Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
No Such Thing As A Free Lunch: GOP Governors Resist School Meal Effort
The Washington Post: Republican Governors Are Rejecting Free Summer Lunch Programs For Kids
Moving beyond efforts to block expansion of health care for the poor and disabled, Republican governors in 15 states are now rejecting a new, federally funded summer program to give food assistance to hungry children. The program is expected to serve 21 million youngsters starting around June, providing $2.5 billion in relief across the country. The governors have given varying reasons for refusing to take part, from the price tag to the fact that the final details of the plan have yet to be worked out. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said she saw no need to add money to a program that helps food-insecure youths “when childhood obesity has become an epidemic.” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) said bluntly, “I don’t believe in welfare.” (Gowen, 1/10)
On transgender health care —
The 19th: Ohio House To Hold Veto Override Vote On Gender-Affirming Care Ban
On Wednesday, House Republicans in Ohio will vote on whether to override a veto from Republican Gov. Mike DeWine that blocked a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. This is the first step in allowing the ban to take hold; if passed, the bill moves to the Senate for another vote. DeWine is only the second governor in his party to block a state ban on hormone therapy and puberty blockers for minors. While announcing his veto in late December, he said that decisions on gender-affirming care should be left to parents and doctors — and emphasized that such care is life-saving, which he learned from direct conversations with trans youth and their families. (Rummler, 1/9)
CBS News: Trans Youth Sue Over Louisiana's Ban On Gender-Affirming Health Care
Five trans youth and their families filed a petition in Louisiana District Court on Monday over the state's ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors, alleging such an action "has endangered the health and wellbeing" of the plaintiffs. ... The suit alleges that the ban strips parents of their right to champion their children's health choices and violates the Louisiana State Constitution by a minor's right to medical treatment and discriminates against them based on sex and transgender status. (Mandler, 1/9)
Axios: States Are Limiting Gender-Affirming Care For Adults, Too
Amid a wave of state restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, some red states are also limiting treatment for adults. Many states that enacted limits on transition-related care for minors in recent years said they were focused on protecting children. (Goldman, 1/10)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Man Found 3 Weeks After St. Louis Nursing Home Closed
After more than three weeks missing, a former resident of Northview Village Nursing Home was found Tuesday morning about a mile away, authorities said. Northview Village shut down without warning to residents or staff on Dec. 15. As workers scrambled to prepare residents for transfer to other facilities, and employees from other nursing homes arrived to take them, one resident, Frederick Caruthers, 61, walked away from the building. (Merrilees, 1/9)
The New York Times: New York City Hid Realities Of Homelessness Crisis, Report Finds
As New York City faced a worsening homelessness crisis in recent years, officials repeatedly sought to hide the reality on the ground, according to a city investigation released on Tuesday. The investigation came after reports that homeless families stayed overnight at a Bronx intake office in the summer of 2022, violating a legal mandate requiring the city to provide them shelter. The former social services commissioner, Gary Jenkins, delayed reporting the violation and did not give a full accounting of the situation to the mayor’s office, according to the 49-page report by the New York City Department of Investigation. (Fitzsimmons, 1/9)
The Washington Post: Gov. Wes Moore Proposes First State-Level Gun Violence Prevention Center
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Tuesday announced three bills to tackle mounting concerns about crime, including one that would create a gun violence prevention center — the first state-level center in a Biden administration effort to reduce the number of fatal shootings across the United States. On the eve of a legislative session expected to have a strong focus on juvenile justice, Moore on Tuesday rolled out plans that he said would help hold children accountable for violence while keeping rehabilitation in mind, and lamented the devastating toll gun violence has had on Maryland communities. (Shepherd and Hilton, 1/9)
CBS News: East Bay City Managers Call For Faster Ambulance Response Times
The city managers of Livermore and Pleasanton recently sent a letter to the Alameda County's contracted ambulance provider, Falck, saying that medical help is taking too long to reach patients in the far eastern parts of the county. ... Falck is required to be on scene of a priority call in 10-14 minutes at least 90% of the time, but the city manager's letter says that's only happening on 82-85% of priority calls. (Nielson, 1/9)
North Carolina Health News: Too Few Resources To Meet Demand For Substance Use Disorder Treatment In NC Prisons
Nearly eight out of 10 people entering the North Carolina state prison system in fiscal year 2021-22 had a substance use disorder in need of treatment, according to a report from the Department of Adult Correction. Those numbers come from screenings done as people were coming into the system. But there’s a chance those numbers are even higher because, though the prison system screens most people for substance use problems, some people can be missed due to behavior issues, mental acuity and language barriers. (Crumpler, 1/10)
CBS News: Free Clinic At School Gives Denver Migrant Students A Shot, Or Up To 8 If Needed
As the City of Denver shelters more than 4500 migrants from the southern border, there's been an increase in incidents of chickenpox. The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment says 75 cases of chickenpox have been reported in the last 30 days across Denver's migrant shelters. ... McMeen Elementary recently held a free clinic to ensure the newcomer students are up-to-date on their school-required vaccines. (Alejo, 1/9)
