G-Spots and Sore spots

G-Spots
 
Now, this is more like it. The Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) is funding effective sexual education. In marked contrast to abstinence-only-until-marriage “education” pushed by President Bush (which deemed heterosexual marriage as the “standard” for sexual behavior and spread misinformation about contraception), HHS is asking grantees to consider the needs of gay and lesbian youth. The new Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) provides $55 million for comprehensive, evidence-based efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). 
 
Congratulations to Dr. Frances Kelsey, the inaugural recipient of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Dr. Frances O. Kelsey Award for Excellence and Courage in Protecting the Public Health. 50 years ago, Kelsey, a former FDA medical reviewer, helped start the modern era of clinical trials ago when she took a firm stand against inadequate testing and corporate pressure and refused to grant U.S. approval for thalidomide. At least 4,000 European children were affected by the morning-sickness drug’s tragic side effects; because of Kelsey’s bold stand, the U.S. avoided a similar tragedy.  
 
Many Americans don’t know their health coverage options; let alone where to learn more. In response, HHS has released a new web tool, HealthCare.gov. HealthCare.gov is a valuable resource to explore coverage options and understand the new Affordable Care Act’s many benefits. HHS Secretary Sebelius stated, “by putting the power of information at your fingertips, HealthCare.gov is helping American families everywhere to take control over their health care and make the choices that are right for them.” That’s good news for us all! 
 
Sore Spots
 
While health care reform has many advantages, it might increase the wait time to see your doctor. With millions of Americans becoming newly insured through the health care reform, wait times may grow, especially in rural and underserved areas where primary care physicians are already in high demand. It’s annoying to have to plan ahead to see your doctor, but at least more Americans now have access to health care!
 
Despite female condom’s proven benefits in preventing HIV/STIs, and the fact that 32 state Medicare programs reimburse providers for them, the devices remain under-utilized. Medicaid is the largest provider of reproductive health care for low-income individuals, and low-income women are disproportionately affected by HIV, so state programs provide a great way to get condoms into the hands of women who need them. We wish more states would take advantage of Medicare support for these devices, and that all states did a better job of promoting their use to prevent HIV/AIDS.
 
Women who’ve decided than an IUD is right for them are having trouble finding one, at least in some cities. Part of the reason is the high price, recently pushed even higher by Bayer, which recently raised the price of the Mirena IUD by 80%, to $843. Some women and clinicians have been tempted to get a bargain by buying the IUD from another country. Not only is this a little bit uncertain (Internet pharmacies aren’t always legit), it’s also against FDA rules. Rather than encouraging our doctors to look for bargains on-line, we should be discouraging big drug and device companies from charging more in the US than everywhere else in the world.