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President Donald Trump ordered a halt to gender-affirming medical care for transgender prisoners in federal custody, and to housing trans women in female prisons. The new policies raise alarms for a formerly incarcerated trans woman. She said the order denies lifesaving medical care and creates a road map for rape.
A bill proposed by kratom industry advocates is prompting consideration and some concern in the Montana Legislature.
Democratic state lawmakers in California have proposed bills to protect women, transgender people, and immigrants in response to concerns that their health data could be used against them. If the measures reach his desk, Gov. Gavin Newsom could lay such legislation aside to focus on securing federal funds.
The Supreme Court opined for the first time that Trump administration officials may be exceeding their authority to reshape the federal government by refusing to honor completed contracts, even as lower-court judges started blocking efforts to fire workers, freeze funding, and cancel ongoing contracts. Meanwhile, public health officials are alarmed at the Department of Health and Human Services public handling of Texas widening measles outbreak, particularly the secretarys less-than-full endorsement of vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Stephanie Armour of 窪蹋勛圖厙 News join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Californias governor is pressuring Oakland to allow more police pursuits as part of a crackdown on crime. But more pursuits mean a greater risk to public health, with more potential injuries and deaths among bystanders. Policies in cities including New York and San Francisco reflect divergent local priorities.
Amid doctor shortages, several states have stopped requiring foreign-trained providers to repeat residencies before theyre fully licensed. Critics say patients could be harmed because of the loosened training requirements.
State lawmakers appear ready to preserve the states Medicaid expansion program without knowing what federal changes might be in store.
A state lawmaker wants health insurers to disclose denial rates and explain those denials as anger grows over rising costs and uncovered medical care. If the bill is signed into law, health experts say, it could be one of the boldest attempts in the nation to rein in denials.
Patients and providers say health insurers preapproval requirements lead to delays and denials of needed medical treatments. Insurers argue that prior authorization keeps costs down.
Frustrated by spiraling drug costs, California lawmakers want to increase oversight of pharmaceutical industry intermediaries known as pharmacy benefit managers. Its unclear whether they can persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom to get on board.
The Montana health department says the Board of Public Assistance is redundant and a bureaucratic hurdle that helps few people. Current and former board representatives say the rare cases in which the panel helps people are important.
State officials say homes should be able to be cooled to a safe indoor air temperature of 82 degrees. The legislature will now take up the report.
On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump said the power to make abortion policies has been returned to the states. In his first two weeks in office, hes already gone further to restrict abortion than any president whos held office since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, writes Julie Rovner.
Unsure how to help the troubled psychiatric facility, legislators look to shore up other parts of the states mental health system.
The Jan. 28 executive order directs federal regulators to cut insurance coverage for hormonal or surgical treatments that help in young people's gender transitions and cut federal funding for medical professionals or institutions that provide such care. It will likely be challenged in court.
California has a few major changes coming to its health policy landscape in 2025. New laws that took effect Jan. 1 ban medical debt from credit reports, allow public health inspections of private immigration detention centers, and ban toxic chemicals in makeup.
Though abortion rights supporters prevailed on ballot measures in seven of the 10 states where abortion was up for a vote on Nov. 5, the state supreme courts voters have elected indicate legal fights to come arent clear-cut.
Health is unlikely to be a top priority for the new GOP-led 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. But its likely to play a key supporting role, with an abortion bill already scheduled for debate in the Senate. Meanwhile, its unclear when and how the new Congress will deal with the bipartisan bills jettisoned from the previous Congress year-end omnibus measure including a major deal to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers. In this catch up on all the news you missed episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
After rival hospitals in Terre Haute scuttled plans to merge, a state senator has introduced a bill to forbid similar mergers by repealing a state law he helped write.
Legislative leaders say the decision whether to renew Montanas Medicaid expansion program this year will loom over behavioral health spending and hospital regulation, among other topics.
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