Wednesday, May 8, 2024 – KFF Health News

Reuters: Florida sues Biden administration over new transgender healthcare rule

Florida’s top prosecutor and a Catholic medical group sued the Biden administration on Tuesday in an effort to block a rule they say would force doctors to provide gender transition care against their decision or Will have to face heavy punishment. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Tampa by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Catholic Medical Association (CMA), takes aim at a new rule that opens a new tab published by the U.S. Department of Health and Services (HHS) on Monday. Prohibit discrimination in health care based on gender identity. (Pearson, 5/7)

19th: Inside Kansas Republicans’ Reversal on Gender-Affirming Care

When Kansas State Representative Susan Concannon learned that the state’s proposed gender-affirming care ban would affect mental health services for children across the state, she knew she had to break with her party. Concannon, a Republican who has represented Beloit and surrounding counties in the legislature for 11 years, will have to change his vote and oppose the ban. (Rumler, 5/7)

19th: West Virginia Republicans Center Anti-Trans Rhetoric in Gubernatorial Primary

Republicans vying to be governor of West Virginia are trying to outdo each other in restricting LGBTQ+ rights, with transgender people in particular being targeted. (Baker, 5/7)

Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court ready to debate transgender care for minors

After months of avoiding clarity on the divisive issue, the Supreme Court may be on the verge of deciding whether to jump into the national debate over medical treatment for transgender youth. As soon as Thursday, judges could vote behind closed doors on whether to approve an appeal that seeks to block a new Tennessee law banning medical treatments that “reconcile a minor with the minor’s penis.” Identifying with, or being able to live with, a perceived identity is in no hurry, however, and it is possible that they will avoid the issue again (Savage, 5/7). )

In other health news from across the US –

Los Angeles Times: Bill could end moratorium on studies on psychedelics, addiction treatments

California lawmakers may soon break a government logjam that has stalled dozens of studies involving addiction treatment, psychedelics or other federally banned drugs. The holdup revolves around California’s Research Advisory Panel, which was established decades ago to examine studies related to cannabis, hallucinogens and the treatment of “controlled substance abuse.” This has been a significant hurdle for California researchers exploring the potential uses of psychedelics or looking for new ways to combat addiction. (Alpert Reyes, 5/7)

Stateline: Montana could be a model as more GOP states value Medicaid work requirements

Two decades ago, Jeff Biesecker and his family returned to Great Falls, Montana from a religious mission in the Philippines. Biesecker had no health insurance and no steady source of income, and neither did his wife. Fearing being left without coverage, Biesecker enrolled himself, his wife, and their four children in Medicaid for nearly a decade while he worked toward a steady, full-time job. …A growing number of Republican-led states want to force Medicaid recipients to work, arguing that doing so will help them get out of poverty. (Chatlani, 5/7)

KFF Health News: He was shot in the Super Bowl parade – and may have bullets in his body forever

James Lemons, 39, wants the bullet removed from his thigh so he can go back to work. Sarai Holguín, a 71-year-old woman originally from Mexico, accepted the bullet lodged near her knee as her “compa” – a close friend. Mireya Nelson, 15, was hit by a bullet that passed through her jaw. … Nearly three months after at least 24 people were injured in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting, healing from those wounds is intensely personal and includes a surprising gray area in medicine: whether the bullets should be removed. . (Sable-Smith & Lowe, 5/8)