Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Some Hospitals In Colo., Va., And DC Halt Gender Care For Those Under 19
AP: Some Hospitals Pause Gender-Affirming Care To Evaluate Trump's Executive Order
Hospitals in Colorado, Virginia and the nation’s capital said Thursday they have paused gender-affirming care for young people as they evaluate President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at cutting federal support for such care. Denver Health in Colorado has stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries for people under age 19, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday, in order to comply with the executive order and continue receiving federal funding. (Johnson, Bose and Bargfeld, 1/31)
More on gender-affirming care in Colorado —
Colorado Newsline: Bill Would Make Bringing A Minor To Colorado For Abortion, Gender-Affirming Care A Felony
A Colorado representative introduced a bill Wednesday that would make bringing a minor from another state to Colorado for abortion or gender-affirming care a crime. Introduced by Rep. Scott Bottoms, a Colorado Springs Republican, House Bill 25-1145 would add a provision in Colorado statute that says a person, corporation, or government agency commits felony human trafficking if they bring a minor to Colorado to receive an abortion or gender-affirming care. (Toomer, 1/30)
CBS News: Colorado Is Seen By Some As A Haven For Transgender Rights, And One Organization Has Been Inundated With Requests To Move To The State
A nationwide movement brought people together in Denver Thursday at a rally to empower transgender voices, unite allies and advocate for equality and justice. The effort is part of a push to unite as concerns grow in the transgender community following President Trump's efforts to roll back protections for transgender people across the country. That includes an executive order threatening funding for schools supporting transgender rights. (Arenas, 1/30)
Also —
KFF Health News: Trump’s Order On Gender-Affirming Care Escalates Reversal Of Trans Rights
President Donald Trump ratcheted up his administration’s reversal of transgender rights on Tuesday with an executive order that seeks to intervene in parents’ medical decisions by prohibiting government-funded insurance coverage of puberty blockers or surgery for people under 19. Trump’s order, titled “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” is certain to face legal challenges and would require congressional or regulatory actions to be fully enacted. But transgender people and their advocates are concerned it will nonetheless discourage prescriptions and medical procedures they consider to be lifesaving in some cases, while complicating insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. (Appleby, 1/31)
The Conversation: A Federal Policy Expert Weighs In On Trump’s Efforts To Stifle Gender-Affirming Care For Americans Under 19
The Conversation U.S. interviewed Elana Redfield, federal policy director at the Williams Institute, an independent research center at the UCLA School of Law dedicated to studying sexual orientation and gender identity law. She describes the aims of the executive order, how much weight it carries, and how it should be understood in the broader context of legal battles over access to gender-affirming care. (Redfield, 1/30)
