For trans Americans, the policy landscape has changed under the Trump administration, making it harder to get the cost of treatments such as gender confirmation surgery covered.
Category: NPR
Under New Rules, Cheaper ‘Short-term’ Health Care Plans Now Last Up To 3 Years
A new Trump administration rule allows consumers to buy health care plans that are exempt from certain Affordable Care Act rules — and therefore cheaper.
Trump Administration Clears The Way For Short-Term Health Policies
The Trump administration on Wednesday releases its final rule on short-term health policies that don’t have the same consumer protections as plans governed by the Affordable Care Act.
Puerto Rico’s Wounded Medicaid Program Faces Even Deeper Cuts
State Medicaid programs already get much more money from the federal government than Puerto Rico Medicaid gets — and the storm-ravaged U.S. territory’s safety net for the poor is barely hanging on.
HHS Inspector General’s Report Finds Flaws And Fraud In U.S. Hospice Care
Medicare pays more than $16 billion a year for hospice services. But a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services says hospice patients don’t always get the care they’re promised.
Arizona Governor Takes Steps To Blunt Industry Influence On Medicaid
After an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and NPR into conflicts of interest in Medicaid decisions about drugs, Arizona’s governor added new transparency rules.
D.C. Has Had More Than 300 Synthetic Marijuana Overdoses In 2 Weeks
Synthetic marijuana, known as K2, overdoses are challenging the city’s first responders and law enforcement. “Overdoses are happening everywhere,” says one delivery driver.
Some Doctors, Patients Balk At Medicare’s ‘Flat Fee’ Payment Proposal
The Trump administration says its plan to overhaul the way Medicare pays doctors will save physicians time and paperwork. But critics worry the changes will hurt patients’ care and doctors’ income.
Bill Of The Month: A Plan For Affordable Gender-Confirmation Surgery Goes Awry
A young grad student worked out a way to pay for life-changing gender-confirmation surgery. But she still had to fight to resolve a billing discrepancy that ran into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Hospitals Gear Up For New Diagnosis: Human Trafficking
Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them and to offer assistance.
