Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Insurers Won't Be Required To Cover Free OTC Birth Control After All
The 19th: Biden Administration Withdraws Proposal For Free Over-The-Counter Birth Control
The White House has withdrawn a proposed rule that would have ensured private health insurance plans cover birth control when it is purchased over the counter. The withdrawal will be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday. (Luthra, 1/14)
AP: New Jersey To Stockpile Abortion Pills Ahead Of Trump's Return To Office
New Jersey is going to build up a supply of medication used in abortions, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday during his state of the state address as he both pledged to work with President-elect Donald Trump and warned that the state is ready to push back against the incoming administration. Murphy is one of a handful of Democratic governors who criticized Trump on the campaign trail yet now say they are open to cooperation. But Murphy said he will not back down in the face of “anti-choice” policies supported by the Republican majorities in Congress. (Catalini, 1/14)
AP: Virginia House Passes Resolutions Protecting Abortion, Voting Rights, Marriage Equality
The Virginia House of Delegates passed resolutions on Tuesday enshrining rights to abortion, voting and marriage equality in a critical step for Democrats hoping to amend the state’s constitution next year. ... If the abortion ballot measure is ultimately successful, Virginia would become a rare southern state to join a growing trend of states putting reproductive rights-related ballot questions to voters. (Diaz, 1/14)
St. Louis Public Radio: Planned Parenthood St. Louis' Chief Medical Officer Resigns
One of the most high-profile figures in the campaign to expand abortion access in Missouri has resigned from her position at Planned Parenthood’s St. Louis-based affiliate. Dr. Colleen McNicholas, an OB-GYN, has served as the chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers since 2019. Under her leadership, the organization opened its Fairview Heights clinic in the Metro East as legal restrictions made access to abortion more difficult and eventually illegal to obtain in Missouri. (Fentem, 1/14)
CBS News: New OB/GYN Mobile Van Aims To Increase Access To Care In Underserved Pittsburgh-Area Communities
There's a new mobile health van in town, and it's ready to provide health care to women in underserved communities. On Tuesday, Allegheny Health Network unveiled the new van, which will provide OB/GYN services to communities. ... The goal is to improve maternal health outcomes in Pittsburgh-area communities. According to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in 2024, the maternal mortality rate in the United States was about 10 deaths per 100,000 births. (Shinn, 1/14)
KFF Health News: Midwives Blame California Rules For Hampering Birth Centers Amid Maternity Care Crisis
Jessie Mazar squeezed the grab handle in her husband’s pickup and groaned as contractions struck her during the 90-minute drive from her home in rural northeastern California to the closest hospital with a maternity unit. She could have reached Plumas District Hospital, in Quincy, in just seven minutes. But it no longer delivers babies. Local officials have a plan for a birth center in Quincy, where midwives could deliver babies with backup from on-call doctors and a standby perinatal unit at the hospital, but state health officials have yet to approve it. (Cohen, 1/15)
On LGBTQ+ health —
The 19th: House Votes To Amend Title IX To Ban Trans Girls From Women’s Sports In Schools
The House on Tuesday voted 218-206 to ban transgender girls and women from girls’ sports in federally-funded schools by amending Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions. This bill, the first federal anti-trans law brought to a vote in a newly GOP-controlled Congress, is Democrats’ first test on whether they will fight an expected wave of proposed anti-trans laws under President-elect Donald Trump. (Rummler, 1/14)
PolitiFact: Medical Experts Talk Meta Policy That Allows Calling LGBTQ+ People 'Mentally Ill'
Alongside the announcement that Meta was ending its relationship with independent fact-checkers, the social media company outlined new "hateful conduct" policies. Those policies explicitly permit users to call LGBTQ+ people "mentally ill" or "abnormal" without violating platform rules. These changes are part of a larger shift in how Meta plans to moderate content and speech on its platforms, Facebook, Instagram and Threads. But these carve-outs could also allow the spread of misinformation. (Abels, 1/14)
