Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Admin Emphasizes Youth Mental Health Services In Letter To Governors
Bloomberg: Biden Spurs Mental Health Services In Response To Gun Violence
The Biden administration is taking steps to make it easier for young people, particularly those affected by violence, to receive mental health services, part of a move to bolster federal gun-safety efforts with Congress unlikely to pass new legislation. The heads of the US Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to governors highlighting resources and efforts to help states support students’ mental health and well-being, and their work to jointly implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. (Gardner and Sink, 6/16)
In news about transgender health and sex education —
Dallas Morning News: Texas Bans Transgender Athletes In College Sports Under New Law Signed By Gov. Abbott
Transgender athletes can’t play on Texas college sports teams that don’t align with their birth sex under a new law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday. The measure, which expands a similar effort passed in 2021, was among several passed during this legislative session that negatively impacted LGBTQ people — specifically transgender rights. It prohibits Texas’ public colleges and universities from allowing athletes to participate in intercollegiate competitions against students assigned a different biological sex at birth. (Torres, 6/15)
Indiana Capital Chronicle: Federal Judge Could Temporarily Block Transgender Health Care Ban
A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday on whether to temporarily block a ban prohibiting Hoosier parents from pursuing gender-affirming care for their transgender children. Plaintiffs represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana urged Judge James Patrick Hanlon to issue a preliminary injunction in the case stopping the new legislation, Senate Enrolled Act 480, from becoming law July 1. (Downard, 6/15)
The New York Times: Florida Schools Question Content On Gender And Sexuality In A.P. Psychology
Advanced Placement Psychology is the subject of the latest skirmish in the monthslong battle between the state of Florida and the College Board. The board said in a statement released on Thursday afternoon that several Florida school districts had raised concerns about the course, noting that its content may violate new state laws limiting how issues of gender and sexuality are taught. (Goldstein, 6/15)
The Hill: College Board Says It Won’t Alter AP Courses To Comply With Florida’s Laws
The College Board released a letter Thursday putting its foot down on further demands from Florida to change any of its Advanced Placement (AP) classes, the latest development in the ongoing feud between the company and the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).“[College Board] will not modify our courses to accommodate restrictions on teaching essential, college-level topics,” the company told the Florida Department of Education Office of Articulation. (Lonas, 6/15)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
NBC News: Colorado Surgeon Guilty Of Manslaughter In Teen Patient's Death After Breast Augmentation
A Colorado surgeon was convicted Wednesday of manslaughter in the death of a teenage patient who went into a coma during breast augmentation surgery and died a year later. Emmalyn Nguyen, who was 18 when she underwent the procedure Aug. 1, 2019, at Colorado Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery in Greenfield Village, near Denver, fell into a coma and went into cardiac arrest after she received anesthesia, officials said. (Planas 6/15)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Lankenau Medical Center Kidney Transplant Wait List Will Transfer To Jefferson Transplant Institute
Lankenau Medical Center said this week it is voluntarily closing its kidney transplant program at the end of July, citing a yearslong decline in the number of transplants at the hospital owned by Main Line Health. The number of kidney transplants at the Wynnewood hospital fell to 8 last year from a peak of 40 in 2016, according to federal data. (Brubaker, 6/15)
The Colorado Sun: The Hidden Loneliness Epidemic Endangers Coloradans, Especially Older Adults
On a sunny afternoon, Carolyn Campos and Naomi Bates are midway through a game of checkers. They’re sitting in Campos’ apartment at a facility in Aurora for people who are 62 and older. The two women often finish each other’s sentences. They have an easy friendship, as if they’ve known each other a long time. Yet in fact, they just met in March after they were connected through the Senior Companion Program, which is part of Spark the Change Colorado, a volunteer, service and civic engagement organization. (Cleveland, 6/15)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Slow Your Disenroll
More than a million Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended. The Biden administration is asking states to slow disenrollment, but that does not mean states must listen. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court decision gives Medicaid beneficiaries the right to sue over their care, and a new deal preserves coverage of preventive services nationwide as a Texas court case continues. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health, a new unit of JPMorgan Chase, about employers’ role in insurance coverage. (6/15)
