Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Bars Medicaid From Paying For Minors' Transgender Care
The Hill: Trump Admin Blocks Medicaid And CHIP Funds For Minor Gender Care
The Trump administration on Tuesday released a final rule blocking the use of federal Medicaid dollars for transgender healthcare for minors, as well as barring Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans from paying for gender-affirming procedures for minors. The final rule released by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) bars Medicaid dollars from paying for what it refers to as “sex-rejecting procedures for children under 18” as well as blocking CHIP agencies from paying for the same procedures for people under the age of 19. (Choi, 8/11)
On the immigration crisis —
AP: ICE Plans To Give Officers Gloves That Can Deliver Electric Shocks
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from combative individuals. ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to purchase thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for officers and agents by March, according to a notice published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security. (Foley, 8/11)
The Texas Tribune: Migrant Kids Are Being Held In A South Texas Detention Center Longer Than A Court Order Allows
The nation’s only detention center for families is routinely holding children beyond the 20-day limit, including an Iranian-born “average American kid” who’s been locked up for 123 days and counting. (García, Nguyen and DeGuzman, 8/12)
On veterans' health care —
Military.com: 60+ Veterans Bills, 32 Million People: Who’s Getting Lost In The TCAVA Fight
For months, much of the fight over one of the largest veterans legislative packages in years has centered on two medical conditions: sleep apnea and tinnitus. But leaders of some of the nation's largest veterans and military family organizations say that debate is obscuring who else is riding on the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, or TCAVA. (Lindsay, 8/12)
