Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida, Catholic Medical Group Sue To Retain Power To Refuse Gender Care
Reuters: Florida Sues Biden Administration Over New Transgender Healthcare Rule
Florida's top prosecutor and a Catholic medical group on Tuesday sued the Biden administration in an effort to block a rule that they say will force doctors to provide gender transition care against their judgment or face heavy penalties. The lawsuit by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Catholic Medical Association (CMA), filed in federal court in Tampa, takes aim at a new rule, opens new tab published by the U.S. Department of Health and Services (HHS) on Monday that would ban discrimination in healthcare on the basis of gender identity. (Pierson, 5/7)
The 19th: Inside Kansas Republicans’ Reversal On Gender-Affirming Care
When Kansas state Rep. Susan Concannon learned that the state’s proposed gender-affirming care ban would gut mental health services for kids across the state, she knew she would have to break from her party. Concannon, a Republican who has represented Beloit and the surrounding counties in the legislature for 11 years, would have to change her vote and oppose the ban. (Rummler, 5/7)
The 19th: West Virginia Republicans Center Anti-Trans Rhetoric In Gubernatorial Primary
The Republicans vying to be governor of West Virginia are trying to outdo one another on how much they aim to restrict LGBTQ+ rights, with transgender individuals specifically in their bull’s-eye. (Becker, 5/7)
Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court Poised To Enter Debate Over Transgender Care For Minors
After steering clear of the divisive issue for months, the Supreme Court may be on the verge of deciding whether to jump into the national debate over medical treatment for transgender youths. As soon as Thursday, justices may vote behind closed doors on whether to grant an appeal that seeks to block a new Tennessee law prohibiting medical treatments that enable a “minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex.” They have been in no hurry to act, however, and it’s possible they will put off the issue again. (Savage, 5/7)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Los Angeles Times: Bill Could End Holdup For Studies On Psychedelics, Addiction Treatment
California lawmakers could soon clear a governmental logjam that has held up dozens of studies related to addiction treatment, psychedelics or other federally restricted drugs. The holdup revolves around the Research Advisory Panel of California, established decades ago to vet studies involving cannabis, hallucinogens and treatments for “abuse of controlled substances.” It has been a critical hurdle for California researchers exploring possible uses of psychedelics or seeking new ways to combat addiction. (Alpert Reyes, 5/7)
Stateline: Montana Could Be A Model As More GOP States Weigh Medicaid Work Requirements
Two decades ago, Jeff Beisecker and his family returned to Great Falls, Montana, from a religious mission to the Philippines. Beisecker had no health insurance and no steady source of income, and neither did his wife. Fearful of being without coverage, Beisecker enrolled himself, his wife and their four children in Medicaid for nearly a decade while he worked his way to a steady, full-time job. ... An increasing number of Republican-led states want to require Medicaid recipients to work, arguing that doing so will help them rise out of poverty. (Chatlani, 5/7)
KFF Health News: They Were Shot At The Super Bowl Parade — And Might Have Bullets In Their Bodies Forever
James Lemons, 39, wants the bullet removed from his thigh so he can go back to work. Sarai Holguin, a 71-year-old woman originally from Mexico, has accepted the bullet lodged near her knee as her “compa” — a close friend. Mireya Nelson, 15, was hit by a bullet that went through her jaw. ... Nearly three months after the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting left at least 24 people injured, recovery from those wounds is intensely personal and includes a surprising gray area in medicine: whether the bullets should be removed. (Sable-Smith and Lowe, 5/8)
