General Mental Health Issues
- Many of the children and young women who were sexually abused and trafficked for profit by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are still awaiting justice. No amount of money can undo the damage they suffered. In the fever pitch of coverage of the Epstein scandal and the political implications for President Donald Trump and his MAGA base, one thing is notably absent: discussion about the mental health impacts on girls and young women who were subject to sexual exploitation, sometimes on a prolonged basis. Read more here.
- A six-month investigation by Medill Investigative Lab-Chicago and MindSite News found that CARE teams are responding to fewer and fewer mental health calls, that police are responding to the vast majority, and that the overall effort is hampered by dysfunction and bureaucratic infighting. Read more here.
- People's brains aged faster during the COVID-19 pandemic whether they were infected or not, serial imaging data from the U.K. Biobank suggested. Among nearly 1,000 adults, MRIs after the pandemic showed a 5.5-month greater brain age gap -- the difference between predicted brain age and chronological age -- than expected, said Dorothee Auer, PhD, MD, of the University of Nottingham in England, and co-authors. Read more here.
- A wearable sensor could make tracking medication levels much easier for people living with bipolar disorder, eliminating the need for blood draws and lab analyses. The first-of-its-kind device could vastly improve treatment, convenience, and drug safety for millions of patients who take lithium -- a type of mood stabilizer -- for bipolar disorder. While lithium is highly effective, it must be administered precisely and needs regular monitoring. Read more here.
"One Big Beautiful Bill" Act, Medicaid, and the ACA
- Medicaid cuts under President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package will harm family caregivers, experts warn, by reducing access to health care for themselves and the people they care for, which could then lead to more caregiving responsibilities. Some of those who could lose coverage are among the 8 million — or 13% — of family caregivers in the U.S. who receive their health insurance coverage through Medicaid, according to the National Alliance of Caregiving. Read more here.
- Millions of older Americans living in poverty are entitled to free or heavily subsidized Medicare coverage. However, the new Republican tax law will keep that benefit out of reach for many by reintroducing confusing and onerous paperwork requirements. People who get subsidized coverage through what’s known as Medicare Savings Programs get to keep hundreds of dollars per month that they can use toward rent, food, or other necessities. They can also go see their doctor or refill prescriptions more readily if they know they won’t owe anything. Read more here.
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