Federal Issues
- Health Insurance Marketplace Enrollment Reaches Nearly 13 Million
- KFF Releases Fact Sheet on 2014 Insurance Coverage for Women
- CDC Publishes Study of Antidepressant Claims Among Women of Reproductive Age
- CDC Publishes Report on Breastfeeding Support for Adolescent Mothers
- USPSTF Releases Recommendations on Breast Cancer Screening
1. Health Insurance Marketplace Enrollment Reaches Nearly 13 Million
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced final enrollment figures for the Health Insurance Marketplace 2016 annual open enrollment period that ended January 31. Total enrollment reached 12.7 million, with 9.6 million enrolling through the Federal Marketplace and the remaining 3.1 million coming through state based marketplaces. Over 4 million individuals were new consumers. The announcement put out by CMS includes data on enrollment in individual states and a large number of local market areas within states as well, so you can see how many people are covered under these plans in your area.
2. KFF Releases Fact Sheet on 2014 Insurance Coverage for Women
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has released an interesting fact sheet on women's health insurance coverage during 2014. The document outlines the various categories of insurance coverage and provides data on the proportion of women in each one in addition to data on rates of uninsurance. State-by-state data is also supplied. KFF also analyzes factors most commonly associated with being uninsured. The document could prove useful for midwives seeking to understand the likely business environment in a given state.
3. CDC Publishes Study of Antidepressant Claims Among Women of Reproductive Age
The CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) has published a new study on antidepressant prescription claims among women of reproductive age. These new findings highlight how important it is for all women to talk with their healthcare provider about the safety and risks of taking medications. This research is part of CDC's Treating for Two: Safer Medication Use in Pregnancy initiative.
4. CDC Publishes Report on Breastfeeding Support for Adolescent Mothers
The CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report recently included the results of an analysis of data from surveys of adolescent mothers to see if they experienced any of nine selected care practices from the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative designed to encourage breastfeeding. The CDC determined that this population experienced these care practices between 29.2% to 95.4% of the time, depending on the specific care practice. Among the five practices identified to be significantly associated with breastfeeding outcomes in this study, the more practices a mother experienced, the more likely she was to be breastfeeding (any amount or exclusively) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks postpartum. The report can help providers understand which care practices are most associated with continued breastfeeding, as well as which care practices are most and least likely to be implemented.
5. USPSTF Releases Recommendations on Breast Cancer Screening
After an in-depth review of the strongest available science on the benefits and harms of screening mammography, as well as input from the public and health care professionals during a public comment period, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued its final recommendations on breast cancer screening. The Task Force has established a webpage where information is available.
Questions about State Issues
Should you have questions about state issues, please contact Cara Kinzelman, ACNM's Associate Director of State Government Affairs at [email protected] or 240-485-1841.
Questions about Federal Issues
If you have questions regarding federal issues, please contact Jesse Bushman, ACNM's Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at [email protected] or 240-485-1843.
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