The Network for Public Health Law (NPHL) has issued four new public health resources that can be read and accessed below.
Maryland Poised to Join Small Group of States Offering Comprehensive Adult Dental Coverage Through Medicaid
Poor oral health is linked to several chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. While states are required to provide dental benefits to children covered by Medicaid, they can choose whether to provide dental benefits to adults. A bill recently signed by Maryland’s Governor fills a gap in access to dental care for adults that has been missing in Maryland and is still missing in many other states across the country. The bill requires Maryland Medicaid to cover adult dental services, including diagnostic, preventive, restorative, and periodontal services.
Just What the Doctor Ordered: State and Local Strategies to Advance Health Equity
The United States continues to experience high levels of health inequality and disparities, particularly within BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities. Historic and structural racism continue to fuel these inequities by influencing social determinants of health. This research brief from Altarum, outlines how, for various reasons, state and local governments are uniquely placed to implement policies that target health disparities and drive health equity and discusses some promising strategies that these governments have been using, highlighting efforts by different states and localities.
Key Facts on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity
Due to systemic and overt discrimination, Black people are disproportionately affected by high maternal and infant morbidities and mortality. A recent KFF analysis found that Black people fared worse than other racial and ethnic groups in all maternal health indicators measured. They were more likely to have preterm births and have low birthweight babies compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Black infants were twice as likely to die as White infants, and Black people were more likely to die while pregnant or within a year of giving birth compared to all other groups.
The Judge Who Tossed Mask Mandate Misunderstood Public Health Law, Legal Experts Say
Early this week, a U.S. District Judge struck down the federal government's transportation mask mandate. In this report from NPR, public health legal experts weigh in on the judge’s ruling, which was based in part on her interpretation of the term "sanitation," and discuss implications for future public health measures.