Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Drafts Plan To Effectively End Trans Care For Youths Nationwide
NPR: Transgender Youth Health Care Would Be Nearly Banned Everywhere Under New Rules
Access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth will be dramatically restricted by the Trump administration under new proposals by the Department of Health and Human Services. NPR has obtained the draft text of a proposed rule that would prohibit federal Medicaid reimbursement for medical care provided to transgender patients younger than age 18. It also prohibits reimbursement through the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP for patients under age 19. (Simmons-Duffin, 10/30)
More health news from across the U.S. —
ABC News: Maine Abortion Clinics To End Primary Care Services After Being Denied Medicaid Funding
One of Maine's largest abortion care providers is ending primary care services on Friday after a court ruled that the Trump administration is not required to restore Medicaid funding. Maine Family Planning -- the largest network of sexual and reproductive health care clinics in the state -- is ending primary care services at three clinics in Ellsworth, Houlton and Presque Isle, affecting about 800 patients. (Kekatos, 10/30)
ProPublica: Red States To Be Hit Hard By Trump Disability Eligibility Rules
It’s never been easy to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Christopher Tincher knows this firsthand. Tincher began his working life in a coal mine in Aflex, Kentucky, as a teenager in the 1980s. As mines across the region shuttered, he turned to scraping grills at a Hardee’s, then cleaning office buildings at night, then stocking shelves and changing tires at a Walmart in Arkansas. Later, he was hired by a nearby town’s wastewater department. Often, he had to wade into sewage to fix equipment and clean out feces, needles and tampons entering the treatment facility. (Hager, 10/31)
The New York Times: In Utah, Trump’s Vision For Homelessness Begins To Take Shape
State officials promise large-scale involuntary addiction and mental health treatment at Salt Lake City’s edge. Critics see “a prison, or a warehouse.” (Barry and DeParle, 10/29)
Stat: Health Care Politics: Governors Races A Test Run For The Midterms
Health care has become a central issue in the much-watched governors’ races that will be decided next week — and the results could redirect the parties’ midterm strategies or sway their approaches to federal health policy. (Payne, 10/31)
Did White House properly contain asbestos during East Wing demolition? —
The Washington Post: Senators, Advocates Demand Explanation On Asbestos Risks From East Wing
Democratic senators and public health advocates are demanding that the White House and its contractors prove their rapid demolition of the East Wing last week did not expose workers and passersby to asbestos, a construction material that has been linked to cancer and lung disease. White House officials have said work to abate hazardous materials at the site was performed last month but have so far not provided documentation of what contractors did to mitigate risks associated with the material, which was widely used in building projects at the time of the East Wing’s 1902 construction and 1942 renovation. (Diamond and George, 10/30)
