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Key food programs for CT students could be at risk with proposed SNAP, Medicaid cuts, advocates warn
Austin Mirmina, New Haven Register, June 29
Tens of thousands of Connecticut children rely on the state’s free meals program during the summer. Advocates warn that hunger could rise even more sharply if proposed cuts to social safety net programs, like food assistance, are approved. One of the programs that could be impacted is the Summer EBT program, which provides $120 in grocery benefits to families for each eligible child. While the program would not be directly affected, advocates argue that slashing federal spending for SNAP and Medicaid would make it more difficult both for families to enroll in Summer EBT, and for states to administer the program.
Too sick to work, some Americans worry Trump’s bill will strip their health insurance
Phil Galewitz and Stephanie Armour, KFF Health News, June 27
Stephanie Ivory of Columbus, Ohio, counts on Medicaid to get treated for gastrointestinal conditions and a bulging disc. Her disabilities keep her from working, she said. She believes she will be exempt from a proposed requirement for adult Medicaid recipients to work, but she worries about the reporting process. “It’s hard enough just renewing Medicaid coverage every six months with the phone calls and paperwork,” she said. Studies show that among working-age enrollees who do not receive federal disability benefits, more than 90% already work, are looking for work, have a disability, attend school, or care for a family member and are unable to work.
Formerly incarcerated people must clear high hurdles to get reliable health care
Katti Gray, MLK50, June 26
Once they leave incarceration, many people face multiple barriers to accessing health care. Disproportionately, people who are formerly incarcerated are unemployed, lack steady jobs, or perform low-wage work. They are more likely to be uninsured and less likely to have consistent health coverage than people who haven’t been incarcerated. DeWayne Hendrix, a former federal residential reentry manager, said that when people were released they were typically given 90 days worth of medication and sent on their way with no support. After the 90 days, some would reoffend just to be able to receive care again. “People shouldn’t have to choose between coming home and being free or getting health care in a prison or jail,” he said.
New blood test could predict preeclampsia in the first trimester
Veronica Paulus, STAT, June 30
A new blood test could predict preeclampsia in pregnant women as early as the first trimester. Researchers were able to successfully predict the early-onset subtype of the condition up to five months before clinical diagnosis. Preeclampsia is a condition that causes high blood pressure in pregnant women and can lead to organ damage. Black women in the U.S. are at a higher risk of preeclampsia than their white and Asian counterparts. The new blood test could help doctors identify the condition in patients earlier and with greater accuracy. In the longer term, the research could help pave the way for treatment options for preeclampsia.
Supreme Court ruling on patients rights’ could devastate Planned Parenthood
Tina Reed and Maya Goldman, Axios, June 26
The Supreme Court ruled that Medicaid patients don’t have a right to freely choose their medical provider. The case, which was decided on 6-3, carries major implications for Planned Parenthood. It allows states to block Medicaid recipients from getting care at Planned Parenthood. Nearly half of patients who use Planned Parenthood health services have Medicaid coverage. Shutting the provider out of Medicaid networks could effectively defund it. Planned Parenthood provides many services, including cancer screenings, birth control prescriptions, and mental health care.