The growing use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) in the federal Title X family planning programs suggests more low-income women who want to avoid pregnancy are able to access one of the most effective forms of contraception. However, increases in LARC use by Title X family planning clients aren’t distributed evenly across states, a team from East Tennessee State University found.
Women with Greater Heart-Disease Risk Less Likely to Get Recommended Preventive Care, Finds Study of Commercial Health Plan Members
After studies drew attention to gender disparities in cardiovascular care, many health insurers and provider groups adopted population health management tools, which identify at-risk plan members and direct additional attention or resources toward their care. In a new study, researchers used data from a large commercial health plan to investigate whether gender disparities persist – and they found that women with diabetes and coronary artery disease are less likely to have appropriate cholesterol control than their male peers are.
New Study Explores Contraceptive Use and Reproductive Decision Making in Black and White Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence
Although U.S. unintended pregnancy rates have declined in recent years, racial/ethnic differences persist, and women who experience intimate partner violence may be at greater risk of unintended pregnancy.
Commentary Calls for Better Diagnosis and Treatment of Perinatal Depression in Latinas and African American Women
In a new commentary in the journal Women’s Health Issues, authors call for more funding to improve diagnosis and treatment of perinatal depression in Latinas and African American women. “Increasing Diagnosis and Treatment of Perinatal Depression in Latinas and African American Women: Addressing Stigma Is Not Enough” notes that rates of diagnosis and treatment for depression during pregnancy and after childbirth are low in Latinas and African American women.
Privately Insured Women Increased Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception After ACA, Study Finds
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most private insurance plans have been required to cover all FDA-approved forms of contraception without cost-sharing since the 2013 plan year. An analysis of private insurance claims from 2006-2014 for women ages 13 to 45 found a small but statistically significant increase in insertions of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) devices after the ACA's contraceptive mandate took effect.