The Uninsured at the Starting Line: Findings from the 2013 Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA

Though ACA implementation is underway and people are already enrolling in coverage, policymakers continue to need information to inform coverage expansions. Reports of difficulties in enrolling in coverage, continued confusion and lack of information about the law point to challenges in the early stages of implementation. In the future, data will be needed to assess whether and how the ACA is helping low- and moderate-income families gain affordable coverage, access needed care, and obtain financial security. Detailed data on the population targeted for coverage expansions’ experience with health coverage, current patterns of care, and family situation can help policymakers target early efforts, provide insight into some of the challenges that are arising in the first months of new coverage, and evaluate the ACA’s longer-term affects.
Full Kaiser Report at  http://kff.org/uninsured/report/the-uninsured-at-the-starting-line-findings-from-the-2013-kaiser-survey-of-low-income-americans-and-the-aca/

Libraries and the Affordable Care Act Library Guide

Librarians will be asked to help patrons with locating information about the ACA and the Insurance Marketplace. This guide points to resources; general and region-specific.

Stroke survivors may lose month of healthy life for 15-minute delay in treatment

“In stroke treatment, every minute saved gives patients days of healthy life,” Meretoja said. “Patients should never wait a single minute for stroke signs, such as face droop, arm weakness or speech disturbance, to go away. They should call for help immediately. Additionally, most emergency medical services and hospitals have the ability to reduce response and treatment delays significantly, and we have described how to do this.”  Meretoja's article was published in Stroke yesterday.  The American Heart Association has this Rapid Access Journal Report here.

Environmental and State-Level Regulatory Factors Affect the Incidence of Autism and Intellectual Disability

Researchers from the University of Chicago have found that rates of autism and intellectually disability in the US correlate with incidence of genital malformation in newborn males at county level - an indicator of fetus exposure to harmful environmental factors, such as pesticides. PLOS Article