What We’re Reading: Misleading ACA Ads; Codifying Roe v Wade; Ovarian Cancer Risk in Women With Endometriosis

Lawsuit Alleges Misleading Ads Part of Schemes to Generate Unauthorized ACA Sign-Ups

Misleading ads are under scrutiny for their role in helping rogue insurance agents and companies sign up tens of thousands of consumers for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage or switch their existing ACA plans without their permission, according to NPR. The ads claim that consumers can qualify for up to $6400 a month to use on rent, medical expenses, and other bills; however, no one is receiving monthly checks. In the first quarter of 2024, CMS reported at least 90,000 complaints about unauthorized enrollment or plan-switching. Further details on these ads are included in a Florida lawsuit filed in April, which claims that several marketing firms, insurance brokerages, and privately-held ACA enrollment websites knowingly used misleading advertisements and told their call center staffers to be vague about the subsidies promised. So far, this is the only public challenge to the advertisements.

Democrats Will Suspend the Filibuster to Codify Roe v Wade, Sen Elizabeth Warren Says

If Democrats control the White House and both chambers of Congress in 2025, Sen Elizabeth Warren (D, Massachusetts) announced yesterday on “The View” that there are currently enough votes in the Senate to suspend the filibuster to codify Roe v Wade, according to The Hill. With this control, she said that the first vote Democrats will take in the Senate will be to codify Roe v Wade. Warren noted that Democrats would only need marginal majorities in the House and Senate to override the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned national abortion rights established in 1973 by Roe v Wade. The majorities are needed since, last week, Senate Republicans blocked a bill to protect the rights given under Roe v Wade by law; it failed in a 44-49 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed for bills to pass in the Senate.

Study: Women With Endometriosis Face Fourfold Higher Ovarian Cancer Risk

A new JAMA study found that women with endometriosis have about a fourfold risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to CNN. The researchers, who analyzed data on nearly 500,000 women in Utah between the ages of 18 and 55 years, found that the risk of all ovarian cancer types was 4.2 times higher among women with endometriosis, with the risk of type I and type II ovarian cancer being about 7.5 and 2.7 times higher, respectively. Also, women with severe forms of endometriosis—meaning either deep infiltrating endometriosis, ovarian endometriomas, or both—have about a 9.7 times higher risk of developing ovarian cancer than women without endometriosis; they also face nearly 19 times the risk of type I ovarian cancer. However, experts said that women with endometriosis should not panic since ovarian cancer itself is rare, with about 1.1% of US women being diagnosed during their lifetime. Despite this, they should be aware of the ovarian cancer warning signs, like bloating and abdominal pain.