Health Care — Federal court says states can’t exclude gender-affirming care

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  Federal court: States can't exclude gender-affirming care  The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that North Carolina and West Virginia could not exclude gender-affirming care from state-funded health plans.  © AP The panel of judges voted 8-6 to roll back the policies of the two states.    Even though attorneys representing both states argued their policies were based purely on financial reasons, Judge Roger Gregory wrote in the majority opinion that the restrictions were "obviously discriminatory."    "Because we hold that the coverage exclusions facially discriminate on the basis of sex and gender identity, and are not substantially related to an important government interest, we affirm the district courts," wrote Gregory.    "We further hold that the West Virginia exclusion violates the Medicaid Act and the Affordable Care Act."    Currently, more than a dozen states explicitly exclude gender-affirming care from state employee benefit plans.    West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) vowed to take this case up to the Supreme Court.    "Decisions like this one, from a court dominated by Obama- and Biden-appointees, cannot stand: we'll take this up to the Supreme Court and win," Morrisey said in a statement.   North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell (R) similarly called the ruling on Monday "untethered to the reality" of his state's financial situation and said he would "follow every legal avenue available to protect the Plan and its members."    Read more about this ruling from The Hill's Brooke Migdon here.  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, I'm Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Tens of thousands of medical tests to now fall under federal oversight The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is revising long-standing rules to place laboratory tests under the same jurisdiction as other testing, which the agency says will help ensure better safety and efficacy. Since 1976, the FDA has not enforced legal requirements on most laboratory developed tests (LDT) due to the Medical Device Amendments. Generally speaking, this has meant that requirements such as good manufacturing practices, …  Full Story Ships from Turkey with humanitarian aid for Gaza denied right to sail, flags removed Ships with an aim to sail from Turkey to Gaza with humanitarian aid have been denied the right to sail, according to The Associated Press. 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He suggested that …  Full Story On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing Tuesday on legislation to expand access to Medicaid services. In Other News  Branch out with a different read: Activist who fought for legal rights for Europe's largest saltwater lagoon wins 'Green Nobel' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Growing up, Teresa Vicente spent long days in Spain’s Mar Menor swimming in transparent waters, cupping seahorses in her hands and partying under the moonlit sky. Out there, she recalled, time stood still. But over the decades, chronic contamination from mining, development and agricultural runoff turned the once … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Judge orders takeover of Center for Reproductive Health after AG sues Nashville fertility clinic (The Tennessean)  US Sen. 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Greg Abbott (R) said Monday his state will not abide by the Biden administration's sweeping new changes to Title IX, the federal civil rights … Read more What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: America's reproductive rights nightmare is entering a crucial week Reproductive rights are under attack — we must protect our medical privacy at all costs   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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