Trending News Today: Medicaid Expansion Beneficiaries May Face New Coverage Conditions

Many parents in Texas are choosing not to vaccinate their children, and the information about how many children are unvaccinated in schools in unavailable, Kaiser Health News reported. In this state and others, non-medical exemptions for vaccinations are acceptable, but this may jeopardize the health of some children and their family members. Parent advocates for vaccinations have been demanding state legislatures to disclose how many children in schools are not vaccinated, since it could jeopardize the health of others.

President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act will likely mean that thousands of individuals living in Medicaid expansion states may be without health insurance. However, administrators may impose new conditions to access the program rather than cutbacks, according to The New York Times. In Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s home state of Indiana, Medicaid beneficiaries are required to contribute to a healthcare savings account each month, and this could potentially be imposed throughout the country.

Trump’s plans to ease regulations could potentially mean that biotech and pharmaceutical companies may bring their billion-dollar companies back to the United States. Although he did not take a position on research and development in the pharmaceutical industry, the reforms may be positive since it could mean that he can be influenced by individuals who care about the issues at hand, according to NPR. If funding is cut to these key areas, there will likely be less new treatments for patients with serious diseases.