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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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The Price of Period Poverty
Read More: The Price of Period PovertyThat time of the month. Aunt Flo. Monthly visitor. The crimson wave. It seems like everyone has a different nickname for their period, but no matter what you call it, it’s totally natural. But, as natural as it is, it also costs you money. And not everyone who menstruates can afford period products. Period poverty…
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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, Affordability, Anxiety, Chronic conditions, chronic pain, Depression, Endometriosis, Health disparities, Medication safety, Opioid use disorder, Pain, Pain management, Policy, Prescription drugs
For Millions of Americans Enduring Chronic Pain, Support Is Overdue
Read More: For Millions of Americans Enduring Chronic Pain, Support Is OverdueCindy Steinberg was seriously injured in an accident 20 years ago, but she still lives with pain every day. “I didn’t know there was such a thing as living in pain all the time,” she said. When Steinberg had to stop working because of her pain, she started an informal pain support group at a…
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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, Clinical trials, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health disparities, Medical research and clinical trials, Research
COVID-19 and the Growing Importance of Diverse Participation in Clinical Trials
Read More: COVID-19 and the Growing Importance of Diverse Participation in Clinical TrialsIf the COVID-19 pandemic has given us any silver lining, it’s that it has greatly influenced the way our medical society approaches studies and clinical trials. While the worldwide crisis has undoubtedly caused devastation on levels most of us haven’t experienced before, it has sparked a recognition of the importance of gender and ethnic diversity…
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Access, Arthritis, Bone joint health, Cardiovascular disease, Chronic conditions, Diabetes, Health disparities, Heart disease, Heart health, Obesity, Osteoarthritis, Policy, Rheumatoid arthritis
Clinical Trials Need a Broader Approach to Improve Osteoarthritis Outcomes
Read More: Clinical Trials Need a Broader Approach to Improve Osteoarthritis OutcomesAs the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis affects more than 32 million adults. The disease is characterized by a gradual breakdown of the cushions between bones, which can lead to joint pain and stiffness in the hands, knees, hips, lower back and neck. Some osteoarthritis improves with physical therapy, but if it doesn’t, the…
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Access, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, Health insurance, Health policy, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens
Kids Already Coping With Mental Disorders Spiral as Pandemic Topples Vital Support Systems
Read More: Kids Already Coping With Mental Disorders Spiral as Pandemic Topples Vital Support SystemsChristine Herman, Side Effects Public Media and Cory Turner, NPR and Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes NPR, Illinois Public Media and KHN. It can be republished for free. A bag of Doritos, that’s all Princess wanted. Her mom calls her Princess, but her real name is Lindsey.…
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Clinically Speaking: What Are Biosimilars?
Read More: Clinically Speaking: What Are Biosimilars?Medically reviewed by Lisa Kennedy Sheldon, Ph.D.
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Coming Soon to a Pharmacy Near You: Biosimilars
Read More: Coming Soon to a Pharmacy Near You: BiosimilarsMedically reviewed by Lisa Kennedy Sheldon, Ph.D. Wondering what a biosimilar is? It’s hard to understand them without first understanding biologics, so let’s start there. Biologics, also called biologicals or reference products, are drugs that are created from a living source such as plant cells, animal cells or even human cells. There are many different…
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Access, Affordability, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care, Health insurance, Health policy, mental health, Policy
4 Vital Health Issues — Not Tied to Covid — That Congress Addressed in Massive Spending Bill
Read More: 4 Vital Health Issues — Not Tied to Covid — That Congress Addressed in Massive Spending BillBy Emmarie Huetteman, Kaiser Health News This story also ran on NPR. It can be republished for free. Late last month, before President Joe Biden took office and proposed his pandemic relief plan, Congress passed a nearly 5,600-page legislative package that provided some pandemic relief along with its more general allocations to fund the government…
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Watch Your Mouth: Don’t Forget Your Dental Health During the Pandemic
Read More: Watch Your Mouth: Don’t Forget Your Dental Health During the PandemicAs we navigate a web of ever-changing information about COVID-19, it’s essential to keep up with your health management. This includes preventive and ongoing care for previously diagnosed conditions. Yet, one area that some people are steering clear of throughout the pandemic is their dental health, and that needs to change. The American Dental Association…
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Advocates View Health Care as Key to Driving LGBTQ Rights Conversation
Read More: Advocates View Health Care as Key to Driving LGBTQ Rights ConversationBy Aneri Pattani, Kaiser Health News When Allison Scott came out as a trans woman in 2013, she told not only family and friends, but also her primary care physician. She didn’t need his help with hormone therapy. She had another doctor for that. But she wanted to share the information with her doctor of…
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COVID-19 Unmasks Inequity for the Deaf
Read More: COVID-19 Unmasks Inequity for the DeafI still don’t know why the woman on the sidewalk was shouting at me. I’m sure she was shouting, though — even if you’re deaf, face coverings don’t mask anger. That’s all in the eyes. Maybe she was annoyed I couldn’t wrangle myself, dog and toddler out of her way fast enough. Maybe we happened…
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Women Need Biosimilars
Read More: Women Need BiosimilarsMedications exist that could cut costs, expand treatment options, and potentially save lives — but you can’t access most of them. They’re called biosimilars, and they’re medicines that have no clinically meaningful differences from biological medicines, also called reference products or biologics. These medicines are derived from living microorganisms, animal cells or plants and are…
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Counterfeit Medicines Kill People
Read More: Counterfeit Medicines Kill PeopleHave you ever had a hard time getting a prescription filled? Or maybe you’ve had to wrestle with your insurance provider to get them to pay for a medication vital for your health? Worse, maybe you’re one of the 27.5 million uninsured Americans who find it difficult to get health care, let alone obtain the…
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Access, Affordability, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Health policy, Keep the care, Policy, Research
Why Women’s Health Should Be a Priority for the New Congress
Read More: Why Women’s Health Should Be a Priority for the New CongressSoon after the new year, a new presidential administration will take office. We’ll also have a new Congress, the 117th, with a Senate currently composed of 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats — with two Georgia Senate seats to be determined in runoffs in early January — and the House of Representatives composed of 222 Democrats…
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Experts Discuss the Future of Women’s Health After a Historic Election
Read More: Experts Discuss the Future of Women’s Health After a Historic Election“Today’s conversation is more relevant than ever, and it is critical to understand how women’s health may be affected,” said Beth Battaglino, CEO of HealthyWomen, as she introduced Tuesday’s webinar, “Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court: 2020 Election & Women’s Health.” The webinar was moderated by Arika Pierce, founder of The Millennial Boardroom, with panelists…
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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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HealthyWomen Joins National Health Organizations in Letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar About Access to COVID-19 Treatment
Read More: HealthyWomen Joins National Health Organizations in Letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar About Access to COVID-19 TreatmentNovember 11, 2020 The Honorable Alex Azar U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 Dear Secretary Azar: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed deep and systemic inequities in our health care system. Not only are members of minority and under-served communities more likely to suffer serious health consequences from…
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Choosing Health Insurance is So Complicated, 23% of Workers With Only Two Choices Picked the Worse One
Read More: Choosing Health Insurance is So Complicated, 23% of Workers With Only Two Choices Picked the Worse OneBy Trevor Collier, University of Dayton and Marlon L. Williams, University of Dayton The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Almost a quarter of employees faced with the choice of two employer-sponsored health care plans picked the one that left them worse off financially, even though they offered…
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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, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health disparities, Health insurance, Health policy, Telehealth
Ending Pandemic-Era Telehealth Coverage Fails American Women
Read More: Ending Pandemic-Era Telehealth Coverage Fails American WomenTelehealth, which is health care (clinical and nonclinical) that is delivered remotely through computers and mobile devices, is helping millions of Americans — especially those who do not have access to medical facilities — stay healthy and receive quality health care during the coronavirus pandemic.. In March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)…
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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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How the Airline Industry Recovers From Covid-19 Could Determine Who Gets Organ Transplants
Read More: How the Airline Industry Recovers From Covid-19 Could Determine Who Gets Organ TransplantsBy Tinglong Dai, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing; Guihua Wang, University of Texas at Dallas, and Ronghuo Zheng, University of Texas at Austin The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the airline industry. Passenger numbers are down more than two-thirds from last year, and airlines have been canceling flights and shutting down routes. It’s frustrating for…
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If Obamacare Goes Away, Here Are Eight Ways Your Life Will be Affected
Read More: If Obamacare Goes Away, Here Are Eight Ways Your Life Will be AffectedBy Simon F. Haeder, Pennsylvania State University More than 10 years after its passage, the Affordable Care Act once more hangs in the balance. There have been plenty of near misses before, including previous Supreme Court appearances and Congressional votes. Yet in the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, this time around Republicans may…
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Access, Affordability, Affordable care act, Birth control, Contraception, Health, Health care, Policy
Without Ginsburg, Judicial Threats to the ACA, Reproductive Rights Heighten
Read More: Without Ginsburg, Judicial Threats to the ACA, Reproductive Rights HeightenBy Julie Rovner, Kaiser Health News On Feb. 27, 2018, I got an email from the Heritage Foundation, alerting me to a news conference that afternoon held by Republican attorneys general of Texas and other states. It was referred to only as a “discussion about the Affordable Care Act lawsuit.” I sent the following note…
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The Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Puts the Affordable Care Act in Danger
Read More: The Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Puts the Affordable Care Act in DangerWith the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the fate of health insurance coverage for millions of Americans — already hanging in the balance — is under even greater threat. On June 25, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading across the U.S., the Trump Administration filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court…
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COVID Exodus Fills Vacation Towns With New Medical Pressures
Read More: COVID Exodus Fills Vacation Towns With New Medical PressuresBy Markian Hawryluk and Katheryn Houghton and Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News The staff at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is accustomed to the number of patients tripling or even quadrupling each summer when wealthy Manhattanites flee the city for the Hamptons. But this year, the COVID pandemic has upended everything. The 125-bed hospital on the…
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Addiction Treatment Shrinks During the Pandemic, Leaving People With Nowhere To Turn
Read More: Addiction Treatment Shrinks During the Pandemic, Leaving People With Nowhere To TurnBy Elizabeth Chiarello, Saint Louis University COVID-19 has overshadowed the U.S. opioid crisis, but that doesn’t mean opioid addiction has gone away. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis has gotten worse. Drug overdose death rates rose 13% in the first half of 2020. COVID-19 threatens to dismantle an already frayed addiction treatment system, creating…
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African American Teens Face Mental Health Crisis but Are Less Likely Than Whites to Get Treatment
Read More: African American Teens Face Mental Health Crisis but Are Less Likely Than Whites to Get TreatmentRebecca Klisz-Hulbert, Wayne State University, The Conversation Black youth in the U.S. experience more illness, poverty, and discrimination than their white counterparts. These issues put them at higher risk for depression and other mental health problems. Yet Black youth are less likely to seek treatment. About 9% of them reported an episode of major depression…
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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…
