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One woman’s fight to remove barriers for aspiring doctors with disabilities
Kristin Wright, NPR, May 15
More than 25% of adults in the United States report having a disability, however, people with disabilities are underrepresented in the field of medicine. Only about 3% of doctors in the U.S. have a disability. Taylor Carty is trying to change that. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby and dreamed of becoming a doctor. In 2022, she was accepted to Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. Her acceptance was eventually rescinded after she had trouble performing some procedures unassisted. She had requested accommodations or modifications from the school, under federal disability rights law. Experts say technical standards need to be more inclusive of students with disabilities.
New studies show what’s at stake if Medicaid is scaled back
Leslie Walker, Tradeoffs, May 20
Two new studies add important data to the debate over Medicaid in Washington, D.C., offering evidence that the program is saving people’s lives. One of the studies focused on people in states that have expanded Medicaid and found that those states saved 27,400 lives between 2010 and 2022. The second study looked at Medicaid’s effect on people who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. It found that when that group loses coverage, they lose access to lower prescription drug costs. Those individuals were between 4% and 22% more likely to die, depending on their level of medication costs and the types of medicines used.
He became the face of Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement. Now he’s fed up with it.
Margaret Coker, ProPublica, May 14
Last summer, Luke Seaborn, a 54-year-old from rural Georgia, unknowingly became the face of Georgia Pathways to Coverage. It is the insurance program for low-income Georgians, which includes work requirements. Nine months after Seaborn participated in a testimonial video for the governor’s office speaking in favor of the program, his opinion has changed. “I used to think of Pathways as a blessing,” he said. “Now, I’m done with it.” His benefits have been canceled twice due to bureaucratic red tape. Both times, he had been logging his work hours as required but lost coverage due to technical glitches and changes to the way he was supposed to report his hours.
Some new Connecticut mothers are going home with orange bracelets. Here’s why
Brittany Taylor, WTNH, May 15
Trinity Health of New England has launched a new program to help new mothers with post-birth health complications. New mothers are given orange bracelets that read “I gave birth” in case they need to seek medical help after leaving the hospital. The idea is that the bracelets can help paramedics or medical personnel quickly determine if the woman is experiencing any maternity-related issues. Within the first 12 weeks after giving birth, women are at risk for postpartum health complications such as high blood pressure, increased bleeding, and blurred vision.
Rural patients face tough choices when their hospitals stop delivering babies
Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News, May 19
Sophie Hofeldt planned to receive prenatal care and give birth at her local hospital, just 10 minutes from her house. However, that hospital recently joined the increasing number of rural hospitals closing their birthing units. Now, she has no choice but to drive more than three hours round trip for her appointments. More than a hundred rural hospitals across the United States have stopped delivering babies since the end of 2020. In South Dakota, where Hofeldt lives, about 58% of counties have no birthing facilities. The state’s health department says pregnant women and infants there, especially those who are Black or Native American, experience high rates of complications and death.