Medicaid coverage, look-alike DNA testing & politicized body odors 🦨
Coming in hot, one more healthcare newsletter you never asked for. But I promise, we’re cooler.
Think about it 💡
☀️ Ain’t no medical coverage when (P)HE’s gone. In the midst of the pandemic chaos, a Public Health Emergency (PHE) was initially issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the end of January 2020. A PHE lasts 90 days and must be renewed to continue. The ongoing COVID-19 PHE has been extended several times, last in July 2022, and is currently set to end in mid-October 2022. When it ends, the suspension of the Medicaid eligibility rules consisting of an increase in the federal matching grant if states let qualified people remain on the Medicaid rolls, will also end. Almost 80 million enrollees will see their eligibility redefined. The Urban Institute estimates that 14.4 million people could be found ineligible for Medicaid and disenrolled within 14 months of the end of the PHE. One step forward, 6.2 steps back?
🍆 Sex education in the wake of the Roe reversal. While the Supreme Court's decision has left many people distraught, it has also heightened uncertainty among teens and young adults as to their rights and knowledge about their reproductive health and sex lives. While 30 states mandate that schools stress the importance of abstinence, and another 16 states require "abstinence only" sex education, teens are responding to this uncertainty by organizing their own gatherings to demand the inclusion of sex education in school curricula.
TV maybe isn’t so terrible after all 📺
🙅♀️ This of course probably does not apply to your Love Island binging spree. You should maybe press pause on that and go read a book or something.
📽️ Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and the University of Southern California carried out a study to look at the impact of TV narratives on how people think about Alzheimer's disease. They recruited 720 viewers of NBC's tear-jerking show "This is Us” and conducted focus groups to understand perceptions of dementia and the effect the show's caregiving narrative might have on their intention to plan for aging. Results showed that reduced stigma and observing family tensions related to elder care on screen can encourage discussion among families.
🤔 The average US adult spends about an hour per year directly engaging with a healthcare professional (~ four 15min visits), but 2,000 hours watching prime-time TV. Perhaps the entertainment industry should get a seat at the public health Round Table.
Neat News 🗞️
👶 A new AI model developed by Mayo Clinic researchers aims to predict childbirth outcomes in real time. Neat.
🧬 Researchers have found that hormone therapy may improve cognitive functions in people with Down syndrome. Super neat.
💻 A recent study suggests that pandemic telehealth use is linked to a decreased risk of opioid overdose and increased retention of medications such as buprenorphine. Ultra neat.
What the hellth? 🔬
👬 No, that guy you had insistent eye-contact with in the metro and thought “wow, did my parents hide something from me all this time??” is not your long lost twin. However, a recent study published in the journal Cell Reports found that there is a chance you share DNA with them nevertheless. The researchers enrolled doppelgangers from the photo series “I’m not a look-alike” and asked them to take a DNA test and to fill out lifestyle questionnaires. They also submitted their pictures to three facial recognition programs. Incredibly, of the 32 pairs recruited, 16 pairs had results similar to those of identical twins detected with the same software. So, not a long lost twin, but kinda. Maybe still have a quick convo with your genitors.
Clean Content 🧼
✍️ Health IT isn’t necessarily 3 guys drinking kool-aid in a basement full of cables and succulents. It’s also a very good tool to transform public health.
🍭 Conversations and opinions about psychedelic therapy have been going on strong. Could the hype bubble be about to burst?
☠️ Heat waves = not good. Air pollution = not good. Heat waves + air pollution = really not good. Scientists found the combination of high heat and air pollution to be even more dangerous.
This is what you came for 🍑
👃 Your body odor could be your best (political) ally. Science found that we are drawn to the scent of people with similar political views, implying that part of why so many couples share common political opinions is that they were unconsciously attracted to each other's body odor. Hopefully your date doesn’t smell like your inappropriate and frankly offensive uncle Ricky at the annual family gathering.
Opportune opportunity 🔍
🎒 The Cedars-Sinai accelerator latest cohort has begun the school year. New entrants will benefit from a 12-week bootcamp including product-market fit counseling and fundraising prep + Nabla credits to build engaging relationships between patients and providers.
💥 You’re a startup or an accelerator? Reach out to us to see how you can benefit from our booster program.
Toodle-loo, 🦘.