Birth Control News and Research

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Political cartoon: 'Friends With Benefits?'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Friends With Benefits?" by Mike Lester.

24 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 24, 2014

Today's headlines include reports that a federal district court judge in Missouri has blocked state officials from restricting groups efforts to help people sign up for coverage as part of the federal health law.

24 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: Target has the right idea for part-timers; health law 'beyond rescue;' fighting back to secure the right to abortion

The big noise on the health insurance front today was sounded by Target, which announced via a corporate blog that it's ending health insurance for its part-time workers. Instead of signing up for a company plan, they're encouraged to use the health care exchanges set up through the Affordable Care Act. ...

24 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 13, 2014

Today's headlines include news about how the health law's enrollment process is working and about the federal government's decision not to renew the contract for the company that was overseeing the repairs for healthcare.gov.

13 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: Health law debate on contraceptive coverage; Cuccinelli: No investigators for Medicaid fraud; 50 years after the famed report on smoking

The Little Sisters of the Poor, an organization of Roman Catholic nuns that runs nursing homes around the country, is testing the contraceptive coverage mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Last week, we're sorry to say, the nuns won a temporary reprieve from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Under the law, most employers are required to provide their employees with health insurance that covers birth control. But the Obama administration agreed to a compromise for nonprofit religious groups that object to contraception, exempting them from paying for such coverage. Instead, insurers agreed to absorb the cost. All the religious organization has to do is fill out a simple form attesting to its situation. Unfortunately, even that was too much for the Little Sisters of the Poor (1/7).

9 Jan 2014

Marriage does not lower poverty rates among poor, single mothers

As the United States marks the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty this month, a new report suggests one recent weapon in the battle has been a disappointing failure.

7 Jan 2014

Administration: Contraception rule does not burden religious groups

In the latest legal skirmish over the so-called contraceptive mandate in the health law, Obama administration lawyers urged Justice Sonia Sotomayor to drop an appeal from the Little Sisters of the Poor and other Catholic groups.

6 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 6, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about how the health law fits into the Capitol Hill agenda for the year ahead.

6 Jan 2014

Who the health law's first wave left behind, and who it embraced

Health law coverage includes how the measure's implementation impacts a variety of different populations, as well as other key policy issues.

6 Jan 2014

Justice dept. defends birth control rule

The administration responded to a lawsuit by a group of nuns challenging how the health law exempts them from the rule.

6 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 3, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of a new study examining how Oregon's ER usage increased after expanding Medicaid.

3 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: Michael Moore finds health law affordability 'a cruel joke'; can more marketing help sell insurance?

Now that the individual mandate is officially here, let me begin with an admission: Obamacare is awful. That is the dirty little secret many liberals have avoided saying out loud for fear of aiding the president's enemies, at a time when the ideal of universal health care needed all the support it could get. ... For many people, the "affordable" part of the Affordable Care Act risks being a cruel joke. ... And yet -- I would be remiss if I didn't say this -- Obamacare is a godsend (Michael Moore, 12/31/13).

3 Jan 2014

Temporary halt to Obamacare birth control rule from justice Sotomayor

The Supreme Court justice's ruling affects a number of faith-based groups. She asked for an administration response by tomorrow.

3 Jan 2014

First Edition: Jan. 2, 2014

The early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about what to expect of the health law in 2014.

2 Jan 2014

Less than two thirds of doctors and teenage patients talk about sex, shows study

Doctors are missing a prime opportunity to share information about sex with their teenage patients by failing to broach the subject during checkups, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

31 Dec 2013

Two different rulings on health law's contraceptive rule

A judge in Oklahoma ruled against the insurance coverage requirement, while a Washington judge ruled against a Catholic Church challenge.

24 Dec 2013

Hazards of dietary supplements, new birth control device explored

Dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries reported by hospitals, according to The New York Times, while a surge in adverse event reports about Essure, a device hailed as next generation birth control, is explored by the Chicago Tribune. NPR looks at the increase in newborn screening tests.

23 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 23, 2013

The early morning highlights from the major news organizations examine today's deadline for enrolling for health insurance that would begin Jan. 1, as well as a variety of other health law stories and several articles on mental health issues:

23 Dec 2013

Study reveals that pharmacy staff misleads teens on emergency contraception

Despite the fact that emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill, has been available since 2003, many teens still face barriers to obtaining the medication, a safe and effective way to prevent up to 74 percent of pregnancies following the failure of birth control or after unprotected sex.

20 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: New healthcare.gov czar knows something about computer bugs; fears about inadequate drug coverage

Seriously, one has to hope the new guy -- Kurt DelBene, former head of the Microsoft Office Division -- brings only a portion of Microsoft's heritage along with him. Aside from the XBox, the software giant isn't known for great consumer experiences. Its products have been maddeningly complex and notoriously buggy, at least in their early versions. Kind of like HealthCare.gov! (Jon Healey, 12/17).

19 Dec 2013