SACRAMENTO—Gov. Jerry Brown today signed two bills authored by Assembly Speaker Emeritus Toni Atkins. AB 635 allows California to take the first step toward state-funded medical interpretation services for Medi-Cal patients with limited English proficiency. AB 1795 helps more low-income Californians become eligible for state-covered screening and treatment for breast cancer and cervical cancer. AB…
Major insurers such as Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare recently announced their exit from state-sponsored insurance exchanges while the uninsured rate has fallen to a historic low, bringing into question the cost and quality of health care in America. With such developments in mind, the personal-finance Web site WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s States…
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., — The U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which is likely the largest provider of LGBT healthcare in the world, is implementing various system-wide changes aimed at improving LGBT care, including transgender e-consultations to aid interdisciplinary providers and the addition of a self-identified gender identity field to all veteran record systems. These actions…
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. —Increased data collection and research are needed to document and understand elevated cancer risk, cancer incidence and prevalence, and cancer screening disparities in LGBT communities, according to the conclusions and recommendations of the 2014 National Summit on Cancer in the LGBT Communities. The white paper produced from the Summit, entitled “The National…
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.—A new study shows that transgender active-duty U.S. military personnel report few lifetime mental and physical health problems. These findings challenge the current policy of excluding transgender persons from enlisting in the U.S. military or discharging them based on the presumption that they are unfit to serve due to their mental or physical…
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.—The widespread discrimination and mistreatment transgender individuals face in the healthcare system could be alleviated with specialized provider training to increase knowledge about transgender health and needs, and to promote positive attitudes. The evaluation of a pilot training program implemented in an urban clinic shows the potential to change attitudes and improve competency,…
NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A new study of the quality of healthcare provided to transgender patients in the New York City correctional system revealed significant areas for improvement and reported a greater than 50% decrease in patient complaints after the healthcare staff at 12 jail clinics received LGBT training. Within six months of implementing a…
WASHINGTON – Today, Washington, D.C. Councilmembers David Grosso and Yvette Alexander will introduce a bill that would “require continuing education for licensed health professionals on the subject of cultural competence and appropriate clinical treatment for individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming, queer, or questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity and…
Lawyers have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal on behalf of Michelle Kosilek, a transgender woman who has been denied essential health care while serving a prison sentence in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC). The DOC has denied Kosilek gender affirming surgery for decades, despite the fact that experts…
