Mar 9, 2019

Medicaid to cover sex reassignment surgery in Iowa

Photo: picture alliance/Getty Images

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled on Friday to uphold the lower court's decision, nullifying the state's limit on Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgery, reports NBC News.

The bottom line: Medical experts concluded that 2 women who filed suit, EerieAnna Good and Carol Anne Beal, both had gender dysphoria — which the American Medical Association acknowledges as a potentially life-threatening condition — and needed sex reassignment surgery. The court asserted that they were denied the surgery because they were "related to gender identity disorders," adding that Medicaid approves payment for some cosmetic surgeries deemed necessary for psychological reasons, such as "disfiguring scarring and congenital anomalies."

Why it matters: Including this outcome, 11 states, plus the District of Columbia now cover transition-related surgeries through their public health insurance programs, per the ACLU.

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Jacob Knutson
5 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Bill Hagerty wins Republican Senate nomination in Tennessee primary

Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty speaking at CPAC in 2019. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty won the Tennessee Republican Senate primary on Thursday evening, beating out surgeon Manny Sethi for GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander's seat, who announced his retirement in late 2018, AP reports.

Why it matters: Though the race narrowed in July, Hagerty — who received President Trump's endorsement in 2019 — stuck close to the president's messaging and touted his Tennessee roots.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7:30 p.m. ET: 18,982,658 — Total deaths: 712,266— Total recoveries — 11,477,642 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7:30 p.m. ET: 4,873,747 — Total deaths: 159,931 — Total recoveries: 1,598,624 — Total tests: 59,652,675 — Map.
  3. Politics: Pelosi rips GOP over stimulus negotiations: "Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn" — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tests positive.
  4. Public health: Majority of Americans say states reopened too quickly — Fauci says task force will examine aerosolized spread.
  5. Business: The health care sector imploded in Q2 — More farmers are declaring bankruptcy — July's jobs report could be an inflection point for the recovery.
  6. Sports: Where college football's biggest conferences stand on playing.
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Dave Lawler
2 hours ago - World

Nuclear free-for-all: The arms control era may be ending

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki have remained unreplicated for 75 years in part because the U.S. and Soviet Union — after peering over the ledge into nuclear armageddon — began to negotiate.

Why it matters: The arms control era that began after the Cuban Missile Crisis may now be coming to a close. The next phase could be a nuclear free-for-all.

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