, the ACA has been strengthened under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the US$1.9 trillion…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Chronic conditions, Financial health, Health disparities, Health insurance
Living With a Disability Is Very Expensive – Even With Government Assistance
Read More: Living With a Disability Is Very Expensive – Even With Government AssistanceBy Zachary Morris, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York); Nanette Goodman, Syracuse University, and Stephen McGarity, University of Tennessee Edward Mitchell is 34 years old and lives in Jackson, Tennessee, with a spinal cord injury caused by a hit-and-run accident that happened when he was 17. He has plenty of expenses that…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Preventive health
7 things President-Elect Biden Can Achieve on Health Care
Read More: 7 things President-Elect Biden Can Achieve on Health CareBy Simon F. Haeder, Penn State President-elect Joe Biden has plenty of work ahead of him; reining in the out-of-control pandemic tops the list, and beyond that, there are significant challenges on health care in general. Unquestionably, the incoming administration also faces limitations. Twelve years ago, Barack Obama had a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S.…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Chronic conditions, chronic pain, Health care, Keep the care, Policy, Telehealth
Managing Chronic Pain in Rural America
Read More: Managing Chronic Pain in Rural AmericaGinger Nord likes to look people in the eye when she walks down the street in her rural Indiana town; it makes her feel in control. But with two diseases that affect her nerves, muscles and joints, she has to keep her eyes on the ground to avoid tripping on even small sidewalk cracks. Nord…
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Access, Access to health care, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health disparities, Health insurance, Policy, Prevention, Preventive health
Black Doctors Work to Make Coronavirus Testing More Equitable
Read More: Black Doctors Work to Make Coronavirus Testing More EquitableBy Nina Feldman, WHYY, Kaiser Health News When the coronavirus arrived in Philadelphia in March, Dr. Ala Stanford hunkered down at home with her husband and kids. A pediatric surgeon with a private practice, she has staff privileges at a few suburban Philadelphia hospitals. For weeks, most of her usual procedures and patient visits were…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, Health insurance, Policy
For COVID Tests, the Question of Who Pays Comes Down to Interpretation
Read More: For COVID Tests, the Question of Who Pays Comes Down to InterpretationBy Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News In advance of an upcoming road trip with her elderly parents, Wendy Epstein’s physician agreed it would be “prudent” for her and her kids to get tested for COVID-19. Seeing the tests as a “medical need,” the doctor said insurance would likely pay for them, with no out-of-pocket cost…
