- Obamacare Repeal Would Kill Millions of Jobs Nationwide McClatchy by Tony Pugh—It may not crash the economy, but repealing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act would certainly create job losses in every state. That's the consensus of a growing body of studies that suggest the economic fallout from the health law's partial demise would ripple through the entire economy, not just the health care sector. "When federal funds are cut, the results play out in the other direction, triggering losses in employment, economic activity, and state and local (tax) revenues," says George Washington University's Leighton Ku.
- ACA Repeal Seen Thwarting State Addiction Efforts Stateline by Christine Vestal—In the three years since the Affordable Care Act took effect, its federally funded expansion of Medicaid to low-income adults has become the states' most powerful weapon in the battle against the nation's worsening opioid epidemic. Now, as Congress and President Donald Trump debate potential replacements for the law, governors, health care professionals and advocates for the poor are cautioning that any cut in federal funding for addiction treatment could reverse much of the progress states have made.
- The IUD Rush: Why Women Are Seeking Out Birth Control that Can Outlast a Presidency Washington Post by Lisa Bonos —The day after President Trump's inauguration, millions of women of all ages marched in the streets of major cities. In the past few months, there's been another, quieter march that's far more personal, yet still political. If you're not a woman of childbearing age or a health-care provider, you might not have noticed it. Since the election, women have been seeing their gynecologists and visiting Planned Parenthood offices specifically to ask about birth control. Why the rush? For starters, if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, as Trump has promised, contraceptives could get a lot more expensive.