Two transgender residents sue Wisconsin over discriminatory Medicaid rule

April 30, 2018 Affordable Care Act, health care, lgbtq, News

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) refused to cover Cody Flack’s top surgery.

Top surgery, a common reference for chest reconstruction surgery for transgender patients, is a widely accepted and effective surgical procedure for treating gender dysphoria. But DHS told Flack, who was born female but identifies as male, last summer that the procedure isn’t covered by Wisconsin’s Medicaid program. The state contends the surgery is “medically unneces...

Years of inaction and thousands of deaths later, Congress finally addresses maternal mortality

April 25, 2018 health care, News

Each year about 700 to 900 mothers die, and thousands more nearly die, due to pregnancy or childbirth complications, many of which are preventable — and this year, there’s finally appetite among lawmakers to do something about it.

The Senate Health committee will vote on a bill next month that addresses the country’s soaring maternal mortality rate, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) announced on Tuesday. Congress has never passed legislation directly focused on this public health cri...

Trump’s big idea for health insurance excludes maternity care and barely covers addiction treatment

April 23, 2018 Affordable Care Act, health care, News

The Trump administration’s “affordable alternative” to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is short-term health plans, but a new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study published on Monday shows just how bare-bones this coverage actually is.

A KFF review of short-term health health plans offered on two large private insurance websites, eHealth and Agile Health Insurance, in 45 states and Washington, D.C. shows these plans rarely if at all pay for essential coverage: no plan...

Trump administration health announcement is latest blow to transgender Americans

April 22, 2018 Donald Trump, health care, News, politics, transgender

The Trump administration’s campaign to make life more difficult for transgender Americans entered a new phase this weekend. On Saturday, according to the New York Times, the administration announced that it would gut an anti-discrimination statute when it comes to health care access for transgender patients.

The rule, passed under the Obama administration in 2016, had prevented health care providers receiving federal financial assistance — including those receiving Medic...

Tennessee governor to sign Medicaid work requirement funded by welfare dollars

April 20, 2018 health, health care, medicaid, News, obamacare, politics

A philosophical change to the country’s largest public health insurance program is underway, as states one-by-one try to implement Medicaid work requirements. Tennessee is the latest state to try to make work conditional of Medicaid eligibility. At least 22,300 are expected to drop health insurance, according to the state’s own estimate.

On Thursday, the state Senate sent Gov. Bill Haslam (R) a bill that directs Tennessee to submit a federal waiver to impose work require...

Most young people want health insurance to cover abortion, new poll finds

April 17, 2018 health, health care, News, reproductive-rights

A new national poll found a majority of young adults believe abortion services should be covered by most health care plans, a finding that contrasts current coverage bans at the national and state level.

While the survey — conducted by the nonpartisan research organization Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) — also found that the United States is more divided on whether health plans should generally cover abortion care, especially as compared to other reproductive ...

Meet the Indian-American doctor vying to replace Rep. Trent Franks

April 17, 2018 health care, News

In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, Hiral Tipirneni talked to her three kids about the importance of civic engagement, of standing up for the issues you think are important, and of the value of women in politics. In response, Tipirneni’s daughter Mira — who was 19 years old at the time — told her mother to put her money where her mouth was.

“She basically threw down the gauntlet,” Tipirneni recounted in an interview with ThinkProgress.

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From mandatory sick leave to Obamacare safeguards, New Jersey had a good healthcare week

April 13, 2018 health care, News, obamacare

A trove of progressive health care bills are now on the desk of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D). On Thursday, lawmakers in the state sent him several measures like mandatory paid sick leave, knowing the governor is all but certain to sign them — unlike his Republican predecessor Chris Christie.

Once the bills are signed, New Jersey would become the 10th state to enact a paid sick leave law — a critical workplace benefit that helps employees balance work, family, and medi...

We’re saying goodbye to Paul Ryan, but not his horrible health policies

April 12, 2018 health, health care, medicaid, News, Paul Ryan, politics

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is on his way out the door.

But while he’s largely failed to implement his vision before retirement — that is, to repeal Obamacare and privatize every safety-net program there is — Republicans aren’t going to stop trying to do so anytime soon. In fact, they’ll likely take cues from his record.

Throughout his time in Washington, Ryan built a career on portraying himself as a deficit hawk, somehow convincing people he...

Trump administration issues new rule chipping away at Obamacare

April 10, 2018 Affordable Care Act, health, health care, News, obamacare, politics

The Trump administration issued a ton of regulatory changes Monday that chip away at the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Moving forward, states will have more flexibility to set their own standards and people will be given new exemptions to avoid the health care law’s individual mandate penalty.

The 523-page regulation is one that comes out every year, and is intended to outline what ACA plans will look like for consumers next year.

Monday’s rule gives consumers two ne...