Last updated: August 8, 2026
Women’s rights in the United States continue to be shaped by a combination of federal policy changes, court decisions, and sharply different approaches among …
With a wink to the 1980s sitcom featuring four unrelated women sharing a Miami house, a handful of states have passed "Golden Girls" laws. These state laws, in …
Wisconsin voters will choose their parties' nominees for governor in the August 11 primary. While comprehensive voter guides cover the full range of issues facing the state, this WRDI …
As of July 2026 — Access to women’s healthcare continues to depend heavily on provider availability, insurance coverage, funding, and location. While some states are expanding maternal care, preventive screenings, and other women’s health services, provider shortages, clinic closures, and maternal care deserts continue to limit access in many communities. Medicaid, Title X, and changes to federal healthcare funding remain key areas to watch.
For decades, a federal law called EMTALA has guaranteed one basic promise: if you show up at a U.S. emergency room in crisis, the hospital is required to screen …
When states pass menopause insurance mandates, the headlines usually focus on private health plans. But roughly one in five American women between 50 and 64 rely on Medicaid, and until …
If you live in New Jersey, your health insurer is now required by law to cover hormone therapy, pelvic floor physical therapy, bone density screenings, and mental health care related …
For decades, menopause was treated as a private inconvenience, as something women managed quietly, insurers ignored, with little expectation of medical help or workplace acknowledgment. That is finally changing, and …
Project 2025 is a long-term policy blueprint created by a group of conservative organizations and led by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. Released ahead of the …
A maternal care desert is a place where people who are pregnant or giving birth have a hard time getting maternity care. Sometimes there’s no hospital nearby that delivers …
Federal laws play a powerful role in shaping women’s rights in the United States. Even when enforcement and impact vary from place to place, these laws establish national standards …
Ohio’s expansion of Medicaid significantly increased health coverage across the state and helped stabilize access to care, including maternal and reproductive health services. The state has also extended postpartum …
Oregon law continues to protect abortion access. As a result, the state has become a regional destination for care as restrictions tighten in surrounding states. Earlier this year, federal budget …
Editor’s note: This post was updated on Nov. 12, 2025, to reflect new developments in SNAP program payments.
November 1, 2025 - As the government shutdown stretches on, federal nutrition …
Texas’ Medicaid program covers millions of low-income children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. But the state remains one of ten that have not expanded Medicaid to cover …
Wisconsin lawmakers took two meaningful steps in 2025 to make healthcare more accessible for women.
The first measure would let pharmacists prescribe birth control pills and patches directly to adults …
On September 27, 2024, California passed Assembly Bill 2270, a new law that tells several state licensing boards — including those that oversee doctors, nurses, therapists, and psychologists — to consider adding …
California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, covers roughly one in three Californians — more than 15 million people. It’s one of the most generous Medicaid programs in the …
Last updated: April 2026
As of April 2026, abortion protections exist in 31 states and the District of Columbia, yet access is dramatically shrinking because of federal funding cuts, hospital …
On April 1, 2025, the Trump administration withheld Title X family-planning grants from 16 grantees in 23 states, disrupting funding for birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing, and other …
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin stopped providing abortions starting October 1, 2025, even though abortion remains legal in the state. The cause is due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act …
Last updated: April 2026
The 2025 One Big Beautiful Big Act (H.R.1) introduced sweeping changes to the Medicaid program—stricter eligibility and verification rules, increased administrative burdens, and …
Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 18 in June 2025, a sweeping rural health law designed to keep small hospitals open and expand access to care in underserved parts of the …
