Fierce Healthcare (4/2, Minemyer ) reports, “Enrollment on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges has more than doubled over the past several years, with much of that growth coming from red states, according to a new report.” KFF “analysts…found that enrollment in marketplace plans reached 24.3 million for 2025, up from 11.4 million in 2020,” which is “growth of 113% for those five years, the researchers said.”

Related Links:

— “ ACA exchange enrollment has skyrocketed since 2020, with most of the growth in red states: KFF,”Paige Minemyer, Fierce Healthcare, April 2, 2025

Psychiatric News (4/2) reports a study suggests that “starting most hormonal contraceptives in the first year postpartum may raise the risk of depression even among first-time mothers with no recent history of the disorder.” Researchers determined there was “a 49% higher risk of depression among hormonal contraceptive users compared with nonusers, after adjusting for factors.” Moreover, the “prevalence of postpartum depression was 1.54% among all women, which the researchers calculated would have been 1.36% had no one taken contraceptives.” The risk also “varied by type of hormonal contraceptive: Compared with nonuse, levonorgestrel-releasing IUDs raised risk of depression by 27% during the study period, progestogen-only nonoral contraceptives by 40%, combined-hormone pills by 72%, and combined-hormonepatches and vaginal rings by 97%.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Taking Hormonal Contraception Postpartum May Raise Risk of Depression, Psychiatric News, April 2, 2025

The New York Times (4/2, Belluck ) reports a study published in Nature “found that people who received the shingles vaccine were 20 percent less likely to develop dementia in the seven years afterward than those who were not vaccinated.” Compared to prior studies suggesting that shingles vaccinations might reduce dementia risk, this study was able to rule out “other dementia-protective characteristics, like healthier lifestyles, better diets or more years of education.” Overall, the results “provide some of the strongest evidence yet that some viral infections can have effects on brain function years later and that preventing them can help stave off cognitive decline.”

The AP (4/2, Neergaard ) reports the study “tracked people in Wales who were around 80 when receiving the world’s first-generation shingles vaccine over a decade ago.”

NBC News (4/2, Carroll ) reports that the “most important take-home message” from the study “is that getting vaccinated might lower the risk for dementia.” It is also possible “that the Food and Drug Administration could review research linking shingles vaccines to a lower risk of dementia and allow the drug company to add that indication to the label,” experts said.

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— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (4/1, Gotkine ) reports a study suggests that “a higher percentage of individuals who have psychostimulant involvement in synthetic opioid overdose deaths tend to work in physically demanding occupations and industries.” Researchers found that the “highest percentages of synthetic opioid overdose deaths co-involving psychostimulants with abuse potential (psychostimulants) occurred in occupation and industry groups that were typically physically demanding (e.g., construction and extraction occupations), while the highest percentages of cocaine co-involvement were seen in industries that were generally less physically strenuous (e.g., business and financial occupations).” They concluded, “These hypothesis-generating findings warrant confirmation but point to a potential role for work-related substance use and overdose prevention interventions.” The study was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Stimulant Involvement in Opioid OD Death Higher for Those in Physically Demanding Jobs,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 1, 2025

HealthDay (4/1, Gotkine ) reports that a study found that “the prevalence of prescription stimulant misuse and prescription stimulant use disorder (PSUD) is high among U.S. adults aged 18 to 64 years.” Researchers from the NIH observed “that 25.3 percent of those using prescription stimulants reported misuse and 9.0 percent had PSUD. Among those with PSUD, 72.9, 87.1, 42.5, and 63.6 percent solely used their own prescribed stimulants, used amphetamines, reported no misuse, and had mild PSUD, respectively.” Additionally, the study shows “women aged 35 to 64 years had the largest increase in the number of individuals dispensed prescription stimulants, from 1.2 million in quarter 1 of 2019 to 1.7 million in quarter 4 of 2022.” However, the “prevalence of prescription stimulant misuse was lower among women aged 35 to 64 years using these medications.” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Prevalence of Prescription Stimulant Misuse High in U.S. Adults,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 1, 2025

The Washington Post (3/31) reports a recent study published in JAMA found that “from 2009 to 2019, avoidable mortality increased by an average of 33 deaths per 100,000 people across the United States.” In contrast, avoidable deaths “dropped by an average of nearly 23 deaths per 100,000 across all other countries in the study” during the same period, with European Union countries reducing avoidable deaths by an average of 25 per 100,000. The study noted significant state-by-state variations within the US, “ranging from five avoidable deaths in New York to 100 per 100,000 in West Virginia.” The rise in US deaths was primarily attributed to “external causes such as traffic accidents, homicides, suicides, and drugs and alcohol. Among external causes, drug-related deaths were responsible for 71 percent of the increase in avoidable deaths.” The study also observed a spike in avoidable mortality numbers from 2019 to 2021 across all examined regions, largely due to COVID-19.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HCPlive (3/31, Derman) reports, “A cross-sectional study found an association between discrimination and mental health across US adults.” About 31% of US adults have experienced at least one major incident of discrimination in their lifetime, with 63% facing discrimination daily. Marginalized groups “experienced more health issues linked to discrimination.” Researchers found that “depression rates rose from 10% to 23% in women and 5.5% to 22% in men (2013–2023). Anxiety rates increased from 8% to 31% in women and 5% to 24% in men (2018–2023). Among Black adults, depression rose from 9% in 2013 to 21% in 2023, while anxiety jumped from 6% in 2018 to 27% in 2023.” Although the study results “demonstrate that White adults experienced higher odds of positive screening results for depression with increasing levels of discrimination,”researchers concluded the finding “does not imply that exposure to discrimination is less significant for Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino, and other racial and ethnic populations.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Daily Discrimination’s Link to Depression, Anxiety Varies by Race,”Chelsie Derman, HCPlive, March 31, 2025

HCPlive (3/28, Derman) reported, “A new national survey reported that healthcare [professionals] prioritize quality of life, long-term symptom management, and treatment consistency for patients with bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia.” The survey of 127 psychiatrists and 126 nurse practitioners/physician assistants, conducted online by The Harris Poll, found that “medication adherence was a top concern for healthcare [professionals] when selecting treatments for bipolar I disorder (36%) and schizophrenia (41%). Other concerns included manic (32%) and depressive (31%) episodes for bipolar I disorder, and patients’ ability to take medication as prescribed (41%) and maintain independence and complete daily living activities (38%).” The survey “found that most [professionals] (97%) often look for treatment options that minimize the number of different treatments their patient needs at once.” In addition, “new treatments are more likely to be adopted if included in clinical guidelines and accessible through insurance, with [professionals] valuing strong clinical research and patient experiences.”

Related Links:

— “Survey: Providers Prioritize QoL, Long-Term Care in BPD, Schizophrenia,” Chelsie Derman, HCPLive, March 28, 2025

HealthDay (3/28, Thompson ) reported a study found that “about 40% of troubled 8- to 20-year-olds reported social media use that could be problematic, saying that they feel discontented, disconnected and upset when they can’t log on to their favorite sites.” Researchers found that “these young people also had higher levels of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, as well as poorer overall well-being, compared to peers in treatment who weren’t overly attached to social media.” In addition, “troubled young people hooked on social media had higher levels of substance abuse.” Researchers stated, “What we often see is that the characteristics of problematic use mirror those of addiction, with continued use even when wanting to stop, cravings, interference with daily tasks and activities, deceptive use, interpersonal disruptions and more.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Social Media Can Drag Down Troubled Young People,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 28, 2025

The AP (3/27, Seitz ) reports, “In a major overhaul, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country.”

CNN (3/27, Tirrell , Luhby , Goodman , Gumbrecht ) reports, “In its announcement, HHS said it will consolidate from 28 to 15 divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America, and will reduce regional offices from 10 to five.”

Related Links:

— “Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and close agencies in a major restructuring,” Amanda Seitz, Associated Press, March 27, 2025