Health Advocate Blog

Analysis and Commentary

August 10, 2026
Communities Deserve Access to Inclusive and Climate-Conscious Doula Care
Shweta Karmakar and Amy Chen
*NHeLP 2026 Summer Legal InternDoula care can drastically improve the quality of care and birth experience for pregnant people…
August 7, 2026
Pregnancy in ICE Detention: Ongoing Abuse and Medical Neglect
Kavya Chatterjee, Amy Chen, and Jasmine Young
*Kavya Chatterjee, NHeLP Summer 2026 Legal InternSince early 2025 when President Trump took office, the number of pregnant detainees…
July 14, 2026
The Uncertain Relationship Between Crisis Pregnancy Centers (i.e., Fake Clinics) and Medicaid
Briana Torres
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) have aggressively infiltrated the reproductive health field in the United States. These organizations typically present…
July 7, 2026
Ongoing Maternity Care Innovations in California: California Rural Health Transformation (CalRHT) Program
Amy Chen
This blog post is part of an NHeLP series about current initiatives to improve maternity care in California. The…
July 7, 2026
Ongoing Maternity Care Innovations in California: Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model
Amy Chen
This blog post is part of an NHeLP series about current initiatives to improve maternity care in California. The…
July 7, 2026
Ongoing Maternity Care Innovations in California: Birthing Care Pathway
Amy Chen
This blog post is part of an NHeLP series about current initiatives to improve maternity care in California. This…
June 24, 2026
Improving Access to Menopause Care
Briana Torres
Every day, approximately 6,000 people in the United States enter menopause. Menopause symptoms — such as hot flashes, bone…
June 22, 2026
Using State MACS/BACS to Monitor OBBBA Work Requirement Implementation
Miriam Delaney Heard
IntroductionIt will be a challenge to monitor states’ implementation of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” This…
June 18, 2026
Regulatory investigations reveal systemic failures among Commercial California Health Plans in delivering timely behavioral health care
Abigail Coursolle
***This blog post was authored by Zakkiyya West, Legal Intern, with supervision from Abbi Coursolle, Senior AttorneyCommercial California health…