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As health insurance costs soar, health care workers also feel the pinch
Hayat Norimine, KFF Health News, Sept. 22
The health care industry traditionally has more of its workforce with health insurance than many other fields. Doctors are especially unlikely to forgo health insurance; just 2% are uninsured. However, as health insurance costs continue to rise, even health care workers are starting to opt out of coverage. Employers expect costs will jump an additional 8.7% in 2027. The number of people without insurance in the U.S. is expected to increase by roughly 15 million over 10 years because of the expiration of expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies and an estimated $1.1 trillion in cuts resulting from the legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Stark differences in kids’ health coverage
Adriel Bettelheim, Axios, Sept. 16
The likelihood of a child or teen being uninsured varies significantly depending on where they live and their ethnicity. Newly released census data from 2025 shows that the number of uninsured children is rising in the West and remains stubbornly high in Southern states. Children in the Northeast are most likely to be insured. Hispanic children were more likely to be uninsured than other racial and ethnic groups. Lack of health insurance increases the odds of kids missing health screenings, vaccinations and early interventions when they get sick. Experts worry more children could become uninsured because of spillover effects from Medicaid cuts.
A shocking number of Americans are still rationing insulin
Dylan Scott, Vox, Sept. 17
Although several efforts have been made over the last decade to make insulin more affordable, including caps on out-of-pocket costs, millions of people continue to struggle to pay for the drug. Experts say out-of-pocket caps are a temporary solution and that fixing the insulin crisis will require a multifaceted approach. Because it remains unaffordable, some people are continuing to ration their insulin, putting their long-term health at risk. A study by researchers at the Yale Diabetes Center found that about one in four people treated at the center rationed insulin in both 2017 and 2024.
Rural women who got C-sections more likely to be prescribed opioids at home, study finds
Nada Hassanein, Stateline, Sept. 18
Women giving birth in rural communities were more likely than peers in urban areas to receive oral opioid prescriptions for pain upon leaving the hospital after a C-section, according to a new study. While medication use in the hospital was consistent across groups, researchers said it varied after patients were sent home. Managing pain during recovery after a C-section is crucial, but hospitals have been trying to curb opioid prescriptions amid the nation’s opioid epidemic. Substance use disorder and mental health conditions are leading underlying causes of maternal death.
A growing tool to help CT Latinas with postpartum mental health: Spanish-speaking doulas
Sujata Srinivasan, CT Public Radio, Sept. 23
At the Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, Spanish-speaking doulas are being trained to help support Hispanic mothers, who often face a variety of struggles as they access health care, from language barriers to cultural differences. Doulas help patients navigate the health care system before, during and after childbirth. In Connecticut, the demand for Spanish-speaking doulas is growing. “We have families that come here and they ask us to receive this service because sometimes they have to go completely by themselves to a hospital,” said Bianca Noroñas, director of the health council’s Maternal and Child Health Center. “They don’t speak the language, they don’t have a social connection with the clinical providers.”