“”You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred.””
— Woody Allen
Top Story
Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continues to strengthen access to reproductive health care. This includes safe and legal abortions.
What Happened
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure issued a letter to U.S. governors. They are hoping that governors will work with CMS and apply for Medicaid 1115 waivers. This will increase access for women in states where their reproductive rights are under attack and they may be denied medical care. Also included in the letter is the emphasis that current and proposed abortion restriction laws do not change providers’ need to comply with federal laws with access to emergency health care.
There Is More
HHS also recently issued a report and plan in response to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health OrganizationSupreme Court decision. This is all in support of President Biden’s Executive Order 14076 and 14079, Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care and Securing Access to Reproductive Health Care.
HHS Secretary Becerra addressed these actions saying, “Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, we have seen the gut-wrenching stories of women suffering and not getting the care they need because of newly-enacted laws that restrict abortion care. We have also seen state legislatures try to mislead women by saying they’re protecting patients while also making it a crime to provide abortion care. At my request and at President Biden’s direction, HHS has been and will continue to take concrete action, like today’s invitation to states, that will protect women’s access to reproductive care, including abortion.”
CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure also released a statement, stating, “With today’s guidance, we encourage states interested in developing approaches that use federal funding, including Medicaid funding under section 1115 demonstration authority, to engage with us to expand access to care. States interested in federal Medicaid funding to expand access to care within the scope of Medicaid’s legal authority for women traveling from a state that has restricted or prohibited abortion are encouraged to engage with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”
What was the Catullus
The letter was released due to the preliminary injunction restraining and enjoining the State of Idaho from enforcing anti-abortion laws in emergency situations. In the past the U.S. government filed a lawsuit saying that Idaho’s anti-abortion laws conflict with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. HHS has already released guidance on these requirements, as well as a letter reminding providers of their obligations in emergency situations.
A report was also released on access to reproductive health care after the Supreme Court’s ruling which was prepared for President Biden. The message included the following actions.
Protecting Emergency Medical Care: HHS has released guidance, as well as the letter from Secretary Becerra reiterating that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act protects providers performing abortions in life threatening and emergent situations.
Safeguarding Information on Health and Rights for Patients and Providers: ReproductiveRights.gov is a website launched by HHS to help public awareness. The site provides information about reproductive health as well as fact sheets for both patients and providers.
Protecting Patients and Providers from Discrimination: A rule was proposed by HHS to strengthen the nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This would include discrimination due to pregnancy and related conditions. Also, guidance to pharmacies was released clarifying the federal civil rights laws and their impact on pharmacies.
Protecting Patient Privacy: HHS clarified how federal laws and regulations protect individuals’ medical information as it relates to reproductive health and seeking abortions. This included using apps on smartphones.
Supporting Quality Reproductive Health Care: $3 million dollars was announced in funding to aid training and assistance for Title X family planning providers.
And lastly, Protecting Access to Birth Control: A letter was sent to health insurers on their commitment to fulfill their obligations with providing contraceptives under the ACA. Also, guidance on the protection the ACA has in regards to birth control was released. The majority of private health plans require that birth control and family planning be provided at no cost.
Regardless on where an individual stands on reproductive rights, all can agree it is an important conversation to be had. No decisions should be made without receiving the proper thought and consideration.
Diamond of the Week
Beyfortus 💎
Beyortus has a new drug that was just approved by the FDA to prevent RSV in infants. The drug by the name Nirsevimabs is not a vaccine, but a single injection which uses ready-made antibodies to prevent cells from being harmed. To read more about how Nirsevimabs works to prevent RSV click here.
Who’s the WOAT
Medicaid 😡
A healthcare crisis is arising in Colorado. As more children are being diagnosed with autism, the reimbursements for therapy is not taking inflation into account. Many providers are disappointed by how Medicaid is handling situations such as these. Now providers are choosing to leave the area, and many are worried that autism services will no longer be offered in Colorado. To read more about the crisis arising click here.
Who Knew
The misconception: Some people mistakenly believe that HIPAA requires healthcare providers to communicate in secret codes or use encryption for all patient interactions.
Definitely not! In reality, HIPAA does emphasize the importance of protecting patient privacy and requires healthcare providers to implement reasonable safeguards for patient information. However, it does not mandate the use of secret codes or encryption in everyday patient interactions.
HIPAA’s focus is on ensuring that healthcare providers take appropriate measures to secure electronic protected health information (ePHI) and maintain the confidentiality of patient data. This primarily involves implementing technical, administrative, and physical safeguards for electronic systems and networks that handle ePHI.
While encryption and secure communication methods are recommended and commonly used to protect sensitive data, they are not required in every single patient interaction. Healthcare providers can still have regular conversations with patients using standard language while adhering to the privacy principles outlined by HIPAA.
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Sources:
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