Latest news with #CentersforMedicareandMedicaidServices
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion - No, OBGYNs are not systematically fleeing states that banned abortion
The Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision ended decades of national judicial precedent protecting legal abortion. As of today, 12 states enforce bans on nearly all abortions, and seven states are enforcing bans on abortions after six, 12 or 18 weeks' gestation. Also, numerous lawsuits have been filed attempting to restrict abortion access in states where it is still legal. Although obstetricians and gynecologists have always had to operate under the risk of malpractice lawsuits, state-level abortion bans added a new layer of legal risk to delivering established standards of care. In this climate, surveys have revealed evidence of obstetrician-gynecologist in states that have banned abortion feeling constrained or afraid. Reports and studies have documented a decline in OBGYN residency applications to programs located in those states. And numerous media outlets have run stories suggesting that OBGYNs are leaving states with abortion bans to practice where abortion is still legal. Since obstetrician-gynecologist provide many different kinds of care — including contraceptive, delivery and postpartum care — these stories have raised serious concerns about the availability of all forms of reproductive health care throughout much of the country. But in research just published in JAMA Network Open, we and our co-authors find no evidence of such an exodus of obstetrician-gynecologist physicians from states with abortion bans. Using administrative records managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on all physicians who bill insurance, we looked at the movement of obstetrician-gynecologists between states with different abortion policy environments from just before the Dobbs decision to two years after. Out of all obstetrician-gynecologist who were practicing at the start of 2022 in states with abortion bans, 94.2 percent were still practicing in September 2024. This percentage is statistically indistinguishable from the 94.8 percent of obstetrician-gynecologists who have remained in states where abortion is threatened and the 95.8 percent who have remained in states where it is protected. OBGYNs also continued to move into states with abortion bans at similar rates to other states. From the start of 2018 to the end of 2024, the total number grew by 8.3 percent in states with abortion bans, by 10.5 percent in states where it is threatened and by 7.7 percent in states where it is protected. Trends in the number of practicing obstetrician-gynecologists were also comparable to those in the number of physicians in other specialties in states where abortion is banned. We also considered trends in the practice locations of recent residency graduates and subspecialists in maternal-fetal medicine, as well as trends in the share of OBGYNs who are female and who are licensed to practice in more than one state. All were similar between states, regardless of abortion's legality. Our findings are not unique. In December 2024, an independent group of researchers using a different data set came to the exact same conclusions. And in March, researchers showed that the number of obstetrician-gynecologists in states with bans has increased since Dobbs, though perhaps at a slower rate than in a group of states with mixed status. So why has a narrative that obstetricians are leaving and avoiding states with abortion bans become so prominent? A closer look at the media coverage reveals that different reporters have interviewed the same small handful of 15 or so physicians who left states with bans. Those interviews, coupled with survey evidence on the strain physicians are facing, have led to conclusions that doctors are fleeing states with bans. But it just isn't true. Evidence on trends in residency applications also needs additional context. While states with bans have seen larger declines in obstetrician-gynecologist residency applications than states without bans, nearly all such positions continue to be filled at pre-Dobbs levels. Broader doctor shortage issues that predate the Dobbs decision, including those leading to closures of hospital labor and delivery departments, have been conflated with the effects of the Supreme Court ruling as well. We pursued this research because it is crucial to understand all of the facts to make progress on the availability and quality of reproductive health care. Focusing on a physician exodus that is not actually happening distracts us from addressing the real, plentiful problems with the delivery of medical care. Our findings imply that while removing abortion bans would likely improve the quality of care that obstetricians can provide by giving them the ability to follow established standards of care, it is unlikely to shift the economic and structural forces driving maternal ward closures and doctor shortages. When it comes to the availability of care, those are the forces that deserve policy attention. Our study is by no means the final word. Physicians feeling constrained by abortion bans may be 'sheltering in place' for now, with decisions of where to live and work shaped by other factors. The coming years could well see different trends. But at this point, ensuring high-quality reproductive health care in states affected by abortion bans will require supporting the obstetricians who, at heightened personal risk, continue to provide essential care to the best of their ability. Becky Staiger is an assistant professor in health policy and management in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Valentin Bolotnyy is a Kleinheinz Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
14 hours ago
- Health
- The Hill
No, OBGYNs are not systematically fleeing states that banned abortion
The Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision ended decades of national judicial precedent protecting legal abortion. As of today, 12 states enforce bans on nearly all abortions, and seven states are enforcing bans on abortions after six, 12 or 18 weeks' gestation. Also, numerous lawsuits have been filed attempting to restrict abortion access in states where it is still legal. Although obstetricians and gynecologists have always had to operate under the risk of malpractice lawsuits, state-level abortion bans added a new layer of legal risk to delivering established standards of care. In this climate, surveys have revealed evidence of obstetrician-gynecologist in states that have banned abortion feeling constrained or afraid. Reports and studies have documented a decline in OBGYN residency applications to programs located in those states. And numerous media outlets have run stories suggesting that OBGYNs are leaving states with abortion bans to practice where abortion is still legal. Since obstetrician-gynecologist provide many different kinds of care — including contraceptive, delivery and postpartum care — these stories have raised serious concerns about the availability of all forms of reproductive health care throughout much of the country. But in research just published in JAMA Network Open, we and our co-authors find no evidence of such an exodus of obstetrician-gynecologist physicians from states with abortion bans. Using administrative records managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on all physicians who bill insurance, we looked at the movement of obstetrician-gynecologists between states with different abortion policy environments from just before the Dobbs decision to two years after. Out of all obstetrician-gynecologist who were practicing at the start of 2022 in states with abortion bans, 94.2 percent were still practicing in September 2024. This percentage is statistically indistinguishable from the 94.8 percent of obstetrician-gynecologists who have remained in states where abortion is threatened and the 95.8 percent who have remained in states where it is protected. OBGYNs also continued to move into states with abortion bans at similar rates to other states. From the start of 2018 to the end of 2024, the total number grew by 8.3 percent in states with abortion bans, by 10.5 percent in states where it is threatened and by 7.7 percent in states where it is protected. Trends in the number of practicing obstetrician-gynecologists were also comparable to those in the number of physicians in other specialties in states where abortion is banned. We also considered trends in the practice locations of recent residency graduates and subspecialists in maternal-fetal medicine, as well as trends in the share of OBGYNs who are female and who are licensed to practice in more than one state. All were similar between states, regardless of abortion's legality. Our findings are not unique. In December 2024, an independent group of researchers using a different data set came to the exact same conclusions. And in March, researchers showed that the number of obstetrician-gynecologists in states with bans has increased since Dobbs, though perhaps at a slower rate than in a group of states with mixed status. So why has a narrative that obstetricians are leaving and avoiding states with abortion bans become so prominent? A closer look at the media coverage reveals that different reporters have interviewed the same small handful of 15 or so physicians who left states with bans. Those interviews, coupled with survey evidence on the strain physicians are facing, have led to conclusions that doctors are fleeing states with bans. But it just isn't true. Evidence on trends in residency applications also needs additional context. While states with bans have seen larger declines in obstetrician-gynecologist residency applications than states without bans, nearly all such positions continue to be filled at pre-Dobbs levels. Broader doctor shortage issues that predate the Dobbs decision, including those leading to closures of hospital labor and delivery departments, have been conflated with the effects of the Supreme Court ruling as well. We pursued this research because it is crucial to understand all of the facts to make progress on the availability and quality of reproductive health care. Focusing on a physician exodus that is not actually happening distracts us from addressing the real, plentiful problems with the delivery of medical care. Our findings imply that while removing abortion bans would likely improve the quality of care that obstetricians can provide by giving them the ability to follow established standards of care, it is unlikely to shift the economic and structural forces driving maternal ward closures and doctor shortages. When it comes to the availability of care, those are the forces that deserve policy attention. Our study is by no means the final word. Physicians feeling constrained by abortion bans may be 'sheltering in place' for now, with decisions of where to live and work shaped by other factors. The coming years could well see different trends. But at this point, ensuring high-quality reproductive health care in states affected by abortion bans will require supporting the obstetricians who, at heightened personal risk, continue to provide essential care to the best of their ability. Becky Staiger is an assistant professor in health policy and management in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Valentin Bolotnyy is a Kleinheinz Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
Politico
a day ago
- Health
- Politico
Dr. Oz on the future of Medicaid, Trump's Megabill and AI-avatar health care
Dr. Mehmet Oz, former TV host and Pennsylvania Senate candidate, is one of America's most famous physicians. Now he's running the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which means he's in charge of programs that provide health care for about half of all Americans. He sits down with White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns to discuss potential Medicaid cuts, his big plans to lower drug pricing, why he's fielding early morning phone calls from President Donald Trump, and his advice to patients to 'be curious' about their health. Plus, Burns is joined by senior political columnist and politics bureau chief Jonathan Martin to discuss his juicy column about the Ohio governor's race featuring Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. And senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney joins to discuss the showdown between Trump and the courts over his 'Liberation Day' tariffs. Listen and subscribe to The Conversation with Dasha Burns on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dr. Oz pushes back on criticism that GOP is cutting Medicaid
President Donald Trump's favorite celebrity doctor is standing behind his new boss on an issue that has sparked opposition even among some Republicans. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Trump-appointed administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wouldn't concede in an interview with POLITICO'S newest podcast that the budget megabill passed by the House will cut Medicaid. Oz arguedin an interview on The Conversation with Dasha Burns that the Medicaid work requirements in the sprawling legislation will 'future proof' the program — in line with administration goals to protect social services. 'Every great people takes care of their most vulnerable, and we're a great nation,' Oz said in the interview scheduled to run Sunday. 'We're gonna do that. So there's a lot of sensitivity about being accused, accused of not taking care of people who have disabilities or seniors without money or children.' Trump's mission, Oz said, is to ensure the program remains solvent. 'I'm trying to save Medicaid,' he said. 'That's the president's goal as well. He said over and over again, he wants to love and cherish these programs and we need to keep them viable.' When Oz was sworn into his post in April,Trump insisted there would be no cuts to Medicaid. But aCongressional Budget Office report from May estimated that 7.6 million people would become uninsured if the Medicaid portions of the GOP megabill go into effect. Even some top Republicans, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, worry the cuts will hurt the party. A wing of "corporatist Republicans,'Hawley claimed in a May New York Times op-ed, 'wants Republicans to build our big, beautiful bill around slashing health insurance for the working poor. But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.' GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine are also expressing reservations with the House bill's Medicaid cuts. Democrats, meanwhile, are capitalizing on the issue — withads hammering House Republicans for voting to cut spending set to begin running next week. Oz pushed back, telling Burns the vast majority of Americans agree with the White House push to enact work requirements in exchange for healthcare. 'We're not cutting Medicaid,' he told Burns. 'I've seen the proposals. There is no proposal I've seen, in fact, in fairness, that doesn't increase spending on Medicaid.'
Politico
3 days ago
- Health
- Politico
Dr. Oz pushes back on criticism that GOP is cutting Medicaid
President Donald Trump's favorite celebrity doctor is standing behind his new boss on an issue that has sparked opposition even among some Republicans. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Trump-appointed administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wouldn't concede in an interview with POLITICO'S newest podcast that the budget megabill passed by the House will cut Medicaid. Oz argued in an interview on The Conversation with Dasha Burns that the Medicaid work requirements in the sprawling legislation will 'future proof' the program — in line with administration goals to protect social services. 'Every great people takes care of their most vulnerable, and we're a great nation,' Oz said in the interview scheduled to run Sunday. 'We're gonna do that. So there's a lot of sensitivity about being accused, accused of not taking care of people who have disabilities or seniors without money or children.' Trump's mission, Oz said, is to ensure the program remains solvent. 'I'm trying to save Medicaid,' he said. 'That's the president's goal as well. He said over and over again, he wants to love and cherish these programs and we need to keep them viable.' When Oz was sworn into his post in April, Trump insisted there would be no cuts to Medicaid. But a Congressional Budget Office report from May estimated that 7.6 million people would become uninsured if the Medicaid portions of the GOP megabill go into effect. Even some top Republicans, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, worry the cuts will hurt the party. A wing of 'corporatist Republicans,' Hawley claimed in a May New York Times op-ed, 'wants Republicans to build our big, beautiful bill around slashing health insurance for the working poor. But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.' GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine are also expressing reservations with the House bill's Medicaid cuts. Democrats, meanwhile, are capitalizing on the issue — with ads hammering House Republicans for voting to cut spending set to begin running next week. Oz pushed back, telling Burns the vast majority of Americans agree with the White House push to enact work requirements in exchange for healthcare. 'We're not cutting Medicaid,' he told Burns. 'I've seen the proposals. There is no proposal I've seen, in fact, in fairness, that doesn't increase spending on Medicaid.'
