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healthcare

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First over-the-counter birth control pill to hit U.S. stores in 2024

The push to make an oral contraceptive available without a prescription predates Biden’s presidency. But the issue took on fresh urgency when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, particularly as conservatives openly questioned the legal precedent establishing the right to privacy for birth control access. Within weeks of the ruling, a contraceptive maker, which had spent more than six years studying consumers’ ability to use the product correctly without a doctor’s supervision, applied to the FDA for over-the-counter approval.

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Making medication more accessible through telemedicine

During the Covid public health emergency, the federal government took several steps to make it easier to access health care via telemedicine. Most of those measures have ended. But one of the regulations that Biden held in place allows many controlled substances like Adderall for ADHD treatment, testosterone for gender-affirming care and buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder to be prescribed without first having an in-person visit. In-person-visit requirements have traditionally been used to prevent fraud and abuse.

healthcare system costs

Doctors unionize as healthcare services are consolidated into corporate systems

As recently as the early 80s, about three of every four doctors in the U.S. worked for themselves, owning small clinics. Today, some 75 percent of physicians are employees of hospital systems or large corporate entities. Some worry the trend is leading to diminished quality of care and is one reason doctors at a large Midwestern health provider decided to unionize. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports.

Rural healthcare access at risk as public health efforts become politicized

Rural healthcare access at risk as public health efforts become politicized

The pandemic highlighted the power of local health departments and brought backlash from people who said these authorities were overreaching. In the wake of the turmoil, many were overhauled, leaving an outsized impact on rural parts of the country. With support from the Pulitzer Center and in collaboration with the Global Health Reporting Center, Dr. Alok Patel reports for our series, Rural RX.

Abortion pill ruling opens door to more political pressure on medical regulators

Abortion pill ruling opens door to more political pressure on medical regulators

The country is closely watching how the battle over abortion medication unfolds in federal courts. It follows a Texas judge’s decision to overturn FDA approval of the mifepristone. But there’s also growing concern over what that ruling could mean for the drug approval process in general. Amna Nawaz discussed what’s at stake with Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the former FDA principal deputy commissioner.

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Border Patrol Required to Provide Formula to Detained Infants

Q: Has the Biden administration sent “pallets” of infant formula to the border amid a nationwide shortage?
A: Yes. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that first encounters and then processes immigrants, is legally required to provide formula to infants in its care and has been doing so during the recent shortage.

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