Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas May Take Transgender Kids From Parents Who Medically Assist Them
Houston Chronicle: Texas Lawmakers Push To Take Transgender Children From Parents Who Help Them Transition Medically
Parents who help transgender children transition with the use of drugs, hormones or other medical procedures could face child abuse charges and lose their parental rights under a bill that cleared the Texas Senate on Wednesday. By an 18-12 vote, senators voted to pass the bill and send it to the Texas House. If the House approves it, it would go to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. The move comes less than 48 hours after the American Medical Association came out firmly in opposition to such bills, warning that “forgoing gender-affirming care can have tragic health consequences, both mental and physical.” (Wallace, 4/28)
AP: No Big Backlash For States Passing Anti-Transgender Laws
Five states have passed laws or implemented executive orders this year limiting the ability of transgender youths to play sports or receive certain medical treatment. There’s been a vehement outcry from supporters of transgender rights – but little in the way of tangible repercussions for those states. It’s a striking contrast to the fate of North Carolina a few years ago. When its Legislature passed a bill in March 2016 limiting which public restrooms transgender people could use, there was a swift and powerful backlash. The NBA and NCAA relocated events; some companies scrapped expansion plans. By March 2017, the bill’s bathroom provisions were repealed. (Crary, 4/27)
In news about marijuana —
Detroit Free Press: Lawmaker Wants To Create A Marijuana Blood-Level Limit For Drivers
A Michigan lawmaker wants to specify how much of the intoxicating chemical contained in marijuana can be in someone's blood in order for that person to be deemed a dangerous driver. The measure introduced Wednesday by Rep. Pamela Hornberger, R-Chesterfield Township, is a controversial move that contradicts the recommendations of a state commission created under former Gov. Rick Snyder that studied the concept of THC blood levels and intoxication. (Boucher, 4/28)
Dallas Morning News: Texas House Gives Preliminary Green Light To Medical Marijuana Expansion
The Texas House gave preliminary approval to a bill Wednesday that would considerably expand the Texas Compassionate Use Program for the medical use of low-THC cannabis by including several additional groups of Texans while raising the THC limit from .5% to 5%. Fort Worth Republican Rep. Stephanie Klick’s House Bill 1535 would include patients with PTSD, not just in veterans as originally filed, chronic pain that would otherwise be treated with an opioid and patients with any type of cancer. (Briseno, 4/28)
In other news from the states —
AP: Missouri Senate Votes Down Funding For Medicaid Expansion
The Missouri Senate on Wednesday voted against paying to expand Medicaid as called for by voters last year. The late-night Senate vote locked in the House’s decision to refuse funding for the program, likely setting up a court battle with supporters of greater access to health care. The vote divided Republicans and came after hours of sometimes-heated debate. (Ballentine, 4/29)
CBS News: Why New York City's Homeless Rates Skyrocketed For Single Adults But Dropped For Families During The Pandemic
A new report shows the rate of homeless, single adults in New York City reached record levels during the pandemic, while the number of homeless families declined. Experts say the trend is tied to short-term pandemic relief, like eviction moratoriums, but is likely not sustainable. An all-time high of 20,822 single adults slept in New York City shelters each night in February, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless. (Kendall, 4/28)
AP: 'Fetal Heartbeat' In Abortion Laws Taps Emotion, Not Science
Dr. Michael Cackovic has treated his share of pregnant women. So when Republican lawmakers across the U.S. began passing bans on abortion at what they term “the first detectable fetal heartbeat,” he was exasperated.That’s because at the point where advanced technology can detect that first flutter, as early as six weeks, the embryo isn’t yet a fetus and it doesn’t have a heart. An embryo is termed a fetus beginning in the 11th week of pregnancy, medical experts say. “You cannot hear this ‘flutter,’ it is only seen on ultrasound,” said Cackovic, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, where some 5,300 babies are born each year. (Smyth and Kruesi, 4/28)
Albuquerque Journal: State Will Prod Unemployed To Return To Work, Governor Says
New Mexico has been among the states with the highest unemployment rates for months – only New York and Hawaii had higher jobless rates as of last month – and business owners have expressed frustration about getting employees to return to work. Some have said they are struggling to compete against expanded unemployment benefits, saying referral bonuses, sign-on bonuses and other incentives have yet to attract a large applicant pool. But some advocacy groups have countered that essential workers should not be blamed for not wanting to put their family’s health at risk for low-paying jobs that offer minimal benefits. (Boyd, 4/28)
AP: Largest Firefighting Plane May Be Sold For COVID-19 Response
As Western states prepare for this year’s wildfire season, the world’s largest firefighting plane has been grounded and could be converted to help fight against another crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. After investing tens of millions into upgrading the Global SuperTanker and its technology, the revenue coming mostly from contracts with the U.S. government and California did not produce enough profit for the company to continue the funding the tanker, said Roger Miller, managing director at Alterna Capital Partners LLC, the investment company that owns the plane. (Nieberg, 4/27)
KHN: In Poisoned Montana Town, Warren Buffett-Owned Railroad Accuses Clinic Of Medicare Fraud
Patricia Denny and her husband, Jeff, had hoped to one day get an RV and travel the country. Instead, Jeff has been forced into retirement at age 54 by a lung disease caused by the asbestos that’s polluted the small town of Libby, Montana, for decades. Jeff Denny’s lungs are damaged from the asbestos he breathed while participating in an Environmental Protection Agency-run cleanup of the asbestos contamination caused by the vermiculite mine that closed 30 years ago in this community in the Cabinet Mountains. Patricia Denny is afraid she will get asbestos-related disease as well, given how many residents of the town have become sick. Barbed fibers, a byproduct of vermiculite, attach to the lungs when breathed in. (Reardon, 4/29)
