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Better treatments buoy multiple-myeloma patients, bound by research cuts and racial disparities
Melba Newsome, KFF Health News, Oct. 31
Multiple myeloma is one of the most common blood cancers — and the most diagnosed among African Americans. The mortality rate from multiple myeloma is higher among African American patients than white people. An analysis published in 2022 concluded that Black patients made up only 4% of participants in multiple myeloma drug approval trials, despite being roughly 20% of those with the disease. Now, despite progress in understanding the biology of multiple myeloma and how to treat it, the racial gaps may grow larger amid federal cuts to cancer research and the backlash against diversity and inclusion efforts.
Connecticut faces setback as federal rule could undo medical debt protections
Cris Villalonga-Vivoni, CT Insider, Oct. 31
Having unpaid medical debt reflected on credit reports can often prevent people from qualifying for mortgages, credit cards, or auto loans. Medical debt is unique from other debt; it often stems from emergencies or pregnancy care, and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found that medical debt is not a reliable indicator of future payment problems. Connecticut is one of several states that now prohibit medical debt from being reported in credit scores, but the Trump administration is looking to undo those state protections.
How one CT clinic is addressing racial disparities in maternal care
Katy Golvala, The Connecticut Mirror, Oct. 30
Longtime obstetrician Monique Rainford has been grappling with how the traditional health system has failed to adequately serve Black mothers and babies. Now she is redesigning maternal care delivery with the goal of eliminating racial disparities. In June, Rainford and business partner Andrea Lee opened Enrich Health in Hamden, which uses clinical strategies that are proven to improve outcomes for expectant mothers who are most at risk. Rainford’s decision to start Enrich Health in Connecticut was partially influenced by a value-based payment model for maternity care started this year for Medicaid members by the Department of Social Services.
‘A big positive’: How one company plans to profit from Medicaid cuts
Sarah Kliff, Margot Sanger-Katz, and Asmaa Elkeurti, The New York Times, Nov. 3
Equifax dominates the business of verifying Americans’ incomes for lenders and landlords. The domestic policy bill that congressional Republicans passed this summer is about to make the company’s services even more lucrative, as states will be required to verify the work status and other information about tens of millions of low-income adults. To check an applicant, a state worker using Equifax can enter a Social Security number and almost instantly pull up wages and work hours. For Connecticut, that can cost as much as $16.99 for every query. The company has significantly increased the rates it charges states in recent years.
The nation’s largest food aid program is about to see cuts. Here’s what you should know.
Katheryn Houghton, Samantha Liss, and Renuka Rayasam, KFF Health News, Oct. 31
The lapse in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a preview of what’s to come under changes to the program that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That law cuts $187 billion within the next decade from SNAP, a nearly 20% decrease from current funding levels. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 3 million people will lose food assistance as a result of several provisions in the budget law, including applying work requirements to more people and shifting more costs to states.