"Healthcare" in the US

[Yuwipi Woman]

It's almost as if you deny women proper healthcare, that infant mortality goes up:

Infant mortality rates in the United States increased last year for the first time in two decades, according to new federal provisional data.

For the report, published early Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Vital Statistics, researchers looked at birth/infant death data collected through the National Vital Statistics System.

Provisional data showed there were 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, which is 3% higher than the rate of 5.44 per 1,000 live births in 2021.

Although rates have been declining over the last several years, this marks the first year-to-year increase in more than two decades when the rate rose from 6.8 deaths per 1,000 in 2001 to 7.0 deaths in 2002.
The neonatal mortality rate -- infant deaths at less than 28 days of life -- also rose 3% from 3.49 per 1,000 live births in 2021 to 3.58 in 2022 and the postneonatal mortality rate -- infant deaths between 28 and 364 days of life -- grew 4% from 1.95 per 1,000 to 2.02 over the same period.

Dr. Tracey Wilkinson, an associate professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine who is an expert on women's access to reproductive health care, told ABC News she's not surprised by the findings and that she sees a couple of reasons for the increase in infant mortality rates.

They buried the discussion of the cause deep in the article:

One is maternity care deserts -- where’s there a lack or absence of maternity care -- which limits the ability to care for infants properly. The second is limiting of access to abortion, particularly following the Supreme Court decision of Dobbs v. Jackson in June 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

"Any pregnancy that is intended and planned tends to be a healthier outcome and healthy infant outcome," Wilkinson, who was not involved in the report, said. "So, when you remove the ability for people to decide if and when to have families and continue pregnancies, ultimately, you are having more pregnancies continue that don't have all those factors in place."

She added, "Furthermore, we are hearing over and over again, women with non-viable fetuses with diagnoses that mean that they will not survive outside of the womb for any significant period of time, being forced to continue those pregnancies. And so that will also contribute to infant mortality because once those infants are born, they're counted in these numbers."

A recent analysis from ABC News and Boston Children's Hospital found more than 1.7 million women, nearly 3% of women of reproductive age in the U.S., live in a county without access to abortion and with no access to maternity care.

MSN

If the right really cared about women and infants, they'd immediately implement polices that support the complete range of medical care that is needed for both women's and fetal health. Don't bet on it.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Oh, and here's the real kicker--abortions in the US increased last year:

In the year following the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, the abortion landscape in the United States became more fractured than ever.

Abortions increased nationwide, according to a new report from #WeCount, a research project led by the Society of Family Planning — the average monthly change in the 12 months post-Dobbs compared to the two months pre-Dobbs adds up to about 2,200 more abortions over the course of a year.

But the trends diverged sharply based on state policy, with abortions all but stopped in states with bans and significant increases in many states where abortion remained legal.

There were about 115,000 fewer abortions in the 17 states with total or six-week bans in effect, plummeting 98% in banned states and dropping 40% in those with 6-week gestational limits, according to the new report. About a third of the overall decline can be attributed to Texas.

The remaining 33 states where abortion remained legal, along with the District of Columbia, recorded nearly 117,000 more abortions — a 14% increase year-over-year.

“This is a sign of increasing inequality of access,” said Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics at Middlebury College. Her research has focused on abortion trends, but she was not involved in the new analysis.

“Whether somebody who wants to access abortion can actually do so depends more than ever on where they live,” she said.

The #WeCount analysis tracks both procedural and medication abortions through data reported by providers, but it does not account for self-managed abortions such as those received through Aid Access that are not obtained within the formal US health care system.

Much of the increase in states where abortion remains legal were among patients who traveled from states with bans or restrictions, experts say. The new report doesn’t capture how widespread the need to travel for an abortion has become, but local data suggests a clear trend.

Whoever saw that coming? And, of course the largest increases in infant mortality were in states that limited abortion:

n numbers, the most recent data showed there were 20,500 infant deaths in 2022 — 610 more than the year before.

But Georgia had 116 more infant deaths while Texas had 251 more.

A total of 31 states saw a rise in their infant mortality rates, but only four had statistically significant increases — Georgia (up 13 percent), Iowa (up 30 percent), Missouri (up 16 percent) and Texas (up eight percent).

Mortality rates for three of the 10 leading causes of infant death — maternal complications, respiratory distress and sepsis — rose.

They remained steady for congenital malformations — such as heart defects or spiuna bifida — which are the most common causes of death in infants.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/24/health/abortion-access-inequality-one-year-post-dobbs-wecount/index.html

 

[8ball]

It's almost as if you deny women proper healthcare, that infant mortality goes up:



They buried the discussion of the cause deep in the article:

MSN

If the right really cared about women and infants, they'd immediately implement polices that support the complete range of medical care that is needed for both women's and fetal health. Don't bet on it.

Is forcing women to carry non-viable fetuses to term legal? I thought that was one of the more nightmarish scenarios that they had sorted out.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Is forcing women to carry non-viable fetuses to term legal? I thought that was one of the more nightmarish scenarios that they had sorted out.

Seems to be happening with some frequency.

 

[petee]

no surprise here

Pharma Poised to Intensify Legal Battle Over Drug Price Negotiations

The empire strikes back.

substack.perfectunion.us

Pharmaceutical companies are expected to escalate their ongoing legal war against the Biden administration's Medicare drug pricing negotiations, potentially threatening a decades-in-the-making policy shift to lower the cost of drugs for millions of American seniors. “There is likely to be a second wave (of lawsuits),” said Stephen Ubi, the CEO of the industry-leading lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in a conversation with Bloomberg Law.

The second wave would join nine different lawsuits already filed by pharmaceutical manufacturers and lobbying groups since the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed in the summer of 2022, gave Medicare the ability to negotiate the price of 10 drugs. The drugs include medication for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. The government estimates negotiation will save taxpayers almost $100 billion over the next ten years.

The first wave of lawsuits generally argued that allowing Medicare to negotiate prices amounts to a violation of constitutional rights, including the right to free speech.

 

[teqniq]

They need to be indicted on RICO charges.

 

[spring-peeper]

Ohio’s GOP governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care and transgender athletes in girls' sports

Ohio's GOP Gov. Mike DeWine broke from his party by vetoing the bill that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors and trans athletes in women’s sports.

apnews.com

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a measure Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors, casting the action out of step with many in his own party as thoughtful, limited and “pro-life.”

He simultaneously announced plans to move to administratively ban transgender surgeries until a person is 18, and to position the state to better regulate and track gender-affirming treatments in both children and adults.

At a news conference, DeWine said he hoped the hybrid approach could win the support of legislative Republicans — who immediately signaled they’re considering a veto override — as well as serve as a national model to states, as gender-affirming care restrictions enacted across the country in recent years face lawsuits.

The vetoed bill also would have banned transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports.

“Ultimately, these tough, tough decisions should not be made by the government. They should not be made by the state of Ohio,” DeWine said. “They should be made by the people who love these kids the most, and that’s the parents. The parents who have raised that child, the parents who have seen that child go through agony, the parents who worry about that child every single day of their life.”

 

[yield]

We Deserve Medicare for All, But What We Get Is Medicare for Wall Street
Opinion. Common Dreams Jan 03, 2024

An even larger study of private equity and health was completed this summer and published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). After reviewing 1,778 studies it concluded that after private equity firms purchased healthcare facilities, health outcomes deteriorated, costs to patients or payers increased, and overall quality declined.

One former executive at a private equity firm that owns an assisted-living facility near Boulder, Colorado, candidly described why the firm was refusing to hire and retain high-quality caregivers: “Their position was: We are trying to increase our profitability. Care is an ancillary part of the conversation.”

 

[spring-peeper]

It has been mentioned fairly often that drug prices in the US are far higher than in Canada.

For example, insulin in the US is ~$300, while it is ~$30 in Canada. Americans come to Canada to get cheaper drugs. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/americans-diabetes-cross-canada-border-insulin-1.5125988)

In an effort to drive prices down, the FDA has just approved a Florida plan to import drugs from Canada.

This whole "sell to the States" has many Canadians worried. Canada has trouble meeting demands for more the 1400 drugs. One of them is mine.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fda-florida-drug-import-canada-1.7075392

Health Canada said there are provisions under the Food and Drugs Act that prohibit certain drugs from being sold outside of the country "if that sale could cause, or worsen, a drug shortage in Canada."

"This includes all drugs that are eligible for bulk importation to the U.S., including those identified in Florida's bulk importation plan, or any other U.S. state's future importation programs," a Health Canada spokesperson said in a media statement.

"Health Canada is actively monitoring the Canadian drug supply and continues to ensure that Canadians have access to the drugs that they need."

Thing is that just because the US says Florida can import, it up to Canada to say yes or no.

An article I was reading, and now can not find, mentioned that US drug companies would tie this decision for years.

According to this article, Feds OK DeSantis' cheaper drug-import plan; Canadian government remains dubious - Florida Phoenix, drugs are cheaper in Canada because that government controls what pharmaceutical companies charge; the United States does not.

 

[yield]

The Great Medicaid Purge was even worse than expected
Washington Post. Opinion. April 5, 2024

It’s a tale of two countries: In some states, public officials are trying to make government work for their constituents. In others, they aren’t.

This week marks one year since the Great Medicaid Purge (a.k.a. the “unwinding”) began. Early during the pandemic, in exchange for additional funds, Congress temporarily prohibited states from kicking anyone off Medicaid. But as of April 1, 2023, states were allowed to start disenrolling people.

Some did so immediately. So far, at least 19.6 million people have lost Medicaid coverage. That’s higher than the initial forecast, 15 million, even though the process hasn’t yet finished.

Some enrollees were kicked off because they were evaluated and found to be no longer eligible for the public health insurance program — maybe because (happily!) their incomes rose, or because they aged out of a program. But as data from KFF shows, the vast majority, nearly 70 percent, lost coverage because of paperwork issues.

"nearly 70 percent, lost coverage because of paperwork issues." so over 13 million people.

 

[yield]

I know that Canada isn't the USA but not sure where to post this.

The Canadian State Is Euthanizing Its Poor and Disabled
05.02.2024

Canada boasts one of the world’s highest assisted-death rates, supposedly enabling the terminally ill to die with dignity. However, this suicide program increasingly resembles a dystopian replacement for care services, exchanging social welfare for euthanasia.

 

[spring-peeper]

If someone wants to end their life, I would prefer they chose MAID over trying it on their own.
At they very least, MAID offers them psychiatric help. A gun to the head or hanging one's self offers no medical or social assistance.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

A Kansas City pharmacist convicted of watering down chemo drugs is out of prison as of end of July. He watered down chemo for at least 4,500 people and is probably one of America's most prolific serial killers, yet he's now out and on home confinement.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Kansas City-area pharmacist who has been incarcerated for more than two decades in a profit-boosting scheme to dilute tens of thousands of prescriptions for seriously ill patients is being moved to a halfway house this summer, an attorney for the victims said Tuesday.

Victims of Robert Courtney are outraged and demanding new charges, said Mike Ketchmark, an attorney whose office was involved in more than 275 wrongful death lawsuits against Courtney.

Ketchmark said he has gotten close to 100 calls since Courtney’s victims began receiving emails from the Department of Justice about the plan to transfer the 71-year-old to a Springfield, Missouri, facility in June. Ketchmark forwarded one of the emails to The Associated Press.

“His victims don’t believe that ... he should ever walk free again, and (think) that he ought to be charged under state law with murder, and ought to be held accountable,” he said. “And we are calling upon the Jackson County prosecutor’s office to do just that.”

Imprisoned drug-diluting pharmacist to be moved to halfway house soon, victims' lawyer says

An attorney says a former Kansas City-area pharmacist who has been incarcerated for more than two decades over a profit-boosting scheme to dilute tens of thousands of prescriptions for seriously ill patients will be moved to a halfway house this summer.

apnews.com

The reason for not convicting him of murder was the difficulty of proving cause of death. Were the people he prevented from getting care going to die anyway? Or, was his withholding chemo the actual cause. It was too difficult to tell so the authorities made a plea deal. In any case, he's out now.

(I should add, that my brother got his chemo from this pharmacy and died in 1999.)

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Here's a good rundown of what he did:



With the profit incentives built into the system, the only surprise is that it doesn't happen more often.

 

[yield]

That popularity contests, GoFundMe or the like, decide who will afford healthcare beggars belief.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

My NYC friend´s facebook posting....

FYI- The 250 transplant centers, which refer patients to a single national registry, require patients to verify how they will cover bills that can total $400,000 for a kidney transplant or $1.3 million for a heart, plus monthly costs that average $2,500 for anti-rejection drugs that must be taken for life.
People are always asking me about getting a transplant...while I'm concerned about getting through the month with what I have. So please stop asking me this silly shit, unless you going to pay for it. K thanks!

J died a couple of weeks ago in NYC, age 34. He's had about 10 years of being in and out of hospitals with dialysis 3 times a week, all sorts of complications, unable to work, in and out of hostels loosing everything several times the hostels cleared his room when he was in hospital. He was an inspiration, somehow surviving all adversity and been funny and loving and crazy.

 

[yield]

‘Right to Repair for Your Body’: The Rise of DIY, Pirated Medicine

Four Thieves Vinegar Collective has made DIY medicine cheaper and more accessible to the masses.

www.404media.co

Well worth a read or listen

 

[yield]

Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All
Atlantic November 12, 2024

Insurers are refusing to cover Americans whose DNA reveals health risks. It’s perfectly legal.

The news came four years ago, at the end of a casual phone call. Bill’s family had always thought it was a freak coincidence that his father and grandfather both had ALS. But at the end of a catch-up, Bill’s brother revealed that he had a diagnosis too. The familial trend, it turned out, was linked to a genetic mutation. That meant Bill might also be at risk for the disease.

An ALS specialist ordered Bill a DNA test. While he waited for results, he applied for long-term-care insurance. If he ever developed ALS, Bill told me, he wanted to ensure that the care he would need as his nerve cells died and muscles atrophied wouldn’t strain the family finances. When Bill found out he had the mutation, he shared the news with his insurance agent, who dealt him another blow: “I don’t expect you to be approved,” he remembers her saying.

Bill doesn’t have ALS. He’s a healthy 60-year-old man who spends his weekends building his dream home by hand. A recent study of mutations like his suggests that his genetics increase his chances of developing ALS by about 25 percent, on average. Most ALS cases aren’t genetic at all. And yet, Bill felt like he was being treated as if he was already sick. (Bill asked to be identified by his first name only, because he hasn’t disclosed his situation to his employer and worried about facing blowback at work too.)

Gattaca