Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vermont's Medically Assisted Death Law Now Allows Out-Of-Staters
The New York Times: Vermont Removes Residency Requirement For Medically Assisted Deaths
Vermont has become the first state to remove a residency requirement from its law on medically assisted death to allow terminally ill people from out of state access to life-ending care. The law, which for a decade has permitted doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill people 18 or older, was amended Tuesday, when Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill scrapping the residency requirement. (Albeck-Ripka, 5/2)
Other health news from Georgia, Montana, and Nevada —
AP: Georgia To Take Over Health Insurance Market Under New Law
Georgia’s state government will for the first time run its own marketplace for individual health insurance under a law that Gov. Brian Kemp signed Tuesday. The Republican governor said during a ceremony at the state Capitol that the law would create a better way of people “knowing and comparing their health care insurance options” and bring “further competition to the field.” (Amy, 5/2)
AP: No Cancer Risk Found At Nuclear Bases So Far, Air Force Says
A review of a Montana nuclear missile base where an unusual number of troops have been diagnosed with blood cancer has found no current risk factors that could explain it, the Air Force says. The service has been investigating the issue since reports surfaced in January of at least nine missileers who had served at Malmstrom Air Force Base who were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In the months since, more than 30 cancer cases at Malmstrom and the nation’s other nuclear missile facilities, including F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California have come to light. (Cop, 5/2)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Las Vegas OB-GYN Denies Patients’ Misconduct Allegations At Hearing
A Las Vegas OB-GYN accused of sexual misconduct with three patients questioned one of his accusers face-to-face during an administrative hearing by a state medical licensing board. But first, during his opening remarks, Dr. George Chambers said, “It is my hope that you will see that this has been one big misunderstanding, one that has tarnished my once stellar reputation and has cost me dearly.” (Hynes, 5/2)
In news about transgender health care —
AP: Transgender Surgery Ban Advances In North Carolina House
Dozens of transgender North Carolinians and their supporters spoke out against state lawmakers Tuesday as a House committee advanced legislation banning gender-affirming surgeries for minors without allowing members of the public to testify. The audience erupted in chants of “Let us speak” and “Blood on your hands” as the Republican-controlled House Health Committee passed a proposal prohibiting health care providers from performing surgeries on minors to remove or alter features typical of the patient’s sex assigned at birth. If the bill becomes law, North Carolina physicians would also be unable to refer a minor to another provider to receive such procedures. (Schoenbaum, 5/2)
The New York Times: Judge Rejects Zooey Zephyr’s Effort To Return To Montana House Floor
A judge ruled on Tuesday against a Montana legislator who had sought a court order allowing her to return to the House of Representatives after she was barred during an escalating standoff over her remarks on transgender issues. ... Judge Mike Menahan, who served in the House as a Democrat before being elected to the state’s First District Court a decade ago, said in a five-page order issued late Tuesday that he did not have the authority to intervene in the legislative dispute. (Fortin, 5/2)
Houston Chronicle: Protesters In Texas House Ousted Over Chants On Transgender Care Ban
Debate over a bill to ban transition medical care for transgender youth snowballed into a dramatic scene Tuesday in the Texas House after protesters began chanting and the speaker called for troopers to clear the gallery. (Goldenstein, 5/2)
