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EVERYTHING
All the Health Policy You Never Wanted Under Trump Admin 2.0
What: KFF has an excellent “quick guide” to all the potential health policy changes tht could take place under the incoming Trump administration, covering everything from abortion to contraception to Medicaid access. Just one example of many below.
Key line: “Shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Biden administration issued guidance in July 2022 regarding the enforcement of the EMTALA, a federal law requiring hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to patients. The guidance clarified that hospitals and physicians have obligations to provide stabilizing care, including abortion, to preserve the health of a pregnant person, not only in situations where abortion is necessary to save a patient’s life. Six states (AR, ID, MS, OK, SD, and TX) have no health exception to their state abortion ban. President-elect Trump says he believes in exceptions for “life of the mother” but has not weighed in on health exceptions. Given the ongoing federal litigation on the Biden EMTALA guidance, the next Trump administration could reverse the guidance or limit enforcement of EMTALA violations.”
Source: KFF
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Studying Postpartum Blood Pressure Management
What: The University of Pennsylvania’s medical school announced a grant of $12.5 million to study using “high touch” and “low touch” telemedicine to manage postpartum blood pressure. The study will be conducted at five different hospitals among 670 patients.
Key line: “’Hypertension is a leading cause of maternal complications, yet many patients face challenges in accessing care during the postpartum period,’ said the study’s principal investigator, Jennifer Lewey, MD, MPH, director of the Penn Women’s Cardiovascular Center and an assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Penn. ‘This trial provides an opportunity to improve how we care for patients in this critical period and to address the longstanding disparities that affect maternal health outcomes.’”
Source: Penn Medicine
Are We Missing Half of Gestational Diabetes Cases?
What: A study out of the UK found that up to half of women with gestational diabetes might be missed under current screening protocols—because their blood isn’t being tested quickly enough. By the time blood samples reach the lab after pregnant women ingest a sugary drink, glucose concentrations have continued falling to levels that can mask gestational diabetes. By processing the blood samples more quickly, researchers found 22% of women had gestational diabetes, versus 9% in the traditional process.
Key line: “Danielle Jones, the PhD student who coordinated the research project added: ‘Faster blood processing identified additional women with raised blood sugar levels that were missed by the standard test. Thirty seven percent of these women went on to have large babies – a complication which could have been prevented if undiagnosed women had access to treatment.’”
Source: Diabetic Medicine
ABORTION ACCESS
RFK Backs Trump ‘100%’ On Abortion Bans
What: RFK, Jr. started meeting with senators this week to win their votes to be the country’s top health official. Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Turberville told reporters Tuesday that Kennedy, who has supported abortion access in the past, told Tuberville that “whatever President Trump” wants to do with abortion he is “going to back him 100 percent.” Also, so much for the MAHA movement cutting down on pesticides…
Key line: “Tuberville said he also spoke to Kennedy about farmers in Alabama and that while they’re ‘very concerned about food and food safety,’ the government should ‘not go overboard where we can’t have good crops. And I can understand that, and he’s very on board.’”
Source: The Hill
MENOPAUSE
Hot Flash Drug Gets FDA Warning
What: The FDA has added a warning to Veozah, a newer, nonhormonal drug that can treat hot flashes in menopausal women. The drug can cause liver problems in rare cases, and the FDA recommends women who start taking the medication have their blood tested for liver markers once a month for the first three months of taking it.
Key line: “’It’s important to note that the overall benefit-risk of Veozah has not changed and remains positive, but we want to further ensure that patients and healthcare providers are aware of the potential side effects,’ as well as recommended lab testing, [drug manufacturer Astrellas] said.”
Source: CNN
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