Rebecca Torrence

Today, U.S. News & World Report presented its first-ever list of the “Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access” at The State of Equity in America meeting in Washington, DC. As the “global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice,” US News' analysis revealed 53 hospitals across 26 states serving socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Recognition was granted to the institutions that excelled in providing access to high-caliber care, resulting in exceptional patient outcomes. California ranked highest in number of hospitals that made the cut, with 7 recognized institutions, followed by 4 in North Carolina and 3 in Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, and South Carolina. Honing in on US cities with more than 1 hospital included, Baltimore, Detroit, St Louis, Tucson, and Tulsa each had 2 institutions listed. Midwest: Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and North Dakota Northeast: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania South: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Oregon #healthequity #besthospitals #equitableaccess #healthaccess

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Last night, Virginia’s governor vetoed legislation aiming to protect contraceptive access and insurance coverage, a loss for Democrats who worry that #contraception could be among the anti-abortion movement’s next targets. The action by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) ends a weekslong back-and-forth with state legislators pushing for explicit protections for oral contraceptives and other forms of birth control after the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling this February recognizing unimplanted human embryos as children. Youngkin said in a statement Friday that while he supports contraception access, he argued “any contraception-related changes must be coupled with robust conscience clause protections for providers” and “uphold the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning their children’s upbringing and care.” More here for Bloomberg Law: #reproductivehealth #virginia #health

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Excellent write-up from Morgan Gonzales. Here's the latest news out of LifeStance Health Group. Key things to know: — A founder to step out — Earnings projections for the year are up — Vital commentary on FTC action from the CEO One thing that is not a vital insight but I think is interesting from the call... LifeStance CEO and Chairman Ken Burdick — who has made his career to this point at insurance companies — has made it a point to talk about parity and the inequitable treatment of #behavioralhealth claims by health plans in the last few earnings calls. Make of that what you will. #mentalhealth #earnings #addictiontreatment #managedcare #healthinsurance https://lnkd.in/eC9CP9YJ

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Book review just dropped🚨 It's LAUNCH WEEK! "A new book by Corey DeAngelis shows how parents have fought back against the teachers’ unions and establishes education as a top Republican priority." "In interfering with something as seemingly sacrosanct as government-run education, DeAngelis has made all the right enemies. His knowledge and conviction are intimidating to the union rosters, from American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten and other leaders on down to members — anyone caught in a lie." "If you had nothing to hide from DeAngelis, you had nothing to fear. But if you were found to be vacationing during Covid while kids were locked out of the classroom, watch out." "Many times, DeAngelis departs from his typical take-no-prisoners style and adopts the tone of a patient professor, recognizing that readers might still have a soft spot for the old apparatus." "DeAngelis explains how public education became a boondoggle. Teachers’ unions hoard education funding to serve their own interests rather than those of children; their control of the education establishment functions like a monopoly with no market accountability." "DeAngelis uncovers what’s behind the union’s opposition. When the union accidentally conceded that schools not administered by the government could be better for kids, it showed its cards." "In 2022, over 99 percent of American Federation of Teachers donations went to Democrats, a form of “money-laundering,” as DeAngelis sees it." "With DeAngelis’s help, school choice became a litmus test for Republican candidates. And it worked. In 2021, 19 states expanded or enacted school-choice programs. “It was just a matter of letting the GOP base know when a legislator with an ‘R’ next to his or her name went off the reservation,” he writes."

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New Policy Update: DACA Recipients Now Eligible for Obamacare Coverage The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule today that expands access to subsidized health coverage for certain undocumented immigrants under the Affordable Care Act. Effective November 1, 2024, individuals with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status will be considered eligible to purchase qualified health plans through the federal and state marketplaces. They can receive premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions to lower their monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs. DACA allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to legally remain and work in the country for renewable two-year periods. However, until today, this population has been excluded from accessing federally subsidized health insurance programs. The new rule will modify the definition of who is considered “lawfully present” and eligible to purchase a qualified health plan through the federal and state marketplaces. Individuals eligible under the DACA program will no longer be excluded from that definition, making it possible for them to receive premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions available under qualified health plans once open enrollment begins this fall. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates around 100,000 currently uninsured DACA recipients could gain health coverage through an ACA marketplace plan or state basic health program due to the new changes. #DACA #Dreamers #ACA #Obamacare #immigration

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Fact-checkers serve as the referees of democracy in 111 countries, according to our new fact-checking census from the Duke Reporters’ Lab (https://lnkd.in/dQX47qA9). But the number of reporting and research teams that call out political lies and disinformation is plateauing -- exactly at the time when the world needs fact-checkers most.

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When Americans look for information about politics and elections, one of the first places they turn to is Google. The Associated Press and Google Trends have partnered throughout this year to show what folks are most interested in: crime, healthcare, unemployment, economy and so on. The data updates weekly and you can drill down to see which topics are on the minds of residents in your county. Hope you take a look.

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UnitedHealth Group -- answers to written questions from the Senate Finance Committee. Some responses are vague, repetitive and/or don't actually answer the questions. But there are some interesting points to note: * $300 million spent on cybersecurity (cyber staff is 1,300 people) * Still no real detail about how much and what kind of breached data. The ransomware group stole data over a few days -- between Feb. 17 and Feb. 20. * It appears the FBI gave UHG the data that was being ransomed. "The process of analyzing the dataset that was made available to the Company by the FBI is complex and requires significant compute resources because it requires unpacking and unzipping many layers of files within the dataset in order to identify the individuals whose data may be impacted." * More than 14,000 organizations took "temporary funding" loans from UHG, for a total of about $7 billion https://lnkd.in/eSxsWzeT

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I am in DC this week to meet with policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders in AI, biosecurity, and public health. Let's connect if you're shaping policy or leading innovation in this space. #AI #Biosecurity #PublicHealth #Policy #DC

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Public Health Policy Reviews 30: Defend Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by reading and analyzing Classic Literature. Available NOW on our new Substack blog. SUBSCRIBE to support our work. #censorship #studentprotests #antisemitism #collegeprotests #classicliterature #declarationofindependence #usconstitution #billofrights #dei #diversity #equity #inclusion #civilrights #civilliberties #studentprotests #arvard #columbia #mit #massachusettes #institute #technology #womensrights #classic #literature

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When in doubt, go without. That's one of the many insights that can gleaned from the Cerebral and Monument FTC actions over data sharing and tracking. Note this! The agency DID NOT charge the companies with violations of data privacy regs: The FTC slapped the companies officially — in terms of alleged violations that it put on paper in the courts — for violating truth in business and unfair competition provisions. While the companies may have to face the punishment of disclosure over how they handled patient data, the FTC did not allege violations of law related to data and privacy protection. #behavioralhealth #mentalhealth #autism #addictiontreatment #marketing #pr https://lnkd.in/etVxf6b3

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Money alone won't make journalism equitable. Dale Anglin, the inaugural director of Press Forward, shared some ideas with The Pivot Fund on what else is needed. "Though this is not an exhaustive list, I would highlight two areas: Leadership. Like other industries, journalism needs to cultivate more leaders who understand, value, and prioritize diverse staffs and full community coverage, and can be collaborative and flexible as the news ecosystem and audiences continue to evolve. We also need good public policy that can bring a steady flow of funding into newsrooms. Getting there means shifting the narrative so that more people are aware of the challenges communities face when they don’t get the news and information they need." Read the whole interview with Anglin: https://lnkd.in/gJgWYCGu

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A recent survey conducted by Morning Consult has shed light on the nuanced and sometimes divisive opinions among American voters regarding abortion policies. The findings indicate a complex landscape of beliefs, with significant variations across political affiliations and demographics. #AbortionPolicyDebate #StateAutonomyOnAbortion #PoliticalDivideOnAbortion #TrumpAndAbortionPolitics #VoterOpinionsOnAbortion #RoeVWadeReversalReactions #AbortionRightsResponsibility #BidenVsTrumpAbortionHandling #PublicOpinionOnAbortionLaws #IVFAccessAndAbortionDebate

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For balanced, unorthodox commentary on big and smaller issues affecting US Foreign Policy and the Middle East, check out my Substack, "The Middle East -- Told Slant." The vast majority of content is free. The blog includes serialized translations of Arabic non-fiction, travel essays, and dog-related posts. For a limited time, annual US-based subscribers get one of my published books at no cost. https://lnkd.in/eibrKMaM

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We talk a lot about the "zip code lottery" with regard to accessing care when it comes to rare diseases, but this report from the March of Dimes about maternity care deserts really underscores the wider issue. From the article: ⏺ "Two in 3 maternity care deserts are rural counties." ⏺ "1 in 4 Native American women and 1 in 5 Black women did not receive adequate prenatal care in 2020, as opposed to 1 in 10 white women." ⏺ "Nineteen rural hospitals closed in 2020, according to the report. [..] This lack of access contributes to women having a 9% higher chance of maternal mortality or morbidity in rural areas." ⏺ As for FQHCs: "At least 2.6 million Medicaid eligible women live in counties without one. More than half of counties with no FQHC are maternity care deserts." I remember many 4+ hour car rides to get my relatives from rural Minnesota access to care at Mayo. Several of the Aplastic Anemia families I know had to drive 2+ hours each way to get their young children to their weekly appointments. Where you live shouldn't dictate your ability to access quality healthcare and clinical trials. With the closure of retail health clinics and sale/refocusing of groups that had aimed to improve access in rural areas, I'm curious about what solutions are coming next to solve for this critical issue. If you've heard of interesting innovations, I'd love to hear them.

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My latest (free to read!) deep dive for Bloomberg Law: Abortion providers in #California and #Virginia are preparing for a prolonged increase in the number of out-of-state patients they see as the latest near-total #abortion bans take effect across the country. The percentage of out-of-state patients jumped in Virginia after Florida’s six-week abortion ban took effect earlier this month. With the possibility that Arizona’s 1864 law criminalizing nearly all abortions could temporarily go into effect in the fall, California officials and health facilities are taking measures to allow Arizona abortion providers and patients to practice and receive abortion care in California. Planned Parenthood and other providers say they’ve prepared for this situation by increasing telehealth services, hiring more staff, and developing services to help patients locate legally available abortion care. Medical professionals and policy researchers, however, say the longer that some US regions are dependent on a small number of states for abortion care, the more likely it is to overwhelm health systems, worsen maternal health outcomes, and exacerbate existing health-care access disparities. More here: https://lnkd.in/e2awuMrB #abortionbans #reproductivehealth #dobbs

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How effective would the labels for consumer broadband for #wired as well as #wireless mandated by the Federal Communications Commission in the #US be? This is a question that has been on the minds of many. Just like #foodlabels, these aim to empower #consumers with actionable #information about the #broadband service they are purchasing, such as #speed, #price, and #data caps. The idea is to enhance #consumerwelfare through #competition, #choice and #transparency, including but not limited to the Quality of Service. However, the effectiveness of these labels in achieving their intended goals remains to be seen. Would it enable or stifle #innovation in terms of #traiff plans? Should Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) consider something like this in #India? What do you think? Anil Kumar Lahoti; Neeraj Mittal; Pradip Baijal; Harsha Vardhana SINGH; Rajat Kathuria; A. K. Bhargava; Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar; Vikram TIWATHIA; Mahesh Uppal; V Sridhar; Rohit Kumar Singh; Anil Tandan; Pradeep Mehta; Nikhil Pahwa; Rajnesh Singh; Prasanto Kumar Roy; Shubhendu Parth; Dr. Lara Srivastava; Scott Wallsten; James Pethokoukis; Jhalak Kakkar Federal Trade Commission; Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI); Department of Telecommunications ( DOT ) Centre for Social and Economic Progress; Cellular Operators Association of India - COAI; ITU-APT Foundation of India; Broadband India Forum; Consumer Unity & Trust Society; Internet Society; MediaNama; Internet Society; Technology Policy Institute; Centre for Communication Governance; #FCC #broadbandlabels #QoS #mobilebroadband

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