Latest KFF Health News Stories
It’s About to Get Tougher for Transgender People in Montana to Amend Birth Certificates
It will soon take a court order to change one’s gender on a Montana birth certificate. Montana health officials are seeking comment on proposed rules for a law that would affect dozens of people each year.
‘I Just Feel Like Myself’: A Nonbinary Child in Their Own Words
When they were 6, Hallel told their parents they are a boy-girl. At 9, they are helping their parents, grandparents and friends understand what it means to be nonbinary.
Flurry of Bills Aim to Set Limits on Transgender Kids – And Their Doctors
Lawmakers across the U.S. are pushing bills to restrict transgender kids from participating in sports and ban doctors from treating them.
Many Health Plans Now Must Cover Full Cost of Expensive HIV Prevention Drugs
Most private insurance will be required to cover drugs, like Truvada, that offer protection against HIV infection, without making plan members share the cost.
Hospital Merger in Washington State Stokes Fears About Catholic Limits on Care
Virginia Mason Health System and CHI Franciscan announced plans in July to merge 12 hospitals and more than 250 other treatment sites in the Puget Sound region and the Yakima area. Some patient advocacy groups warn the proposal would jeopardize access to needed services, such as emergency termination of pregnancies, contraception and physician aid in dying.
HHS Removed Images Of Condoms From HIV/AIDS Awareness Fliers
For those who are sexually active, condoms are widely recognized as the most effective method for preventing HIV and other diseases, if used correctly. But a fact sheet with “unapproved condom imagery” was taken down from a federal website, KHN has learned.
Georgia Sheriff’s Deputy Sues Over Lack Of Transgender Insurance Coverage
A sheriff’s deputy in central Georgia filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Houston County, whose employee insurance plan has denied coverage for her transgender-related health care. The decision would likely result in a ruling that affects the entire state, if not the entire Southeast, and comes after decisions in Wisconsin and Iowa sided with other transgender patients.
Trump Administration Rule Would Undo Health Care Protections For LGBTQ Patients
Supporters of the rule say it would strengthen health care professionals’ freedom of conscience, but opponents say it “empowers bad actors to be bad actors.”
‘Stonewall Generation’ Confronts Old Age, Sickness — And Discrimination
For a generation of LGBTQ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges — lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse.
Facebook Live: Inclusive Care at the End of Life: The LGBTQ+ Experience
For a generation of LGBTQ+ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges. When it comes to seeking elder care, concerns about lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse threaten to reverse recent progress.
Trump Pledges To End HIV Transmission By 2030. Doable, But Daunting.
The president’s promise to eliminate HIV transmission within 10 years is a goal long sought by advocates, but it won’t be an easy undertaking.
Primary Care Doctors ‘Not Doing Enough’ To Curb STDs
As rates of sexually transmitted diseases surge, public health officials want physicians to step up screening and treatment of patients.
A Transgender Woman’s Quest For Surgery Caught In Political Crosswinds
Dramatic policy swings, from an unprecedented expansion of transgender rights under the Obama administration to the unpredictable reduction of trans rights under President Donald Trump, have left many trans Americans feeling the whiplash.
PrEP Campaign Aims To Block HIV Infection And Save Lives In D.C.
Washington, D.C., is trying to stop new cases of HIV in the district by making sure residents who might be at risk are taking PrEP, medicine that cuts the risk of contracting the virus by 92 percent.
Former California State Contractor Sued Over Breach Of HIV Patient Privacy
A lawsuit claims that a private company hired by the state public health department to manage enrollment in an AIDS drug assistance program for low-income patients inadvertently allowed unauthorized access to their medical status.
Use Of HIV-Prevention Drug Grows, But Lags Among Non-Whites
The pill, known as PrEP, can reduce the risk of contracting the virus that causes AIDS by 90 percent. Its use has expanded sharply in recent years — but primarily among a white demographic.
Transgender Health Care Targeted In Crusade To Undo ACA
HHS Secretary Tom Price and President Donald Trump have vowed to use administrative powers to mitigate the health law rules that created “burdens” or that don’t match up with their agenda.
Staying Out Of The Closet In Old Age
Many aging gays and lesbians who have lived openly for decades are finding that the world of assisted living and nursing homes can be decidedly less accommodating.
Why Some Prisoners With HIV Get Better Treatment Than Others
A new report says care varies widely between Louisiana’s jails and prisons.
Major Insurer Says It Will Offer Individual Life Insurance Coverage To People With HIV
The move signals growing recognition of HIV/AIDS’ transformation from a death sentence to a serious but manageable disease.
