Some 204,000 Pillowfort Weighted Blankets sold at Target are being recalled over safety concerns, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday.
The big picture: Two girls, ages 4 and 6, died of asphyxia earlier this year in North Carolina after becoming entrapped in the cover of the weighted blanket, per the announcement.
U.S. life expectancy fell to 76.4 years last year from 77 years in 2020, driven by the effects of the pandemic as well as the opioid epidemic, according to final mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: It is the second consecutive year that life expectancy has fallen. COVID-19 was the fastest-growing cause of death in 2021, followed closely by unintentional injuries, which include overdose deaths.
The cost of health care has been rising for years, but where you live heavily influenceshow much you pay, data compiled by consumer research company ValuePenguin shows.
The big picture: Private health insurance premiums are increasing in 36 states next year, with the cost of an individual health insurance plan for a 40-year-old on a silver plan increasing by 4% to an average cost of $560 a month.
Women were more likely than men to report needing mental health services in the past two years but 40% did not seek treatment and 10% were unable to get help despite trying, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation brief released Tuesday.
Why it matters: The nation continues to grapple withskyrocketing demand for mental health services, but there's limited insight into how it breaks down by gender, or how women are coping.
An ominous rise in COVID cases has parents bracing for another wave of illness — even as flu season appears to be peaking and RSV is on the decline.
Why it matters: We're in a season of back-to-back-to-back sucker punches from respiratory viruses that are hitting young children earlier — and harder — than usual.
The $1.7 trillion omnibus Congress is poised to pass this week has provisions addressing the ability to respond to future pandemics, but some experts say its lack of new spending, including on COVID-19, will leave Americans vulnerable.
Why it matters: The virus has evolved significantly since the beginning of the pandemic, rendering vaccines less effective and some treatments useless. And new health threats could hit at any time.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Tuesday blocked a unanimous consent request to pass a bill that would have set federal protections for IVF and other fertility treatments whose future remains uncertain in the post-Roe era.
The big picture: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who introduced the legislation, requested to pass it through unanimous consent — meaning the bill would have been considered passed if there were no objections — in response to concerns that abortion restrictions can apply to assisted reproductive technologies.
