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Access, Access to health care, Health care, Health disparities, Racial disparities, Skin, Skin health
The Importance of Black Dermatologists: Skin Care Must See Color
Read More: The Importance of Black Dermatologists: Skin Care Must See ColorThe dentist’s office was the last place I expected to be warned about skin cancer. When my hygienist lifted my hair off my ears during a head and neck exam, she noticed a mole that hadn’t been present six months ago. “I’m not an expert on skin conditions, but just to be safe, you might…
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Why Hormonal Birth Control Is So Important to Women’s Healthcare
Read More: Why Hormonal Birth Control Is So Important to Women’s HealthcareSeptember 26, 2022, is World Contraception Day. The word “miserable” comes to mind for Shannon Luders-Manuel when she remembers the days before she was on hormonal birth control. The 47-year-old writer, editor and sensitivity reader has had premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) since she was in high school. A week before her period every month, she…
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Access, Access to health care, Birth control, Birth control pills, Contraception, Endometriosis, Fibroids, Menopause, Pcos, Uterine cancer
Why Access to Contraception Matters for Women of All Ages
Read More: Why Access to Contraception Matters for Women of All AgesKelsie Williams grew up in rural Kentucky, where accessing contraception was — and still is — a struggle. “The more rural regions are really short-staffed and they’re low on specialists who provide reproductive healthcare,” Williams explained. “I still hear from friends and family who have to take time off for work to drive long distances.…
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Top Facts You Need to Know About Medical Abortion
Read More: Top Facts You Need to Know About Medical AbortionA medical abortion is one way to end an early pregnancy using prescription medication. Complications are very rare, and this method is considered safe and effective for most people up to 70 days of pregnancy, or about 9 to 10 weeks since their last period. In 2020, more than half of the abortions in the…
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Survey Says: Insurance Providers May Put Up Barriers to Care
Read More: Survey Says: Insurance Providers May Put Up Barriers to CareLike most parents, Jenna Gay would pretty much do anything to protect her kids. She just never expected “anything” would include battling a health insurance company. Gay has two boys, both of whom have Noonan Syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that can affect the way kids’ bodies use growth hormone (GH). This means they…
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How the Tampon Shortage Is Exacerbating Period Poverty in the US
Read More: How the Tampon Shortage Is Exacerbating Period Poverty in the USBy Marni Sommer, Columbia University Tampons have become the latest household product to fall foul of supply chain issues. Reports of a scarcity of the menstrual product, used by millions of women in the U.S., have combined with general inflationary pressure on the price of goods to create cost and access barriers. The Conversation asked…
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Telehealth and Pain Management: What You Need to Know
Read More: Telehealth and Pain Management: What You Need to KnowThe last thing you want to do when you’re experiencing debilitating pain is hop on public transportation or get in the car (perhaps with kids in tow) to go see your doctor. Instead, today, you can log into a telehealth appointment with your healthcare provider (HCP) for assessment, pain medication prescriptions, and follow-up care all…
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What Is Step Therapy?
Read More: What Is Step Therapy?This resource has been created with support from AbbVie, Pfizer, Regeneron and Sanofi.
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Access, Access to health care, cancer, Gender, Health disparities, Lgbtq, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Racism
Race, Gender and the Ways These Identities Intersect Matter in Cancer Outcomes
Read More: Race, Gender and the Ways These Identities Intersect Matter in Cancer OutcomesBy Timothy Pawlik, The Ohio State University; Elizabeth Palmer, The Ohio State University, and Samilia Obeng-Gyasi, The Ohio State University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Belonging to one or more groups with long-standing social and economic disadvantages increases the risk of cancer diagnoses and death, according…
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15 minutes with, Access, Access to health care, Expert perspectives, Health disparities, Racial disparities, Racism
15 Minutes With: Dr. Neel Shah Talks to HealthyWomen About Racism in Healthcare
Read More: 15 Minutes With: Dr. Neel Shah Talks to HealthyWomen About Racism in HealthcareDr. Neel Shah is chief medical officer of Maven Clinic, the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and the founder of Costs of Care. Shah is featured in “The Color of Care,” an original documentary from Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo productions…
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Women Having Surgery Get Better Results if Their Surgeon Is a Woman
Read More: Women Having Surgery Get Better Results if Their Surgeon Is a WomanGoing into surgery is daunting, no matter who you are. There’s a lot to consider, from how you prepare and what your insurance covers to what hospital you choose and your relationship with your healthcare provider. You might be surprised to hear that even the gender of your surgeon may factor into whether you have…
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A Recap: HealthyWomen’s Webinar, “CURES 2.0: Leading Women’s Health Forward”
Read More: A Recap: HealthyWomen’s Webinar, “CURES 2.0: Leading Women’s Health Forward”The United States Congress has the power to give women resources, tools and treatments to improve their own health and the health of their families. According to HealthyWomen’s CEO Beth Battaglino, RN-C, bipartisan legislation moving through Congress — the Cures 2.0 Act — would do just that. To examine key provisions and implications of the…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Fertility, Fertility & family planning, Health care, Infertility, Keep the care, Reproductive rights
Even When IVF Is Covered by Insurance, High Bills and Hassles Abound
Read More: Even When IVF Is Covered by Insurance, High Bills and Hassles AboundBy Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News After years of trying to have a baby without success, Brenna Kaminski and her husband, Joshua Pritt, decided to try in vitro fertilization. Only 15 states require insurance to cover fertility treatments, and Florida, where Kaminski and Pritt live, isn’t one of them. Still, the couple’s insurance, from Pritt’s…
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Access, Access to health care, Amr, Antimicrobial resistance, Health disparities, Medication safety, Preventive health, Science
Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than Others
Read More: Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than OthersWhen Terry Bravo had a urinary tract infection in 2018, she took her mother’s unused antibiotics, left over from a prescription her mom had never finished four years before. Bravo said it was the only antibiotic she could get. Although Bravo has health insurance, she said it costs a lot and barely covers anything. “I…
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Access, Access to health care, Family, Health care, Health insurance, Healthy home, Parenting, Preventive health
Health Insurance Coverage for Kids Through Medicaid and CHIP Helps Their Moms Too
Read More: Health Insurance Coverage for Kids Through Medicaid and CHIP Helps Their Moms TooBy Sebastian Tello-Trillo, University of Virginia The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea When children get health insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, their families benefit too. That’s what I found through recent research conducted with two fellow health economists, Daniel S.…
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Obesity Among Black Women: Fighting the Disease Through Community
Read More: Obesity Among Black Women: Fighting the Disease Through CommunityApril is National Minority Health Month. For Michele Tedder, fighting obesity has been a lifelong journey. Despite years of trying numerous diets and exercise fads, Tedder’s weight continued to rise, surpassing 300 pounds on her 5-foot-1 frame. After developing high blood pressure, joint pain and Type 2 diabetes, she decided to pursue weight loss surgery.…
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Transgender People of Color Face Unique Challenges as Gender Discrimination and Racism Intersect
Read More: Transgender People of Color Face Unique Challenges as Gender Discrimination and Racism IntersectBy Gabriel Lockett, University of Florida; Jules Sostre, University of Florida, and Roberto L. Abreu, University of Florida Throughout history, transgender people of color have had a place of honor in many indigenous cultures around the world. This changed in many places, however, as European colonizers began forcing indigenous people to follow white social norms.…
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Access, Endometriosis, Health disparities, Health insurance, Racial disparities, Racism, Real women real stories, Women’s rights
I Was Bleeding to Death on the Bathroom Floor — While the Medics Insisted I Couldn’t Afford the Ambulance Ride
Read More: I Was Bleeding to Death on the Bathroom Floor — While the Medics Insisted I Couldn’t Afford the Ambulance RideAs told to Erica Rimlinger One evening during my senior year of college in Texas, I was hanging out at my boyfriend’s apartment when a vicious, blinding pain seized my abdomen. It was like I’d been shot, but the pain wasn’t localized: it was everywhere in my torso. I started bleeding like I had my…
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Access, Access to health care, Gender, Gender diversity, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Lgbtq, Preventive care, Racial disparities, Racism, Transgender
What’s Sexual Orientation Got to Do With It? LGTBQ People Face Discrimination in Healthcare
Read More: What’s Sexual Orientation Got to Do With It? LGTBQ People Face Discrimination in HealthcareMarch 21 to March 25 is National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week. At age 28, Laura Silverstein tripped while running, dislocating her pinky finger trying to break her fall. Now 52, Silverstein said her experience at the emergency room that day still gives her “the heebie jeebies.” The doctor probed Silverstein about her birth control method,…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Birth control, Birth control pills, Contraception, Health insurance, Keep the care
It’s Illegal — but My Insurance Company Refused to Cover My Birth Control
Read More: It’s Illegal — but My Insurance Company Refused to Cover My Birth ControlAs told to Shannon Shelton Miller More than two years ago, I made an appointment with my physician to discuss the best contraceptive options for my healthcare needs. Together, we decided on a method and my physician submitted the prescription to my insurer. I was stunned when my insurer refused to cover my contraceptive of…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Chronic conditions, Coronavirus, Covid long-haulers, COVID-19, Policy
Long Covid Leaves Newly Disabled People Facing Old Barriers — a Sociologist Explains
Read More: Long Covid Leaves Newly Disabled People Facing Old Barriers — a Sociologist ExplainsBy Laura Mauldin, University of Connecticut Up to one-third of COVID-19 survivors will acquire the condition known as long or long-haul COVID-19. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation estimates that long COVID will add as many as 22 million individuals to the U.S. population of disabled people. I am a sociologist and researcher…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordable care act, Health insurance, HIV, Hivaids, Prevention, Preventive health, Sexually transmitted diseases, Stds
HIV Preventive Care Is Supposed to Be Free in the US. So, Why Are Some Patients Still Paying?
Read More: HIV Preventive Care Is Supposed to Be Free in the US. So, Why Are Some Patients Still Paying?By Sarah Varney, Kaiser Health News Anthony Cantu, 31, counsels patients at a San Antonio health clinic about a daily pill shown to prevent HIV infection. Last summer, he started taking the medication himself, an approach called preexposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP. The regimen requires laboratory tests every three months to ensure the powerful…
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A Conversation With Janet McUlsky About Patient Advocacy
Read More: A Conversation With Janet McUlsky About Patient AdvocacyJanet McUlsky has been working in patient advocacy for more than four decades. She’s a nationally recognized expert and innovator in the field of stakeholder alliance development and programming and is the former senior director of National Alliance Development at Pfizer. McUlsky is this year’s recipient of the Pinnacle Award: Honoring a Career of Outstanding…
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Survey Says: How Women View Health Care and Access to Health Information
Read More: Survey Says: How Women View Health Care and Access to Health InformationThese days, health-related insight is a click away. Curious about the symptoms of depression? Google it. Need the definition of collagen? Ask Alexa. Want to know more about women’s reproductive rights? Pick a podcast. But how do women view health care and access to health information? Do age, race and ethnicity play a part? What…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Preventive health, Reproductive rights, Women’s rights
The ACA guarantees full contraceptive coverage. Why are women getting denied?
Read More: The ACA guarantees full contraceptive coverage. Why are women getting denied?As Whitney* approached the end of her medical residency more than two years ago, she discovered a new birth control device that seemed like a perfect fit for her needs. The contraceptive — a one-year vaginal ring — meant she’d only need one prescription annually instead of the monthly refills required for most hormonal rings.…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities
Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months Ahead
Read More: Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months AheadBy Rachana Pradhan, Kaiser Health News The Biden administration and state officials are bracing for a great unwinding: millions of people losing their Medicaid benefits when the pandemic health emergency ends. Some might sign up for different insurance. Many others are bound to get lost in the transition. State Medicaid agencies for months have been…
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Why Access to Contraceptives Matters
Read More: Why Access to Contraceptives MattersModern advances in contraceptive medicine have been game-changing for women of all ages. Women take birth control for many reasons — from trying to prevent a pregnancy, hoping to minimize what can be crippling side effects of menstruation, or aiming to reduce the risk of certain diseases, such as ovarian cancer. Whatever the reason, access…
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15 minutes with, Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health insurance, Prevention, Preventive health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
15 Minutes With Dr. Leana Wen
Read More: 15 Minutes With Dr. Leana WenDr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University who previously served as the health commissioner in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Wen is a familiar face on CNN, where she serves as a medical analyst, writes a weekly column in The Washington Post and hosts the Post’s newsletter, The Checkup…
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Biden to Expand Access to At-Home Covid Kits: 4 Essential Reads on the Critical Role of Rapid Tests
Read More: Biden to Expand Access to At-Home Covid Kits: 4 Essential Reads on the Critical Role of Rapid TestsBy Matt Williams, The Conversation President Joe Biden has outlined plans to massively ramp up COVID-19 testing in an effort to curb – or at least slow – the spread of the highly infectious omicron variant across the U.S. In a speech on Dec. 21, 2021, Biden said he aimed to get out “as many…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordable care act, Health disparities, HIV, Hivaids, Lgbtq, Policy, Prevention, Preventive health
HIV Prevention Pill PrEP Is Now Free Under Most Insurance Plans – but the Latest Challenge to the Affordable Care Act Puts This Benefit at Risk
Read More: HIV Prevention Pill PrEP Is Now Free Under Most Insurance Plans – but the Latest Challenge to the Affordable Care Act Puts This Benefit at RiskDecember 1 is World AIDS Day By Paul Shafer, Boston University and Kristefer Stojanovski, Tulane University Since the start of the HIV epidemic in 1981, over 700,000 Americans have lost their lives to AIDS. Being infected used to be a death sentence. But now, 40 years later, the U.S. is on the precipice of eradicating…
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Is Your Health Insurance Provider Tracking You Online?
Read More: Is Your Health Insurance Provider Tracking You Online?As a graduate student in digital marketing, Rachel Cipriano, 46, knows just how much of her data is likely being collected online. Consumers leave digital footprints with every online purchase, Google search, take-out order or streaming binge. Where we live, how much money we earn, and whether or how much we smoke, drink, exercise, eat,…
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Transgender Children’s Rights Are Under Attack
Read More: Transgender Children’s Rights Are Under AttackFive years ago, Lisa Stanton’s now 10-year-old daughter, Maya, socially transitioned to her affirmed gender. (A person’s affirmed gender is the one that reflects their gender identity, as opposed to the gender assigned to them at birth.) The duo has been fighting against laws challenging transgender rights within their home state of Texas, ever since.…
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How Rural Communities Are Losing Their Pharmacies
Read More: How Rural Communities Are Losing Their PharmaciesBy Markian Hawryluk, Kaiser Health News Batson’s Drug Store seems like a throwback to a simpler time. The independently owned pharmacy in Howard, Kansas, still runs an old-fashioned soda counter and hand-dips ice cream. But the drugstore, the only one in the entire county, teeters on the edge between nostalgia and extinction. Julie Perkins, pharmacist…
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Fewer Diabetes Patients Are Picking up Their Insulin Prescriptions – Another Way the Pandemic Has Delayed Health Care for Many
Read More: Fewer Diabetes Patients Are Picking up Their Insulin Prescriptions – Another Way the Pandemic Has Delayed Health Care for ManyBy Ismaeel Yunusa, University of South Carolina Insulin is as essential as water for many people with diabetes. Of the more than 30 million Americans with diabetes, approximately 7.4 million rely on insulin to manage their condition. But it is one of the most costly drugs on the market, and the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, COVID-19, Health insurance, Obesity, Pandemic, Policy, Weight Loss, Weight management
Celebrating Every Body Requires Access to the Best Weight-Management Care
Read More: Celebrating Every Body Requires Access to the Best Weight-Management CareIf you’ve gained weight during the Covid-19 pandemic, you are not alone. A year into the pandemic, an American Psychological Association survey showed that 45% of women report undesired weight gain, with an average addition of 22 pounds. Gaining weight can make us feel insecure about our appearance or uncomfortable in pants we may have…
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15 minutes with, Access, Clinical trials, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health, Health disparities, Hivaids, Lgbtq, Racial disparities, Research, Science, Vaccinations, Vaccines
15 Minutes With Phyllis Greenberger
Read More: 15 Minutes With Phyllis GreenbergerWe are honored to have Phyllis Greenberger on our team as senior vice president of policy, advocacy and science for HealthyWomen. A women’s health pioneer, Greenberger received the 2021 Perennial Hero Award from the Alliance for Aging Research in September. The award honors an older individual who is actively contributing to creating positive societal change…
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Access, Health care, Health insurance, Policy, Pregnancy, Premature birth, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Racism
Racism a Strong Factor in Black Women’s High Rate of Premature Births, Study Finds
Read More: Racism a Strong Factor in Black Women’s High Rate of Premature Births, Study FindsBy Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Kaiser Health News The tipping point for Dr. Paula Braveman came when a longtime patient of hers at a community clinic in San Francisco’s Mission District slipped past the front desk and knocked on her office door to say goodbye. He wouldn’t be coming to the clinic anymore, he told her,…
