A total of 22 states have moved to ban or restrict abortion following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end all federal protections for abortion.
Why it matters: At least 24 U.S. states in total are expected to ban abortions or heavily restrict access to them, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights organization.
South Carolina's Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Why it matters: The decision, made by the state's all-male justices, marks a reversal for the court after it struck down an abortion ban earlier this year.
As the U.S. battles rising maternal death rates, 1 in 5 mothers say they were verbally abused, ignored or otherwise disrespected by health care providersduring maternal care, according to a new government survey.
Why it matters: Ensuring that patients are treated respectfully during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period is key to reducing pregnancy-related deaths, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which published the survey.
Facing a tight labor market and rising health care costs, employers are wrestling with how to afford a new wave of pricey, highly effective treatments without forcing workers to bear too much of the cost.
Why it matters: From emerging gene and cell-based therapies in cancer and other conditions to a buzzy class of weight-loss drugs, the landscape for game-changing treatments has never been quite so promising — or expensive for employers.
The Biden administration's new biomedical research agency is providing $24 million for research leveraging an mRNA platform to train the immune system to fight cancer and other diseases, officials told Axios first.
Why it matters: The project, led by Emory University in Atlanta, supports the administration's "cancer moonshot" — part of President Biden's "unity agenda"— aimed at cutting the cancer death rate in half over 25 years.
Why it matters: A lawsuit filed against Florida health officials Tuesday marks the first legal challenge to how states are dropping some enrollees from program rolls after the end of a pandemic-era policy that protected coverage.
Driving the news: Three Floridians, including two children, claim the state illegally cut their Medicaid coverage by not providing adequate information and denying them the opportunity for a pre-termination hearing.
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced the first funding awards from its $5 billion project aimed at developing the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.
Why it matters: The project is intended to support vaccines that are longer lasting and more protective against a mutating virus, as well as better options like more effective monoclonal antibodies, after some were sidelined by the emergence of new variants.
An expanded arsenal of drugs that can preventHIV should be prescribed for patients at higher risk for the disease, an influential national task force recommended Tuesday.
Why it matters: Newer oral and long-acting injection versions of HIV PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, have the potential to improve uptake and adherence to drugs that have proven highly effective, the group said.
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations creep up during a summer wave of heightened virus activity, updated vaccines are still likely weeks away.
Why it matters: Americans have largely tuned out COVID, but the latest COVID uptick is a reminder that the virus continues to circulate and mutate — though the threat is far below pandemic-era levels.
