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.

Related Links:

— “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