Opponents of the Obama administration’s contraceptive coverage mandate — including likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney — invoke “religious freedom.” But women’s groups and family planning organizations are convinced that the real objective is to limit access to birth control.
A bill that would require insurers to cover abortion services is off the table this year in Washington state. A special session of the Washington legislature ended Wednesday without the Reproductive Parity Act reaching a vote. The bill would require private insurers that provide maternity coverage to also cover abortion. Advocates now hope to reintroduce the bill next year.
The Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbrith (GAPPS) repository will store specimens from pregnant women that researchers from around the world can use to study both normal and abnormal pregnancies.
Six in ten Americans, including Catholics, said they support a requirement by the Obama administration that health plans supply free contraceptives as a preventive benefit for women.
Will all types of contraceptives be covered? How about vasectomies? Tubal ligations? If a procedure requires hospitalization, will that be covered, too?
Long-acting methods such as the IUD and the hormonal implant are nearly 100 percent effective, require no effort after insertion and protect against pregnancy for up to 10 years. (In contrast, birth control pills are about 92 percent effective, and many other common methods are even less reliable in everyday use.)
The numbers are still small but some women opt for home for the convenience and to save money. Consumer health columnist Michelle Andrews reports.
Early deliveries, from induced labor or C-sections, has been on the rise for more than a decade. One reason is that we’ve come to expect that babies born “a little bit early” will be fine. But babies born even a bit early are at risk for a variety of problems.
Experts want kids to exercise at least 60 minutes every day, but among all children, black girls are most likely to report they got no physical activity in the past week.
Under the arrangement announced last night, Swedish will underwrite the cost of a new clinic, which will be called the First Hill Health Center of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest.
In the original announcement of the affiliation, Swedish said it would “remain a nonreligious organization”. . . it was not clear why a nonreligious organization would end legal elective abortions.
A large new study shows that where women live affects just how likely they are to exercise.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
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