Trending News Today: Funding Cut for ACA Advertisement, Insurance Navigation

Yesterday, the Trump administration cut millions of dollars from the budget used to promote open enrollment of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, according to Kaiser Health News. Grants to nonprofit organizations that provide insurance navigators will be reduced by 40%, while advertising will drop by 90%, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported. This funding cut will likely result in less marketing for individual insurance and fewer navigators, which may cause confusion due to the shorter enrollment period for 2018, Kaiser said.

While most patients with cancer opt to start treatment immediately, it may be unnecessary for some patients with thyroid cancer, Kaiser Health News reported. Approximately one-third of patients with papillary thyroid cancer are eligible to delay treatment due to its slow-growing nature. These patients typically receive ultrasounds every 6 months to determine if the tumor has grown. If the cancer has grown more than 3 millimeters during monitoring, physicians recommend surgery, according to the article.

Thousands of families affected by devastation of Hurricane Harvey are currently living in shelters, many of whom have chronic conditions or injuries. Due to the massive amount of people requiring medical attention, pediatric physicians at Children’s Health in Dallas, TX, are beginning to provide services to children through telemedicine, according to STAT. Pediatric physicians are in short supply, especially at night, which may put these patients at-risk of not receiving proper medical care. Through a computer monitor and special equipment that can measure vital signs, physicians can diagnose and treat patients remotely, according to the article.