Iowa judge overturns state’s ban on Medicaid covering transgender medical procedures

An Iowa judge has overturned the state’s ban on allowing Medicaid to cover the costs of surgical procedures for transgender people. In his ruling Thursday, Chief District Judge Arthur Gamble ordered the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) to immediately approve Medicaid coverage for the two petitioners, Carol Ann Beal and EerieAnna Good.

Both Beal and Good had already changed all of their documentation to reflect their identities, but were denied coverage for medically nec...

Trump justice department will stop defending key parts of Obamacare

Administration makes rare decision not to defend federal law in court, pointing to changes in the measure due next year

The Trump administration said in a court filing late on Thursday that it would no longer defend key parts of the Affordable Care Act, a rare departure from the justice department’s practice of defending federal laws in court.

It said that the requirement that people have health insurance – the individual mandate – was unconstitutional and that the entire law, ...