What We're Reading: Preexisting Condition Mandate; Giving Birth Amid Pandemic; Rising COVID-19 Cases

Experts Skeptical of Executive Order on Preexisting Conditions

This past Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that he says would provide health coverage to Americans with preexisting conditions regardless of one’s health history, sparking skepticism among health law and health policy experts on how the order would be enforced. According to Kaiser Health News, experts point to the lack of technical content appearing in the text of the executive order, which does not in itself guarantee protections provided to those with preexisting conditions in the Affordable Care Act.

Study Finds No COVID-19 Complications in Infants of Laboring Mothers

Pregnant patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) giving birth from March 25 to July 24 found no significant differences in outcomes in newborns compared with those negative for the virus, but a higher likelihood of labor complications was noted, according to a Swedish study published in JAMA. CIDRAP reported that laboring women positive for COVID-19 were indicated as more likely to experience preeclampsia, a serious labor complication linked with high blood pressure and protein in the urine.

Rising COVID-19 Cases in 4 States

An analysis by Reuters found that 4 states, Wisconsin, Oregon, Minnesota, and Utah, have all hit records for single-day increases in the number of COVID-19 infections, reported The Hill. According to findings, Wisconsin was shown to have the largest number of new infections out of the 4 states this past Friday, totaling to 2629. This comes as Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a new public health emergency last Tuesday and extended the state’s mandatory mask mandate.