Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lawsuit Challenges North Dakota's Ban On Minors' Gender Care
AP: Families Challenge North Dakota's Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Children
Families and a pediatrician are challenging North Dakota’s law criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors, the latest lawsuit in many states with similar bans. Gender Justice on Thursday announced the state district court lawsuit in a news conference at the state Capitol in Bismarck. The lawsuit against the state attorney general and state’s attorneys of three counties seeks to immediately block the ban, which took effect in April, and to have a judge find it unconstitutional and stop the state from enforcing it. (Dura, 9/14)
News Service of Florida: An Alabama Ruling Could Bolster Florida's Gender-Affirming Care Law For Minors
Florida is urging a federal appeals court to clear the way for a new law preventing transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy, citing a decision last month in a “virtually identical case” from Alabama. (Saunders, 9/14)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
WMFE: Advocacy Groups File Civil Rights Complaint Over Florida's Post-Pandemic Medicaid Process
Thirteen advocacy groups have jointly filed a civil rights complaint against Florida. The groups say Florida's process for redetermining Medicaid eligibility is unfair to recipients who are Latino, immigrant or Black. Some 431,000 Florida residents -- including many children -- have lost Medicaid since May, when the state began unwinding the continuing coverage mandated during the pandemic. (Byrnes, 9/14)
The CT Mirror: CT Promises 20-80% Savings On Prescriptions With New Partnership
Connecticut, home to some of the biggest actors in industries blamed for the opaque practices that shape prescription drug prices, is about to take a small step towards transparency and lower prices. On Oct. 2, Connecticut will become the first eastern state to partner with Navitus Health, the pharmacy benefit manager behind the free ArrayRX smartphone app that provides prescription discounts in Washington, Oregon and Nevada. (Pazniokas, 9/14)
KCUR: Missouri 911 Dispatchers Can Now Qualify As First Responders
Zach Cobb has been a 911 dispatcher for nearly a decade. He switched from freelance photography to emergency dispatching in 2014 because he wanted to help people. On any given day, he might field calls about a baby’s birth, a major car accident or a shooting. But until recently, he wasn’t recognized as a first responder. (Hawley-Bates, 9/15)
AP: Arkansas Officials Say Person Dies After Brain-Eating Amoeba Infection, Likely Exposed At Splash Pad
An Arkansas resident has died after being infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba and health officials have concluded they were likely exposed to it at a country’s club’s splash pad, authorities announced Thursday. The Arkansas Department of Health announced the death from the Naegleria fowleri infection, a rare infection which destroys brain tissue, causing brain swelling and in certain cases, death. The department did not release details on the age of the person who died. The department said there is no ongoing risk to the public from the exposure. (9/14)
