Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Disparities For Gender Nonconforming Adolescents; U.S. Health System Performance
Pediatrics: Disparities For LGBTQ And Gender Nonconforming Adolescents
Sexual minority adolescents and adolescents with high levels of gender nonconformity are vulnerable to experience adversity. The disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning adolescents and adolescents with high gender nonconformity highlight the variation in patterns of childhood adversity that these youth are at risk of experiencing. The findings reveal the need for further research on the benefits and harm of screening for childhood adversity by physicians and pediatricians. (Baams, 5/1)
Pediatrics: Mental Health Of Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Youth Compared With Their Peers
TGNC youth may present with mental health conditions requiring immediate evaluation and implementation of clinical, social, and educational gender identity support measures. (Becerra-Culqui, 5/1)
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: Health And Access To Care And Coverage For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Individuals In The U.S.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals often face challenges and barriers to accessing needed health services and, as a result, can experience worse health outcomes. These challenges can include stigma, discrimination, violence, and rejection by families and communities, as well as other barriers, such as inequality in the workplace and health insurance sectors, the provision of substandard care, and outright denial of care because of an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. (Kates, 5/3)
The Commonwealth Fund: 2018 Scorecard On State Health System Performance
Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Utah are the top-ranked states according to the Commonwealth Fund’s 2018 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which assesses all 50 states and the District of Columbia on more than 40 measures of access to health care, quality of care, efficiency in care delivery, health outcomes, and income-based health care disparities. The 2018 Scorecard reveals that states are losing ground on key measures related to life expectancy. On most other measures, performance continues to vary widely across states; even within individual states, large disparities are common. (5/1)
JAMA Internal Medicine: Economics Of Palliative Care For Hospitalized Adults With Serious Illness: A Meta-Analysis
In this meta-analysis of 6 studies, hospital costs were lower for patients seen by a palliative care consultation team than for patients who not did not receive this care. The estimated association was greater for those with a primary diagnosis of cancer and those with more comorbidities compared with those with a noncancer diagnosis and those with fewer comorbidities. (May et al, 4/30)
