- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We’re Reading: 6-Week Abortion Ban; Juul to Pay $15M in DC Settlement; Malnutrition Deaths in CA
Governor Ron DeSantis signs 6-week abortion ban in Florida; Juul will pay Washington, DC, over $15 million as part of a settlement alleging the company marketed its products to teens; death counts attributed to malnutrition more than doubled from 2018 through 2022, with most deaths occurring to Californians 85 and older in 2022.
DeSantis Signs 6-Week Abortion Ban in FL
Florida lawmakers voted to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy Thursday, a result following efforts from elected Republicans and Governor Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 Republican presidential contender, to change the state to one of the most restrictive nationwide, reported The New York Times. The ban will force women to seek abortions elsewhere, ending its long-held role as a care destination for women seeking abortion. In the 6 months following the Supreme Court overturn of the federal right to abortion, Florida saw the greatest increase in the number of legal abortions performed each month, according to a report released on Tuesday.
Juul to Pay DC $15M in Settlement for Marketing to Teens
e-Cigarette maker Juul Labs will pay Washington, DC, over $15 million as part of a settlement over allegations that they deceptively marketed its products to teens, simultaneously downplaying their addictive properties, said DC Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb said Wednesday, according to The Washington Post. DC joined states New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Colorado in the $462 million settlement. At a virtual news conference, Schwalb said that the $15.2 million that DC will receive is the largest-ever litigated settlement under the city’s consumer protection law.
Accelerated Rates of Death by Malnutrition for Older Californians
Increasing numbers of California’s oldest residents, those 85 and older, are dying of malnutrition, a yearslong trend that sped up during the COVID-19 pandemic, reported KFF Health News. Deaths attributed to malnutrition went from about 650 in 2018 to about 1400 in 2022, almost doubling, according to preliminary death certificate data from the California Department of Public Health. This was a nationwide trend, with malnutrition deaths more than doubling from about 9300 deaths in 2018 to about 20,500 in 2022, according to the CDC. Malnutrition is especially common among older people and can result from not eating enough but also from poor eating habits that lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Tackling Health Inequality: The Power of Education and Experience
April 30th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our final episode of this limited series and our conversation with Janine Jelks-Seale, MSPPM, director of health equity at UPMC Health Plan.
Listen
Initiating BP Medication Linked to Higher Fall, Fracture Risks in Nursing Home Residents
May 2nd 2024Among over 60,000 nursing home residents who initiated antihypertensive medication, rates of excess fractures due to falls per 100 person-years were as high as 5 among certain patient groups, such as those with dementia and high blood pressure (BP).
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
