The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) this week released an issue brief as part of its continuation of Pain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol, and Suicide Crises series. In 2017, more than 152,000 Americans died from alcohol- and drug-induced fatalities and suicide, the highest number ever recoded and more than twice as many as…
Read More »This month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Signs publication examined pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. According to the CDC, about 700 women die each year from complications of pregnancy, finding that about a third of deaths occurred during pregnancy, a third occurred at delivery or in the week after, and…
Read More »On Wednesday, the California Budget and Policy Center (CBPC) released a brief, “Strategies to Improve Maternal Mental Health in California.” The brief examines the impact of untreated maternal mental health conditions on short- and long-term maternal and child health outcomes, including significant medical and economic costs. CBPC finds mothers of color and mothers with lower…
Read More »Health Affairs this week published two health policy briefs as part of its ongoing series, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on the social determinants of health. The briefs are intended to provide readers with a comprehensive examination of evidence, research, and potential policy interventions that are fundamental to advancing a culture of health….
Read More »This week, the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) issued a report examining federal, state, and local public health funding trends, potential risks, and recommended investments and policy actions to prioritize prevention and effectively address ongoing and emerging threats. The report details significant nationwide public health challenges, including obesity, tobacco use, infectious diseases and foodborne illnesses,…
Read More »ChangeLab Solutions recently released “A Blueprint for Changemakers: Achieving Health Equity Through Law & Policy,” a technical guidance document that provides an overview of a novel approach to reducing health inequities. Through legal and policy strategies for policymakers, public health practitioners, and community members, the blueprint is intended to support jurisdictions in dismantling systemic barriers…
Read More »On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its Health Insurance Exchanges 2019 Open Enrollment Report, finding that approximately 11.4 million consumers selected or were automatically reenrolled in coverage during the 2019 enrollment period. This figure is a decrease from 11.8 million consumers during the 2018 enrollment period. 24 percent of…
Read More »The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute this week released the 2019 County Health Rankings & Roadmap Report, which assesses the health status of all counties in the United States. The Rankings help counties understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. By…
Read More »The Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) released a 2019 update to their report on county medically indigent programs (MIA) on Thursday. This report is intended to provide an overview, background, and history of county MIA programs, as well as financing and current challenges with programs. Included in this year’s update is a conclusion that county…
Read More »This week, the Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) published two major briefs on the future of health reform in California: “Mapping the Future of Medi-Cal” and “Mapping the Future of Individual Health Insurance.” Both reports offer basic background information and focus on significant upcoming issues likely to engage policymakers and stakeholders over the coming years….
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