Gender Dysphoria Lawsuit Could Raze Protections For Those With Disabilities
As The Washington Post notes, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits any entity receiving federal funds from discriminating against people with disabilities. Section 504 also says gender dysphoria may sometimes be considered a disability. Seventeen states are suing to overturn it.
The Washington Post:
Disabled Americans Fear Losing Protections If States’ Lawsuit Succeeds
Jennifer Kucera has a form of muscular dystrophy that limits her ability to move. Daily caregivers help her get out of bed, bathe and dress. Without them, Kucera, 55, said she would be forced to live in an institution. She is one of millions of disabled Americans who rely on Medicaid for legally mandated services to remain integrated in society. An ongoing lawsuit challenges these legal mandates, leaving Kucera and others fearful that their services could be cut. (Morris, 3/11)
Related news about Title IX —
NBC News:
Pregnant And Parenting Students Face Loss Of New Title IX Protections
Saige Dahmen was eager to learn the basics of hair cutting and coloring in cosmetology school in Beaverton, Oregon, in 2023. There was just one hiccup: She needed a 20-minute break during her five-hour school day to express milk for her nearly 1-year-old daughter, and the school only allowed 15 minutes. Dahmen, 24, was told to submit a request under the Americans with Disabilities Act to the school’s Title IX coordinator, but it was denied, according to interviews and correspondence reviewed by NBC News, on the grounds that it did not meet the requirements for an ADA accommodation. Instead, the coordinator said she’d have to clock out and make up the time. (Harris, 3/11)
Medicaid news from Florida and Connecticut —
Central Florida Public Media:
Medically Unnecessary: Kids With Complex Needs Moved To State Insurance That Doesn’t Help
“Your insurance is no longer valid.” Breana Dion understood the words. What she didn’t understand was why and how she no longer had health insurance for her 6-year-old daughter, Kamila. “I open up every piece of mail that comes for my kid. There’s no way. I didn't receive anything,” Dion said. “I don't let things like this slide with my kid. I can't. It's her life.” When Dion says “It’s her life,” she means it. Kamila has a compromised immune system due to a rare condition. If Kamila gets a cold, it could cause sepsis, a condition that can be life-threatening. (Pedersen, 3/11)
The CT Mirror:
CT Medicaid Reimbursement Rates Prompt Petition To State
The Community Health Center Association of Connecticut sent a petition Tuesday to the Department of Social Services demanding the agency admit it’s violating state and federal law governing reimbursements for care they provide to low-income patients on Medicaid. (Golvala, 3/11)
More health news from across the U.S. —
NBC News:
Hyperbaric Chamber Facility Where Boy Died Put Profits Before Safety, AG Says
The Michigan facility where a hyperbaric chamber fire killed a 5-year-old child “held safety among their lowest considerations,” the state attorney general said Tuesday, a day after four people were arrested in the boy’s death. Thomas Cooper died Jan. 31 at the Oxford Center, an alternative medicine facility in the Detroit suburb of Troy that says it treats over 100 conditions, including Alzheimer’s, autism and dyslexia. Those conditions are not cleared for hyperbaric oxygen therapy by the Food and Drug Administration, nor are the ones that a family attorney said Thomas’ parents took him in for: sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. (Chuck, 3/11)
CBS News:
Federal Judge Halts Louisiana's First Nitrogen Gas Execution, State Says It Will Appeal
A federal judge has halted Louisiana's first death row execution using nitrogen gas, which was scheduled to take place next week. Louisiana has three approved execution methods, including lethal injection as the default and electrocution and nitrogen hypoxia as alternatives. (3/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. Halts Plan For A New Mental Health And Addiction Center In SoMa
San Francisco is withdrawing plans to open a new mental health service center on the border of the city’s Mid-Market and SoMa neighborhoods following backlash from the community and Board Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who lives on the same block as the proposed site. The city’s Department of Public Health was recently pursuing plans to move its behavioral health service center from a leased property at 1380 Howard St. to 1125 Mission St., a more modern building that the city was looking to purchase. (Angst, 3/11)
KFF Health News:
Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Zach Dyer reads this week’s news: The current bird flu outbreak is gaining momentum despite mass culling of infected poultry, and the Trump administration is embracing the conservative policy playbook known as Project 2025. (3/11)
