- Women’s Health
Maternal Mortality Data is Unclear, but the Crisis for New Mothers is Evident
Too many new moms are dying in the U.S. Exactly how many, however, is harder to establish. After years of neglect, the issue of maternal mortality is finally getting attention in policy and politics, as well as in the media, with headlines drawing attention to figures that show the maternal mortality rate has, at least according to some measurements, doubled in the past two decades. (Merelli, 12/20)
Why Black Women Are Encouraged to Speak Up During and After Childbirth
Thirty minutes after giving birth to her daughter, while enjoying a sandwich and chatting with her mother, Ariel Freeman felt a sudden gush of blood that soaked through the pad beneath her. She called out to a nurse, who responded that postpartum bleeding was normal. After another gush of blood 20 minutes later, Freeman began to feel woozy. Again, she told the nurses, and they told her not to worry. A voice inside her head told her to be louder. (Cohen, 12/15)
Essential Information for Pregnant Women on Medical Procedures That Could Save Your Life
Women experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves. We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position. We wrote it in consultation with dozens of doctors, including those who hold positions at leading medical organizations and those who regularly treat patients who are miscarrying. (Surana and Presser, 12/19)
Study Finds Medication Abortions May Be More Painful Than Women Anticipate
Many women are surprised by how much pain they experience during a medication abortion, a study published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health found. More than 60% of abortions in the U.S. are medication abortions, meaning a person takes two drugs, often at home, to end a pregnancy. The study, which surveyed women in the U.K., found that many don’t feel prepared for the amount of pain they may feel during the procedure. (Sullivan, 12/17)
- Autism
Study Finds Autism Affects One in 127 People, Up from One in 271 in 2019
An estimated 61.8 million people worldwide were on the autism spectrum in 2021, according to a study that highlighted the need for early detection and support of the developmental condition. Autism affects about 1 in 127 people, researchers from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study found. That’s a jump from the 1-in-271 reported in 2019, which may have underestimated the condition — characterized by ongoing challenges in social communication, interaction, sensory processing, and repetitive behaviors or interests, and, in some cases, intellectual disability, with varying levels of severity. (Gale, 12/19)
- Health Spending
CMS Reports 7.5% Increase in Health Spending for 2023
Health spending in the U.S. rose by 7.5% in 2023, to $4.9 trillion, compared with an increase of 4.6% in 2022, according to figures released Wednesday by CMS. "Much of the growth came from faster growth and spending [by] private health insurance, which increased 11.5%, and Medicare, which increased 8.1%," Anne Martin, of the CMS Office of the Actuary, said during a briefing sponsored by Health Affairs. "For Medicaid, although spending and enrollment continue to increase, the rates of growth were lower in 2023 compared with 2022 -- Medicaid spending grew by 7.9% in 2023 compared with 9.7% growth in 2022." (Frieden, 12/18)
- Children’s Health
Despite Guidelines, Few US Children Are Receiving Flu Antivirals
National guidelines recommend the use of antiviral drugs in children diagnosed with influenza, but only 30% of children and adolescents at higher risk for influenza complications were prescribed antivirals during outpatient visits, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (Soucheray, 12/18)
Health Protections for Migrant Children in Custody Are Set to End
A court-ordered system for protecting the health of children detained at the southern border, put in place two years ago after several children died in custody, is set to expire nine days after Donald J. Trump takes office with plans to intensify the deportation of migrants. The system, part of a July 2022 legal settlement between the government and lawyers representing migrant children in custody, set detailed protocols for detaining minors at Customs and Border Protection facilities in the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso sectors. It required agents to provide them with access to emergency care and basic hygiene items — showers, toothbrushes and blankets for sleeping, for example. It forbade agents to separate children from their parents for extended periods of time. (Baumgaertner, 12/13)
- Mental Health
Survey Finds a Third of Psychologists Do Not Accept Insurance
Just over a third of U.S. psychologists say they don't accept any type of health insurance, according to the American Psychological Association's latest annual provider survey. The lack of mental health professionals in insurer networks can make it difficult for Americans to access counseling or other behavioral care. (Goldman, 12/18)
Survey Says Most US Teens Are Abstaining from Alcohol, Smoking, and Marijuana
Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday.About two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days. That’s the largest proportion abstaining since the annual survey started measuring abstinence in 2017. ... The only significant increase occurred in nicotine pouches. About 6% of 12th graders said they’d used them in the previous year, up from about 3% in 2023. (Stobbe, 12/17)
New Law Championing Paris Hilton Provides Protections for Troubled California Teens
Beginning Jan. 1, hundreds of state-licensed residential treatment centers for children and youth up to age 21 operating in California must comply with a new law that brings greater transparency — particularly when they use restraints and seclusion rooms. (La, 12/18)
- Health Care Staffing
Mass Deportations and Visa Restrictions Threaten Staffing in Post-Acute Care
Anxiety over President-elect Donald Trump's potential immigration policies is rippling through the nursing home and home health industries, where more than one-third of workers are foreign-born. Providers and trade groups fear the possibility of mass deportations and tougher visa requirements could make it harder for nursing homes and home care companies to recruit and retain nurses and nurse aides from outside the U.S. (Eastabrook, 12/17)
- Gun Violence
Gun Violence Near Schools Has Increased Since the Pandemic
Gun violence on school grounds has seen a notable uptick in the last four years, according to a review of data collected by the K-12 School Shooting Database. More than 50 shootings with at least one victim have occurred during school time each year since 2021, according to the database, a research project that tracks all instances in which a gun was fired or brandished on school property. The victims and suspects were not all minors. (Closson, 12/17)
- Health Insurance
Less Than Half of Latinos in the U.S. Have Sufficient Health Insurance Coverage
Latinos in the United States are less likely to have adequate health insurance than Americans overall, according to a new survey from health research nonprofit The Commonwealth Fund. The nonprofit found that 46 percent of Latinos in the U.S. of working age have health insurance for the whole year and are not underinsured, according to the survey published Tuesday. (O'Connell-Domenech, 12/17)