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EVERYTHING
Older Women Missing from Data—And It Matters
What: KFF Health News’ Judith Graham dives into the state of inadequate research on older women, especially considering how medication affects the population differently versus men. Graham breaks down topics like heart disease, brain health, cancer, and more.
Why it matters: One example in the piece? “Consider the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year after the manufacturer reported a 27 percent slower rate of cognitive decline in people who took the medication. A supplementary appendix to a Leqembi study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that sex differences were substantial — a 12 percent slowdown for women, compared with a 43 percent slowdown for men — raising questions about the drug’s effectiveness for women.”
Source: Washington Post / KFF Health News
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Chronic High Blood Pressure Among Pregnant More Than *Doubles* Since 2007
What: An NIH-funded study looking at nearly 2 million pregnancies between 2007 and 2021 found chronic high blood pressure among pregnant women more than doubled, going from nearly 2% in 2008 to nearly 4% in 2021. Worse yet, the percentage getting medication to treat that high blood pressure stayed steady at just 60%.
Why it matters: Chronic hypertension during pregnancy can “cause organ damage in the expectant mother and increase the risk of preterm birth or a low birthweight baby. It can be fatal if undetected and untreated.” The study did not look at the reasons behind the increase specifically, but researchers said older maternal age and increased obesity could be factors.
Source: NIH
Florida Allows C-Sections Outside Hospitals, Raising Concerns
What: A new Florida state law passed in March allows C-sections to take place outside of hospitals, in what the state is calling “advanced birth centers.” The New York Times reports that has “raised serious safety concerns among medical experts, who say the procedures carry a small but real risk of life-threatening complications and should not be undertaken outside hospitals.”
Why it matters: The centers were promoted as a “way to expand access to maternity care in the state, where many hospitals have closed their labor and delivery departments in recent years.”
Source: New York Times
BIRTH CONTROL
Sanders Wants Investigation on Birth Control Costs
What: One lesser-known piece of the Affordable Care Act was making birth control free of copays. Or that was how it was supposed to work–but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says investigations have repeatedly found insurance plans “flout the law and patients are asked to pay.” Sanders sent a letter to an agency tasked with investigating government programs.
Why it matters: The costs add up quickly: “In his letter to GAO, Sanders cites a recent investigation by the state of Vermont that found three insurers wrongly charged residents more than $1.5 million for contraception. …Sixteen percent of privately insured contraceptive users were still paying out of pocket in 2022, according to polling by KFF, a nonpartisan health research organization.”
Source: Washington Post
ABORTION ACCESS
Senate Vote on Protecting Abortion Access Coming in July
What: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took steps Monday to hold a vote later this summer that would turn abortion access once covered by Roe vs. Wade into law. The legislation isn’t expected to get the 60 votes needed to pass, however, as Republicans are expected to vote the bill down.
Why it matters: It gets senators on the record about yet another vital piece of women’s health care. Earlier this month, Republicans voted down similar bills protecting access to birth control and IVF.
Source: The Hill
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