Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Doctors In Utah Don't Know How To Comply With Utah's New Fetal Pain Law
The Associated Press: Utah's First-In-Nation Fetal Pain Law Perplexes Doctors
Utah's first-in-the-nation requirement that fetuses receive anesthesia or painkillers before some abortions takes effect Tuesday, but doctors say it's unnecessary and impossible to comply with. The law requires pain relief for a fetus before any abortion at 20 weeks of gestation or later, based on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain at that stage. Doctors say such pain relief is futile, and there is no science or medicine laying out how they're supposed to administer it. (5/10)
The Washington Post: Hogan Signs Bill To Make Birth Control Cheaper
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed 196 bills into law on Tuesday, including one that advocates say will provide “the most comprehensive insurance coverage for contraception in the country.” Many states have passed laws addressing some aspects of the bill that Maryland lawmakers approved, Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Heather Ford said. But no other state has a law that includes all the provisions in Maryland’s “Contraceptive Equity Act,” which prohibits insurers from charging co-payments for contraceptive drugs, procedures and devices approved by the federal government. (Wiggins, 5/10)
The Wall Street Journal: Baby Lull Promises Growing Pains For Economy
The U.S. is experiencing a baby lull that looks set to last for years, a shift demographers say will likely ripple through the U.S. economy and have an impact on everything from maternity wards to federal social programs. U.S. births have edged up modestly since 2013, a trend likely to continue when last year’s official federal figures are scheduled to come out in June. That has stemmed a sharp drop in child bearing that started with the onset of the recession in 2007. ... The leveling-off in births is weighing on sales at children’s stores, prompting hospitals to rework their birth wards and putting pressure on builders of single-family homes, executives and economists say. (Adamy, 5/10)
