Judge Prevents Part Of Indiana’s Minor Gender Care Ban From Taking Effect
The temporary injunction from a federal judge came after the ACLU sought it, AP reports, adding that the ban on puberty blockers and hormones won't take effect as of July 1, but the prohibition on gender-affirming surgeries will take effect. Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, GOP lawmakers are reportedly backing bans on some trans health care coverage.
AP:
Federal Judge Blocks Much Of Indiana's Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
A federal judge issued an order Friday stopping an Indiana ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors from taking effect as scheduled July 1. (Davies, 6/16)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
GOP Lawmakers Back Ban On Some Transgender Health Services Coverage
Wisconsinites who are transgender would be barred from utilizing Medicaid health care coverage to pay for puberty-blocking drugs or surgeries under a provision Republican lawmakers voted to include in the next two-year state budget plan. GOP lawmakers on the state Legislature's budget-writing committee voted to include the measure early Friday as part of a $3 billion spending plan for health care but it's unclear whether the provision will withstand legal scrutiny. (Beck, 6/16)
KFF Health News:
Medical Exiles: Families Flee States Amid Crackdown On Transgender Care
Hal Dempsey wanted to “escape Missouri.” Arlo Dennis is “fleeing Florida.” The Tillison family “can’t stay in Texas.” They are part of a new migration of Americans who are uprooting their lives in response to a raft of legislation across the country restricting health care for transgender people. (Sable-Smith, Chang, Rodriguez and West, 6/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Becomes Transgender-Care Outlier As More In Europe Urge Caution
The U.S. is becoming an outlier among many Western nations in the way its national medical institutions treat children suffering from distress over gender identity. For years, the American healthcare industry has staunchly defended medical interventions for transgender minors, including puberty blockers, which suppress the physical changes of adolescence as a treatment for those distressed over their gender. The European medical community, by contrast, is expressing doubts about that approach. (Sapsford and Armour, 6/19)
Updates from Florida —
News Service of Florida:
DeSantis Signs Off On Managed Care Pilot For People With Developmental Disabilities
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed off on creating a pilot program to provide Medicaid managed-care services to people with developmental disabilities. The pilot was included in a broader health care bill (SB 2510) that DeSantis signed Thursday with the state budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year. (6/19)
Health News Florida:
DeSantis Signs Measure Allowing CNAs To Become Qualified Med Aides At Nursing Homes
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 11 bills, including a measure that allows certified nursing assistants in nursing homes to become trained as “qualified medication aides.” The aides could then administer “routine” medications to residents, freeing up registered nurses to provide other needed care. The aides could also perform tasks such as checking blood glucose levels. (Mayer, 6/19)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Fox News:
West Nile Virus Cases, Positive Samples Detected Across The Country
Health officials around the country are reporting cases and positive samples of the West Nile virus. In Iowa, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that the first case of West Nile virus infection was reported this year in an older adult — age 61-80 years — from Plymouth County. The case was confirmed through a test at the State Hygienic Lab. (Musto, 6/17)
Stateline:
Many States Decline To Require Water Breaks For Outdoor Workers In Extreme Heat
Even as summer temperatures soar and states wrangle with protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat, Texas last week enacted a law that axes city rules mandating water and shade breaks for construction workers. In state after state, lawmakers and regulators have in recent years declined to require companies to offer their outdoor laborers rest breaks with shade and water. In some cases, legislation failed to gain traction. In others, state regulators decided against action or have taken years to write and release rules. (Barrett, 6/20)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
AJC Investigation: DeKalb Jail Had Medical Staff Shortages
Staffing shortages caused some of the DeKalb County Jail’s inmate health care operations to “cease” last month before Sheriff Melody Maddox replaced its medical providers with a $16.9 million contract, records show. (Redmon, 6/19)
