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Access, Affordability, Health disparities, Health policy, Policy, Reproductive health, Reproductive rights, Women’s rights
Britney’s Conservatorship Is One Example of How the Legacy of Eugenics in the US Continues to Affect the Lives of Disabled Women
Read More: Britney’s Conservatorship Is One Example of How the Legacy of Eugenics in the US Continues to Affect the Lives of Disabled WomenBy Michaela Kathleen Curran, University of Iowa Britney Spears has been locked in a court battle 13 years in the making. While her father was suspended as conservator of her estate on Sep. 29, 2021, her conservatorship might not be terminated until the next hearing on Nov. 12. During this conservatorship, she was limited in…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health disparities, Policy, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Research, Vaccinations, Vaccines
Covid Is Killing Rural Americans at Twice the Rate of Urbanites
Read More: Covid Is Killing Rural Americans at Twice the Rate of UrbanitesBy Lauren Weber, Kaiser Health News Rural Americans are dying of covid at more than twice the rate of their urban counterparts — a divide that health experts say is likely to widen as access to medical care shrinks for a population that tends to be older, sicker, heavier, poorer and less vaccinated. While the…
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Your Wealth or Your Health?
Read More: Your Wealth or Your Health?Lisa Keller thought she was done with cancer. She’d already survived a rare sarcoma at age 12 and breast cancer at age 28, so she was unprepared mentally — and financially — when she was diagnosed with breast cancer again in December of 2017 at age 44. Earlier that year, Keller had filed for bankruptcy…
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Access, Access to health care, Cervical cancer, Gender, Hpv, Lgbtq, Prevention, Preventive health, Transgender
Removing Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening for the LGBTQ Community
Read More: Removing Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening for the LGBTQ CommunityReviewed by Dr. Sue Yom As executive director of the National LGBT Cancer Network, Scout, who goes by only one name, knows better than most about the importance of staying up to date on cancer screenings. And yet, Scout admits he’s frequently put off his own screenings for human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Because…
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Access, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health disparities, Health policy, Policy, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Vaccinations, Vaccines
Are COVID-19 Boosters Ethical, With Half the World Waiting for a First Shot? A Bioethicist Weighs In
Read More: Are COVID-19 Boosters Ethical, With Half the World Waiting for a First Shot? A Bioethicist Weighs InBy Nancy S. Jecker, University of Washington Should countries that can afford COVID-19 booster vaccines offer them to residents if scientists recommend them? The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has made his position clear, calling for countries to impose a moratorium on boosters until 10% of people in every country are…
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Menstrual Cups Are a Cheaper, More Sustainable Way for Women to Cope With Periods Than Tampons or Pads
Read More: Menstrual Cups Are a Cheaper, More Sustainable Way for Women to Cope With Periods Than Tampons or PadsBy Susan Powers, Clarkson University Every year in America, women spend at least US$2.8 billion on sanitary pads and tampons that can take hundreds of years to decompose. Is there a more economical and environmentally friendly way? To find out, we asked Susan Powers, a professor of sustainable environmental systems at Clarkson University about her…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Prevention, Preventive care, Preventive health
The Next Attack on the Affordable Care Act May Cost You Free Preventive Health Care
Read More: The Next Attack on the Affordable Care Act May Cost You Free Preventive Health CareBy Paul Shafer, Boston University and Alex Hoagland, Boston University Many Americans breathed a sigh of relief when the Supreme Court left the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in place following its third major legal challenge in June 2021. This decision left widely supported policies in place, like ensuring coverage regardless of preexisting conditions, coverage for…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, Health insurance, Prevention, Preventive health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
Can Health Insurance Companies Charge the Unvaccinated Higher Premiums? What About Life Insurers? 5 Questions Answered
Read More: Can Health Insurance Companies Charge the Unvaccinated Higher Premiums? What About Life Insurers? 5 Questions AnsweredBy Kosali Simon, Indiana University and Sharon Tennyson, Cornell University The current COVID-19 wave in the U.S. is mostly affecting unvaccinated Americans, who represent more than 95% of current cases of hospitalization and death. Given the average cost of a COVID-19 hospitalization in 2020 ran about US$42,200 per patient, will the unvaccinated be asked to…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Depression, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, mental health, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Reproductive rights, Women’s rights
Women Say California Insurer Makes It Too Hard to Get Drug for Postpartum Depression
Read More: Women Say California Insurer Makes It Too Hard to Get Drug for Postpartum DepressionBy April Dembosky, KQED, Kaiser Health News When Miriam McDonald decided she wanted to have another baby at age 44, her doctor told her she had a better chance of winning the lottery. So when she got pregnant right away, she and her husband were thrilled. But within three days of giving birth to their…
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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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Abortion Opponents Are Chipping Away at Reproductive Rights — One State at a Time
Read More: Abortion Opponents Are Chipping Away at Reproductive Rights — One State at a TimeFor Laurie Roberts, helping women access abortion care means seeing them jump through one hoop after another. As co-director of the nonprofit Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund (MRFF), she’s fielding 35 calls per week from people seeking monetary, informational, logistical and emotional support for abortions. She shared a recent example, which she says is all too…
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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, Affordability, caregiving, Chronic conditions, Clinical trials, Health care, Health policy, Medical research and clinical trials, Medication safety, Parenting, Real women real stories, Research, Science, Skin, Skin health
What It’s Like to Care for a Child With Severe Eczema
Read More: What It’s Like to Care for a Child With Severe EczemaWhen our daughter Tilly was 5 months old, my husband and I noticed a rash on her face and neck. She was obviously itchy and pretty cranky about it, so we took her to her pediatrician. After a long process that involved changing everything from detergents to my diet (because I was breastfeeding), as well…
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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, Health disparities, Labor, Labor & delivery, Newborn, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Racial disparities
Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek out Black Obstetricians
Read More: Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek out Black ObstetriciansIn South Florida, when people want to find a Black physician, they often contact Adrienne Hibbert through her website, Black Doctors of South Florida. “There are a lot of Black networks that are behind the scenes,” said Hibbert, who runs her own marketing firm. “I don’t want them to be behind the scenes, so I’m…
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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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Why Getting More People With Disabilities Developing Technology Is Good for Everyone
Read More: Why Getting More People With Disabilities Developing Technology Is Good for EveryoneBy Kristen Shinohara, Rochester Institute of Technology and Garreth Tigwell, Rochester Institute of Technology Unless you’re blind or know someone who is, you might not know that blind people use the same smartphones as sighted people. In fact, many blind people use touch-screen smartphones every day. The secret is that smartphones have a screen reader,…
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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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Roe v. Wade Gave American Women a Choice About Having Children – Here’s How That Changed Their Lives
Read More: Roe v. Wade Gave American Women a Choice About Having Children – Here’s How That Changed Their LivesBy Constance Shehan, University of Florida The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case challenging a Mississippi state law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, much earlier than the 24-week threshold generally established by the pivotal abortion rights case Roe v. Wade in 1973. Roe v. Wade granted women the right to…
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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, Affordability, Body image, Depression, Gender, Hormone health, Medication safety, Parenting, Transgender
How Parents Can Support a Child Who Comes out as Trans – by Conquering Their Own Fears, Following Their Child’s Lead and Tolerating Ambiguity
Read More: How Parents Can Support a Child Who Comes out as Trans – by Conquering Their Own Fears, Following Their Child’s Lead and Tolerating AmbiguityBy Em Matsuno, Palo Alto University Young transgender, or trans, people face high rates of anxiety, depression and suicide. These elevated mental health risks largely stem from external factors such as discrimination, victimization and – most especially – family rejection rather than from being trans. Em Matsuno, a research fellow at Palo Alto University, is…
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I’m a Pediatrician Who Cares for Transgender Kids – Here’s What You Need to Know About Social Support, Puberty Blockers and Other Medical Options That Improve Lives of Transgender Youth
Read More: I’m a Pediatrician Who Cares for Transgender Kids – Here’s What You Need to Know About Social Support, Puberty Blockers and Other Medical Options That Improve Lives of Transgender YouthMandy Coles, Boston University When Charlie, a 10-year-old boy, came in for his first visit, he didn’t look at me or my colleague. Angry and crying, he insisted to us that he was cisgender – that he was a boy and had been born male. A few months before Charlie came into our office, he…
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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, Affordability, Contraception, Gender diversity, Health disparities, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Sexually transmitted diseases, Stds, Vaccinations
Syphilis Cases in California Drive a Record-Setting Year for STDs Nationwide
Read More: Syphilis Cases in California Drive a Record-Setting Year for STDs NationwideBy April Dembosky, KQED, Kaiser Health News In certain circles of San Francisco, a case of syphilis can be as common and casual as the flu, to the point where Billy Lemon can’t even remember how many times he’s had it. This story is from a partnership that includes NPR, KQED and KHN. It can…
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Access, Affordability, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health disparities, Health insurance, Prevention, Preventive health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
How Inequity Gets Built Into America’s Vaccination System
Read More: How Inequity Gets Built Into America’s Vaccination SystemBy Maryam Jameel and Caroline Chen, ProPublica. This story was originally published by ProPublica. Series: Coronavirus The U.S. Response to COVID-19 It’s a fact that simply being eligible for a vaccine in America doesn’t mean that you can instantly get one. Yet the ability to get to the front of the line isn’t the same…
