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☆ Health Plan Coverage of Abortion and Related Services
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Practical Law Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +36 min

The Dobbs ruling, which returned the regulation of abortion to the individual states, has led to legislation that restricts abortion, including medication abortion, in many states. In response to the rapidly changing post-Dobbs legal landscape, this article addresses health plan coverage of abortion, medication abortion coverage and litigation, abortion-related travel benefits, and related Practical Law resources concerning these topics. The insurer in a fully insured health plan, health maintenance organization (HMO), or similar arrangement:Assumes the risk of providing health coverage for insured events by paying medical costs for eligible claims incurred under the plan. Self-Funded Health PlansBy contrast, employers with self-funded arrangements may have more discretion in providing coverage for abortion and related services. Changes to plan coverage of medication abortion will likely require plan administrators to:(For more on coverage of medication abortion, see Newly Launched, ReproductiveRights.gov Website Addresses Access to Medication Abortion (Mifepristone) Using Telehealth on Practical Law.)

☆ The Mysteries of Ovulation Pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

That sensation is most likely pain associated with ovulation, or, as it’s known in the medical world, mittelschmerz (the German term for “middle pain”). It’s difficult to pin down just how prevalent ovulation pain is because, in most cases, it’s so mild that women don’t report it, said Dr. Jenna Turocy, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University. “And very little of the research has to do with the day-to-day experience.” It’s still unclear, for example, why some women don’t experience pain with ovulation at all. “Every ovulation is essentially a ruptured cyst,” Dr. Ginsburg said. Ultrasounds have shown that ovulation coincides with a small explosion of fluid and sometimes blood on the surface of the ovary, Dr. Ginsburg said.

CNN —Dueling decisions in two federal district courts last week are likely to set up a showdown at the Supreme Court over the fate of the abortion pill mifepristone. When the Supreme Court upheld the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 2007, dubious scientific arguments became even more central to anti-abortion advocacy. In Gonzales v. Carhart, the court held that in circumstances of scientific uncertainty, legislators would have more latitude to regulate abortion. Implausible scientific claims are now visible on social media, in lawsuits and in congressional hearings. (By taking this position, abortion opponents can still defend bans with no or few exceptions by claiming that abortion is never necessary.)

☆ An all-female lizard species that reproduces asexually stress-eats to cope with the deafening racket of jets at a nearby military base
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Noise pollution from aircraft flyovers at Fort Carson in Colorado piqued the reptiles' anxiety. The rare, all-female species, which reproduce asexually, live exclusively in Colorado and boast long, thin tails, giving them their name. Researchers zeroed in on a collection of the reptiles located near Colorado Springs at the Fort Carson US military installation. A Javelin missile fired by soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team heads toward a target during a live-fire training exercise on April 28, 2022 in Fort Carson, Colorado. "Behavioral responses to noise pollution often translate into stress responses, as loud noises increase cortisol levels in several species," the study authors wrote.

☆ Google's working on an updated version of its medical A.I. that can answer health questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Google Health team shared updates about features coming to search, tools for building health apps and the latest in artificial intelligence-powered health research. It's designed to provide high-quality responses to medical questions. The company said the second iteration of the technology, Med-PaLM 2, consistently performed at an "expert" level on medical exam questions. Dr. Alan Karthikesalingam, a research lead at Google Health, said the company is also testing Med-PaLM's answers against responses from real doctors and clinicians. In some cases, Med-PaLM 2's answers were on a par, and even more detailed, than the answers that clinicians had provided.

☆ Spain's Constitutional Court rules in favour of 13-year-old abortion law
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Feb 9(Reuters) - Spain's Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld a 13-year-old law that allows women to abort on demand within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, after the divisive issue resurfaced following a regional far-right party's effort to limit abortion access. "The Abortion Law is constitutional," Equality Minister Irene Montero said on Twitter, adding that "never again will 13 years go by in which a single women's right is questioned". Since the abortion law was passed, there was a failed attempt to restrict rights in 2014 by the conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The proposal caused a big turmoil, with the central government threatening to step in if the region restricted women's rights. Women's rights are back under the international spotlight after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to terminate pregnancies in 2022.

"Everybody has a different amount of fibroglandular tissue and a different pattern," Freer said, referring to dense breast tissue. In individual interviews as part of Gunn's survey, six out of 61 women said dense breasts contributed to breast cancer risk. There are two reasons dense breasts are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. To lower one's risk of breast cancer overall, doctors recommend limiting alcohol intake, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet. The Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium offers an online tool to help people gauge their breast cancer risk based on multiple factors, including breast density.

☆ When Does Life Begin?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Elizabeth Dias | Bethany Mollenkof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

“It is not black and white.”America’s fight over abortion has long circled a question, one that is broad and without consensus:When does life begin? The question of when life begins has been so politicized it can be hard to thoughtfully engage. Ancient Egypt gave the power to create new human life almost entirely to men. The scientific revolution, from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to reproductive science, disrupted centuries of thought on human life. “When does the responsibility for a life begin and end?”

☆ Fact Check-There is no proof ultrasounds harm babies or mothers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

There is no evidence to suggest that ultrasound examinations during pregnancy are dangerous to fetuses, as some social media posts have falsely said. Experts contacted by Reuters said there were no signs of any increases in deaths or distress among babies or mothers who had standard ultrasounds or the more powerful Doppler ultrasound under medical supervision. A Doppler ultrasound also uses sound waves, but can also check blood flow. “Animal studies cannot be used as evidence as the ultrasound effects cannot be scaled and a small animal will suffer from much greater effects than human babies,” he said. Studies of ultrasounds used in human pregnancies have not found evidence of danger to the health of babies or mothers.

☆ Abortion was a hot topic in the 2022 midterms. Here's how an abortion clinic in Ohio plans to move forward after the end of Roe v. Wade.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The executive director of an independent Ohio clinic shares her plans for keeping the business open. At the same time, abortion clinics are navigating the new normal. While abortion access is temporarily restored in Ohio, limited timelines mean the viability to run an independent clinic is shrinking. Sri Thakkilapati, the interim executive director at the Cleveland independent abortion clinic Preterm, is trying to balance the two realities. It's always been our mission to destigmatize abortion and support patients through whatever reproductive-health decisions they make.

☆ A woman who mistakenly visited an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center said she was met with pushback for seeking an abortion: 'I just was not ready, and words can't make you ready for that'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Isabella Zavarise | Katie Nixdorf | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics in the US. When she got to The Keim Center in Virginia Beach, it didn't look or smell like a medical clinic — it was too nice, too inviting. Unbeknownst to her, Estefanía had walked into one of the 2,000 crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs, in the US. "Most of the folks that work in crisis pregnancy centers are people that are on a mission to end abortion." Researchers from Middlebury College have estimated that the extinction of national abortion rights means the number of people living closer to CPCs than abortion clinics will double, and CPCs will outnumber abortion clinics 1-to-5.

☆ Their IVF journeys did not end with children. Here's what they want you to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

"I stopped to protect my physical, emotional and mental health," says Katy Seppi, 40, of her decision to end her infertility journey. Seppi says she believes Aniston’s openness about her own IVF journey helps validate the experiences of many people who are involuntarily childless. "For someone like myself with ADHD, the decision fatigue was at times overwhelming," Sherrae Lachhu, 45, says about the IVF process. It can help others not feel so alone.”She felt like a failure when her IVF didn’t workApril Barsby, 32, had one cycle of IVF in September of last year. The couple put their IVF journey on pause for now and Barsby says she’s not sure what to do next.

CNN —Even before their daughter was born in June, Aaron and Helen Chavez knew she would need heart surgery. Data reported to the US government shows that as of Friday, more than three-quarters of pediatric hospital beds and 80% of intensive care beds for kids are full. Federal data shows that the strain on hospital beds for kids began in August and September, which is right around the start of the school year in many areas. It may also mean children who have chronic conditions and need procedures or hospital care, but whose conditions are stable, may have to wait. She was very thin for a baby,” Aaron said.

☆ Surge of viruses leaves children’s hospitals scrambling to free up beds and find room for patients
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Every inpatient bed at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago has been full for more than six weeks. Many of the patients at Comer Children’s have RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which can cause lung infections. Some hospitals are sending ICU patients directly home once their cases are no longer acute, rather than to another floor. Dr. Kevin Messacar, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said his hospital is accepting patients from five nearby states. But suctioning can be tricky for parents, according to Dr. Elizabeth Schlaudecker, an infectious disease specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

☆ 28-year-old Harvard grad who quit his $200,000 job: Here's the biggest downside of success 'no one talks about'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Julian Sarafian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Julian Sarafian, a graduate of University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School, quit his $200,000-per-year job in 2021 to manage his anxiety and depression. In 2018, after graduating from Harvard Law School, I landed my dream job at a top law firm in California. But here's the biggest downside of success that no one talks about: the deep anxiety — and eventual depression — that often goes ignored. From Harvard Law to severe anxiety and depressionMy grandmother and I were very close. When the pandemic hit in 2020, my mental health spiraled even more, and I found myself unable to keep up with my workaholic habits.

☆ Babies smile over carrots and scowl over kale inside the womb
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Fetuses in the womb scowled after their mothers ate kale but smiled after they ate carrots, according to a new study of around 100 pregnant women and their fetuses in England. Thirty-five women consumed the equivalent of one medium carrot, and 34 women consumed the equivalent of 100 grams of chopped kale. An image from the FETAP (Fetal Taste Preferences) study showing a grimacing reaction to kale flavor. The grimaces in the ultrasounds "might be just the muscle movements which are reacting to a bitter flavor," Reissland said. In designing the new study, Reissland and her team chose powdered kale and carrots over juices or raw vegetables for a few reasons.

☆ Doctors say Graham abortion ban would force women to have transvaginal ultrasounds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham's national 15-week abortion ban would likely force many women to undergo invasive transvaginal ultrasounds before terminating pregnancies, according to doctors. Because violations of Graham's proposed 15-week ban would be punishable by up to five years in prison, doctors say the legislation would create a powerful incentive to perform transvaginal ultrasounds to make an age judgment. With Democrats in control of the House, Senate and White House, Graham’s bill stands no chance of advancing this year. Before he introduced his bill, Graham's effort was expected by some in the GOP to help Republicans reset the politics of abortion. For others, the details of Graham's ban are politically tricky, especially in states that have passed different abortion restrictions in recent years.

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