Research Roundup: Spousal Caregivers; Medicaid Acceptance By Psychiatrists; And Violence Against Transgender Students

Health Affairs: Spousal Caregivers Are Caregiving Alone In The Last Years Of Life
Caregiving in the last years of life is associated with increased depression and negative health outcomes for surviving spouses, many of whom are themselves in poor health. Yet it is unclear how often spouses are caregiving alone, how they differ from supported spouses, and whether lack of support affects postbereavement outcomes. We hypothesized that spouses who were solo caregivers—that is, the only caregivers (paid or unpaid) who provided assistance with a spouse’s self-care or household activities—would experience more depression after bereavement than supported spouses would. Using information from the Health and Retirement Study, we found that 55 percent of the spouses of community-dwelling married people with disability were solo caregivers. (Ornstein et al, 6/3)

JAMA Psychiatry: Medicaid Acceptance By Psychiatrists Before And After Medicaid Expansion
Medicaid is the principal payer of behavioral health services in the United States and has been expected to play an increasing role in financing behavioral health services after states’ implementation of Medicaid expansions.1,2 Little is known about recent trends in psychiatrists’ acceptance of Medicaid, including before and after 2014, when most Medicaid expansions under the Affordable Care Act went into effect. Without adequate participation in Medicaid among psychiatrists, Medicaid enrollees with behavioral health needs may be unable to find a local psychiatrist who accepts new patients with Medicaid or have to wait a long time for an intake appointment. (Wen et al, 6/5)

Pediatrics: School Restroom And Locker Room Restrictions And Sexual Assault Risk Among Transgender Youth
Transgender and gender nonbinary adolescents experience high rates of peer victimization, but the prevalence of sexual assault in this population has not been established. Some schools restrict transgender and nonbinary students from using restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, with unknown effects on sexual assault risk. We tested whether these restrictions were associated with the 12-month prevalence of sexual assault victimization. (Murchison et al, 6/3)

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: An Examination Of Surprise Medical Bills And Proposals To Protect Consumers From Them
This analysis examines how often patients get hit with surprise medical bills, what circumstances tend to give rise to them and what proposals are being considered to protect consumers from this problem. The study of claims data from large employer health plans finds that in roughly 1 of every 6 emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays in 2017, patients came home with at least one out-of-network medical bill. More specifically, 18 percent of all emergency visits and 16 percent of in-network hospital stays had at least one out-of-network charge, leaving patients at risk for surprise medical bills. (Pollitz, 6/20)

JAMA Cardiology: Vitamin D Supplementation And Cardiovascular Disease Risks In More Than 83 000 Individuals In 21 Randomized Clinical Trials: A Meta-Analysis
Observational studies have reported an association between low serum vitamin D levels and elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, but such studies cannot prove causation because of possible unmeasured confounding. (Barbarawi, 6/19)