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Economic Recession Prompting California Women To Seek Health Care In Clinics
The current economic recession has prompted more women in California to seek health care -- including routine gynecological exams, contraceptives and abortions -- at clinics and family planning agencies, the Los Angeles Times reports. Many of the services, such as contraception and abortion, are related to avoiding or ending pregnancies as women experience job losses and subsequent loss of insurance coverage amid the recession, according to the Times. For example, Planned Parenthood clinics report that they are performing a record number of abortions, while other women"s health agencies report higher call volumes, more visits and additional requests for abortion funding. Clinic officials also report that women increasingly are switching their contraceptive methods to longer-term options than can last five to 10 years.According to the Times, the increased demand for reproductive health services -- particularly abortions funded by Medi-Cal, the state"s Medicaid program -- are putting a strain on some clinics. In addition, paying for an abortion can be difficult for women who already are struggling financially. The Times reports that as women attempt to raise the money for abortions, thereby postponing the procedure, the cost increases from about $450 during the first trimester to $1,200 during the second trimester. Delays in abortion funding also can cause more difficult choices for some women. Destiny Lopez -- executive director of ACCESS, a group that helps low-income women seeking reproductive health care -- said that some women who decided to terminate an early pregnancy are forced to decide between a second-trimester abortion or continuing an unwanted pregnancy because of funding delays. "It"s not like women are making these decision at the drop of a hat," she said, adding, "They are considering their life situations."Stephanie Poggi, executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, said, "We are seeing poor women get poorer and we"re also seeing low-wage women become poor," adding, "The economy is definitely having an impact. ... We see a greater demand for assistance." According to clinic officials, pregnant women who call in for assistance increasingly are considering the costs of raising a child when deciding how to proceed with their pregnancies. Lopez said, "Women are really having to make thoughtful decisions whether now is the right time to get pregnant or not."According to a recent Gallup Organization survey conducted on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, nearly one in 10 married women reported that the recession is a contributing factor in a decision to postpone a planned pregnancy; one in five women reported being more concerned now than one year ago about an unintended pregnancy; and about one in five women reported being more conscientious about using contraceptives (Yoshino, Los Angeles Times, 5/20).
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Considering Combination Versus Sequential Chemotherapy In Metastatic Breast Cancer
Both combination and sequential single-agent chemotherapy are reasonable options to treat metastatic breast cancer, but the choice between the two should ultimately be based on patient- and disease-related factors, according to a new commentary published online August 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Most Common Brain Cancer May Originate In Neural Stem Cells
Findings in mice suggest greater hope for targeting brain cancer, but also greater caution in pursuing stem cell treatments for degenerative diseases
Diagnostics

Today's Opinions And Editorials

The F-22 Model For Medicare The Washington Post What does a fighter jet have to do with health care? Nothing, of course, but it has everything to do with politics, which has, in our current system, a good deal to do with health-care costs (Marcus, 7/22). Why We Must Vote On The Public Health Care Plan Politico The public option would prompt Americans to ask a basic question of the insurance company that is chasing their business: "What is it that you guys do, exactly?" (Weiner, 7/22). Health Care System Can Ill Afford Fee-For-Service The Dallas Morning News We pay for health care one service at a time. ò€¦ It can make for some perverse incentives (Landers, 7/21). ObamaCare Ignores Incentives, Costs Bloomberg It"s always easy to spend someone else"s money. I have friends and family who run to the doctor with a sore throat or sniffle. If it cost more than the $20 co-pay, they would probably take two Tylenol and leave it at that (Baum, 7/21). Health Insurance No One Needs The New York Times Congress"s health insurance - that is, the heavily subsidized preferred provider plan that most members have - is not an ideal model, because it is quite rich (Miller, 7/21). Three Health Questions For Barack Obama St. Louis Post-Dispatch "What"s the rush?", "Isn"t it too expensive?" and "Won"t reform mean the government will make decisions that should be made by patients and doctors?" (7/22). Downturn Masks Shortage The (Nashville) Tennessean The nursing work force, which currently numbers 2.5 million, is not restocking its supply of RNs (Buerhaus, 7/22). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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