This story is the second in our Compromised Coverage series, where we explore insurance plans and alternatives and the problems that come with them. Read the first story here.

Farmers have long been at the mercy of seasonal and unpredictable earnings, making health insurance far from straightforward.

One year, they might barely break even and get some financial help with coverage. The next, they might make a hefty profit but find themselves ineligible for any Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

When the latter happens, their options are to go to the private market, get unsubsidized ACA insurance, rely on a spouse who has insurance through an employer, or go uninsured, Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation Chief Administrator Rob Robertson told Healthcare Brew. In any case, it can be costly for his state farm bureau’s 55,000+ member families.

“[Health costs are] a really big family farm disruptor,” Robertson said.

In 2015, the US Department of Agriculture and Economic Research Service found that nearly 11% of household members across the nation’s 2+ million family farms were uninsured, compared to about 9% of the general population.

Keep reading here.—CC

March of Dimes, a maternal and child health nonprofit, released its annual report card—and gave the US a D+ in infant and new parent death and illness.

Though the US received the same score in 2023, both years mark the worst grades ever doled out in the report card’s 16-year history, according to the report that was published November 14. In 2021 and 2020, the US got a C-. The highest grade in the US was a C+ in 2014.

The US recorded a 10.4% preterm birth rate in 2023, when there were 3.5+ million births in the US, per CDC data. The World Health Organization defines preterm birth as when a parent has a child before 37 weeks of pregnancy, and reports that it is the leading cause of death for children under five worldwide.

March of Dimes researchers also reported that infant mortality rose to 5.6 for every 1,000 live births in 2022, the most recent data available, which is up from 5.4 the year prior. The organization’s early data for 2023 suggests that the infant mortality rate will remain at roughly the same level.

Keep reading here.—CM

Welcome to Recall Roundup, where we’ll keep you updated on medical device recalls that the FDA reported over the last month.

FDA recalls occur when a device is deemed defective or (potentially) poses a health risk and either an issue needs to be corrected or the device needs to be removed from the market altogether. There are multiple types of recalls, from Class I to Class III, with Class I being the most serious. Class I recalls mean the defect poses a high risk of serious injury or death.

The agency posts a list of the most serious recalls on its website after the manufacturer takes action. During October, the FDA posted 11 Class 1 medical device recalls on its page, including the following.

BLUselect, BLUgriggs, and BLUperc tracheostomy tube kits: Smiths Medical on June 13 told customers to throw out all affected kits due to a manufacturing defect that could cause inadequate ventilation and lead to aspiration and death. As of October 25, the defect has been linked to 12 injuries, but there are no reported deaths, the FDA reported.

Giraffe OmniBed and Giraffe Omnibed CareStation: GE HealthCare and subsidiary Datex-Ohmeda updated instructions on September 3 following reports that the warming heater doors for this combination neonatal infant incubator and warmer can become loose. As of October 31, there have been no injuries or deaths reported, the FDA shared.

Keep reading here.—CC