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Raw chicken, malnutrition and fear: The ‘nightmare’ of being pregnant in an ICE detention camp
Kaley Johnson, The Marshall Project, Oct. 14
When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Maria at a check-in in Dallas, Texas, she told them she was pregnant. She spent six months at the Bluebonnet Detention Center where the commissary sold mostly junk food, her prenatal vitamins were filled inconsistently, she was served uncooked chicken, and felt the stress and anxiety wearing on her body. She was released at eight months pregnant. Her medical records showed she developed high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and gained only half the amount of weight that a pregnant person should by their third trimester. Experts, attorneys, and advocates say her experience reflects troubling conditions pregnant women in ICE custody face.
US maternity wards face wave of closures as Medicaid cuts kick in
Tobi Thomas, The Guardian, Oct. 11
Maternity wards across the United States are facing a wave of closures as cuts to federal Medicaid funding take effect. According to an analysis, 52 maternity wards have closed since HR 1 was passed in 2025. About 40% of births in the U.S. are paid for by Medicaid and experts warn that cuts to the program could worsen the country’s maternal care crisis. “Reduced funding and restrictions on how states finance Medicaid will put additional pressure on state budgets and hospitals, increasing the risk that communities lose essential maternity services and specialized providers close to home,” said Erin Jones, senior director of legislative and strategic counsel of the non-profit March of Dimes.
Cash for moms: As Medicaid cuts loom cities test a new approach to Black maternal health
Jennifer Porter Gore, Word in Black, Oct. 1
New data from pilot programs suggest cash payments with no strings attached could be a solution to significantly improve outcomes for Black mothers and their babies. Studies show the unrestricted money led to fewer preterm births, higher newborn birth weights, and fewer critical-care infant hospitalizations. It also reduced stress in new moms by alleviating some financial stress. In Atlanta, for example, the Guaranteed Basic Income Program gave each participant $1,000 a month during pregnancy and her baby’s first year. Early results showed a 20% decrease in financial stress and a 66% decrease in hopelessness as well as better prenatal outcomes than average.
Trump immigration policies could turn away much-needed foreign doctors, critics say
Shalina Chatlani, Stateline, Oct. 13
As the nation’s physician shortage worsens, some fear that the Trump administration’s immigration policies will discourage foreign-educated doctors from practicing in the United States. Policies include a significantly increased fee for employers hiring workers through the H-1B visa program, a travel ban on residents of 39 countries, and a broader review of applicants for H-1B and other visas. “We’ve created a system where we depend heavily on physicians trained abroad, and at the same time, we create immigration policies that make it harder for those physicians to enter, to train, to remain in the country,” said Dr. Tarun Ramesh, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.
More than a quarter of Americans have medical debt
Caitlin Owens, Axios, Oct. 9
More than a quarter of Americans say they or their families had medical debt in 2025, according to a new study. That number includes many people who have health insurance. Medical debt was most common among adults 45 to 54, those who are Black, Hispanic, or in racial groups other than white or Asian, and those with incomes 100%–200% of the federal poverty level. More than half of those saddled with debt owed money to hospitals. Experts say health care affordability challenges are expected to get worse.