Trending News Today: Maryland Announces Approval of All-Payer Health Care Model

According to a new study, babies exposed to air pollution and babies born to mothers exposed to air pollution during pregnancy are more likely to face high blood pressure, The Hill reported. According to the article, the study followed nearly 1300 mothers and their children, who had follow-up visits between ages 3 and 9. The study’s findings indicate that air pollution is associated with a higher risk of elevated blood pressure in adults and children and that high blood pressure tied to air pollution lasts beyond childhood, The Hill reported.

Maryland officials have announced federal approval of a contract for the state’s all-payer health care model, the Associated Press reported. State health officials announced the approval on Monday with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the article noted. The current model was approved in 2014, but it only focused on hospitals, and the new model will include health care patients receive both in hospitals and the community.

Cases of sexually transmitted diseases in California reached an all-time high last year, according to the Associated Press. According to data released by the California Department of Public Health, more than 300,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in 2017, a 45% increase from 5 years ago. The figure that caused the greatest alarm was 30 stillbirths resulting from congenital syphilis statewide, which is the highest number since 1995, the article reported.