• District of Columbia: The House Select Committee on the Chinese Community Party is investigating whether U.S. biopharmaceutical companies are collaborating with the Chinese military when they conduct clinical trials in the country. "For over a decade, it appears that U.S. biopharmaceutical companies conducted clinical trials with China's military organizations, and specifically with medical centers and hospitals affiliated with the People's Liberation Army's," the committee wrote in a letter sent to FDA. According to STAT+, the letter focuses on trials involving hospitals affiliated with the Chinese military, as well as those in the in Xinjiang region, where there have been accusations of human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. Currently, Congress is considering bipartisan legislation called the BIOSECURE Act that would penalize drugmakers for contracting with major Chinese companies for drug manufacturing and discovery and genetic tests. (Wilkerson, STAT+ [subscription required], 8/20)
• Georgia: According to new CDC data, the U.S. fertility rate reached a record low in 2023. In 2023, the U.S. fertility rate decreased by 3% from the year before, reaching a historic low of around 55 births for every 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. Overall, just under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, around 68,000 fewer than those born in 2022. Since 2007, the number of births in the United States has decreased by 17%, and the general fertility rate has decreased by 21%. According to Sarah Hayford, director of the Institute for Population Research at The Ohio State University, there are likely several social and economic factors, including people getting married later and spending more years in school, that are impacting declining fertility rates in the United States. "People are waiting to have children. And on average, when people wait longer to have children, they end up having fewer children," Hayford said. "I think there's also greater social acceptance of not having children or having a smaller family. So as that has become more acceptable, people are more carefully weighing their decision to become parents." (McPhillips, CNN, 8/20)
• New Jersey: Gov. Phil Murphy (D) last week announced that almost 50,000 people in New Jersey will have $100 million in medical debt erased. According to Reuters, Murphy allocated $550,000 from the American Rescue Plan and partnered with Undue Medical Debt to implement the one-time debt abolishment. People who qualify for qualify for relief are those who are at least four times below the federal poverty level or have medical debt equal to 5% or more of their annual income. The relief will help 17,905 individuals who owe $61.6 million to Prime Healthcare hospitals, as well as 31,748 individuals who owe $38.4 million to collection agencies and other debt holders. "Medical debt accumulates very quickly and can follow a person for decades," Murphy said. "We are wiping the slate clean for thousands of New Jersey families, eliminating their debt, and making a real, tangible impact on their lives." (Cui, Reuters, 8/20)

Maternal and reproductive healthcare is rapidly changing. Health leaders must grapple with worsening maternal health disparities, the nationwide maternal mental health crisis, lasting impacts of the Dobbs v. Jackson  ruling, and the rise of femtech disruptors. Download our strategic insights to explore the opportunities and challenges for maternal and reproductive health leaders progressing towards holistic, appropriate, and accessible care for all.