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Expanded federal health insurance financial aid set to expire in 2025. Here’s what to know.
Cris Villalonga-Vivoni, CT Insider, March 18
Access Health CT, the state’s insurance exchange marketplace, saw its highest enrollment numbers in its latest sign-up period which ended January 15th. CEO James Michel attributed this primarily to financial aid that helps most consumers pay their monthly premiums. However, changes coming at the end of this year may force some consumers who rely on financial aid to have to pay more for coverage or lose aid eligibility altogether. The federal legislation that created the expanded subsidies and removed the income eligibility cap during the COVID-19 pandemic expires at the end of the year. Without action from Congress, between $20 million and $40 million in aid could be disrupted.
CT loses millions intended for local food purchasing, as federal funding cuts continue
Michayla Savitt, Connecticut Public Radio, March 14
In Connecticut, more than $9 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that was set aside for schools and food banks to buy produce from local farmers, has been cut. It is part of $1 billion in cuts nationwide by the Trump administration. For food banks and the people who rely on them, the economic uncertainty represents a small part of the larger anxiety about ongoing changes on the federal level. “There’s so many questions about things like tariffs … federal cuts to the SNAP program,” said Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare. “Will they happen? How will they happen? What will be the net effect on food insecurity?”
The street psychiatrist: Earning trust with vulnerable patients
Isabella Cueto and Hyacinth Empinado, STAT News, March 19
Psychiatrist Liz Frye knows that she needs to earn a potential patient’s trust and is often entering the conversation at a disadvantage. She is a street psychiatrist who offers care to homeless individuals, many of whom have had negative experiences with health care workers in the past. She tries to meet people where they are and give them what they need. Once she earns their trust, she can dig deeper and ask people how they are doing mentally and connect them to resources if needed. Mental health is a critical issue in the homeless population, yet there are only about a dozen street psychiatry teams in the entire country by some estimates.
This one-stop clinic cares for people with health issues sparked or worsened by homelessness
Katti Gray, MLK50, March 19
In Memphis, Tennessee, Operation Outreach is the only medical facility and mobile unit in the city specifically for homeless patients. It aims to make patients more aware of and committed to their wellness through the help of nurse practitioners, mental health counselors, and more. Their work ranges from prescribing medicine to connecting patients to specialists, to simply giving out hugs and encouragement. “Every health condition is overrepresented by large margins among people experiencing homelessness. The average age of death for those who die while unsheltered is 20 to 30 years younger than the general population. That is the most fundamental measure of health — whether you’re alive or not,” said Bobby Watts, CEO of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
The women most affected by abortion bans
Claire Cain Miller and Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times, March 17
Black and Hispanic women, women without a college degree, and women living farthest from a clinic were among those most affected by abortion bans following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. That is according to a new study that found these bans did prevent some women from getting abortions. However, abortions nationwide have increased, in part due to telehealth and financial assistance. That assistance appears not to have reached everyone, with evidence indicating that some women who would have sought abortions if they were legal, could not. “What’s happened is an increase in inequality of access: Access is increasing for some people and not for others,” said Caitlin Myers, an author of the study.