Condoms can be purchased almost anywhere, from big retailers to small convenience stores. The same can’t be said for female birth control. One company is trying to change that.

Cadence OTC sells the morning-after pill, a cheaper alternative to Plan B. Recognizing that many communities in the U.S. are pharmacy deserts, the company is pursuing atypical distribution channels such as convenience stores and gas stations to get emergency contraceptives into the hands of more Americans. Cadence is also advocating for a daily birth control pill to be made available over the counter.

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Cadence OTC co-founder and CEO Samantha Miller to discuss how this approach could reshape reproductive healthcare and what policy and awareness challenges remain.

To learn more about the topics in this episode:

• Insurers not covering 12-month contraception supply as required: study
• The quiet collapse of America's reproductive health safety net
• Perrigo's over-the-counter birth control launch takes flight in the US
• Amid Trump victory, women's health providers see flood of orders for contraception, abortion pills

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Maternal and infant health remains a significant challenge across the country. To support better outcomes for both pregnant women and their babies, industry giant UnitedHealth Group is investing in doulas. Its insurance arm recently expanded a doula support program nationwide in its employer plans.

In this episode, Fierce Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sits down with Catherine Anderson, senior vice president for health optimization strategy at UnitedHealth Group, to discuss how doulas can support the pregnancy journey and the role they can play in broader community health efforts.

To learn more about the topics in this episode:

• UnitedHealthcare expands doula benefit to employers nationwide
• Exclusive: Medicaid insurers can do more to improve maternal health access, HHS report says
• Doulas, once a luxury, are increasingly covered by Medicaid—even in GOP states
• Massachusetts Blues launches new doula pilot program, caregiving support

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Mike Sciandra grew up around gamblers. It wasn’t long before he became one. He gambled for more than 20 years, declaring bankruptcy twice. He knew he had a problem, but it wasn’t until he entered treatment that he realized it was a gambling addiction.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear Sciandra tell his story to Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya. The interview was recorded as part of a story published this week on the state of gambling addiction in the U.S.

To learn more about the topics in this episode:

• ‘The next opioid epidemic’: Gambling legalization outpaces public health response to addiction
• Gambling addiction startup Birches Health to expand offerings, provider training under new clinical VP

If you or someone you know is struggling, contact 1-800-MY-RESET for the National Problem Gambling Helpline.

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