Raising Women’s Voices (RWV) In December, congressional Republicans passed a deficit-busting tax giveaway for corporations and the ultra-wealthy that was funded, in part, by making health insurance unaffordable for millions of families. By repealing the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate to buy health insurance, the bill will trigger spikes in 2019 premiums; 13 million … Continued
Raising Women’s Voices (RWV) In May, we updated you about our bi-directional role in the national coalition that emerged late last year to protect Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As part of that role, we share national strategy, talking points, and materials with our 30 regional coordinators in 28 states, and help them … Continued
By Barbara Gold, MD, FAAP Pediatricians ask lots of questions relevant to children’s health and well-being. Do you have a smoker in the house; is there a swimming pool; do you insist on the use of an infant/toddler car seat or a seat belt? Do you wear a seat belt? Does your child wear a … Continued
“The president has left his stamp on government in ways that could outlast him, but the NWHN will be there to shine a spotlight.” As I write this, it’s impossible to know what is going to become of Donald Trump, currently mired in controversy. Each day brings new scandal and, with it, the possibility that … Continued
Hysterectomy, the most common treatment for fibroids, is over-performed and often unnecessary. The NWHN recommends women explore less invasive and expensive treatments, including uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), a process that shrinks fibroids by cutting off their blood supply. A study that analyzed information from a national database on U.S. hospital stays between 2007–2013 found fibroid-related … Continued
Many women with reproductive cancers (or a high risk of such cancers) often have both ovaries removed during hysterectomy, in order to prevent the development of ovarian cancer at a later date. Yet doing so may increase the risk of other, more common, health risks. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of the English Hospital Episode … Continued
By Mary Lou Ballweg It was Thanksgiving, late afternoon—I glanced out my window to see a woman on our new neighbor’s patio, bending over, clutching her abdomen, rocking back and forth. She was clearly in agony. I went out and asked if she was in pain, was she OK? She said, “I’ll be OK,” and … Continued
Thanks to our members’ generous support, the NWHN is able to work on all fronts — advocating, collaborating, and educating in order to advance women’s health. Here are some highlights of our work in the last few months.
The EpiPen is an automatic injection device (an “autoinjector”) for administering epinephrine, which can be life-saving for someone who is going into anaphylactic shock as a result of a severe allergic reaction. EpiPens have been available since 1980, but after Mylan Pharmaceuticals acquired the EpiPen from Merck, in 2007, it increased the price of two … Continued
By Whitney Gray My experience with sexual education growing up was very limited. If anything, my attitude toward sex ed was, “I know what sex is, so what else do I need to know?” My middle school inserted sex education into our required health class, and sent a letter home letting parents know they could opt … Continued