Health
Transgender disputes and tax reform dominate first half of the session
While hundreds of bills made it to the half-way point, two major themes rose to the forefront — disputes over transgender and gay youth and a Republican push for tax cuts. LGBTQ+ issues State lawmakers have directed intense legislative focus toward transgender Hoosiers this session — centered on school-age children — with more than two-dozen […]
Health care bills aim to reform insurance, Medicaid reimbursement rates
A slew of health care bills moving through the legislature target high prices for Hoosiers by encouraging competition and restructuring how the state pays for services under Medicaid. But critics say the bills don’t go far enough and more is needed to reform the system – especially for government insurance reimbursement rates. In the House […]
How the judge who could ban the abortion pill won confirmation in the U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. District Court judge who could end more than two decades of legal access to medication abortion underwent extensive questioning about LGBTQ equality at his December 2017 confirmation hearing — and very little about his views on abortion. Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk, appointed by former President Donald Trump earlier in 2017, spent much […]
Parents lose right to direct gender-affirming care for transgender minors under Senate bill
The Indiana Senate voted 36-12 on Tuesday to approve a bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender minors. “It’s common sense public policy to protect your children from unproven, irreversible and life-altering decisions,” Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, said. “A child cannot understand the weight and permanency of these decisions.” Johnson’s bill would ban […]
Kratom — an herbal painkiller — could become legal again in Indiana
A plant substance touted as a natural painkiller, “energy booster” and even a treatment for opioid withdrawal could once again become legal in Indiana under a bill advancing through the state legislature. House Bill 1500, authored by Rep. Alan Morrison, R-Terre Haute, would permit the sale of kratom, an herbal extract derived from the leaves […]
Doctors recount ‘heart-wrenching’ stories in new study on medical care post-Roe
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) are trying to piece together how the end of Roe v. Wade has so far transformed pregnancy-related medical care in America, and the yet-to-be-released preliminary data are alarming, the lead principal investigator told States Newsroom in an exclusive interview. The team has already received dozens of […]
House passes bill supporting parents in transgender DCS cases
The Indiana House on Wednesday approved a bill banning courts from removing transgender children from their parents based only on parent refusal to seek gender-affirming care or otherwise support transitions. The legislation centers on one Hoosier family — and its estranged transgender daughter — whose case is still in court. “All’s I’m trying to do […]
House votes to strip IU’s Kinsey Institute of state funding
House Republicans narrowly voted to strip the Indiana University Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction of its state funding Wednesday on a 53-34 vote. Freshman Rep. Lorissa Sweet, R-Wabash, called Alfred Kinsey — who founded the research institution in 1947 — with his reports on human sexuality, a child predator who studied […]
Anti-trans medical care bill passes Senate committee
A bill banning gender-affirming medical care for minors passed a Senate health committee easily on Wednesday, despite the nonstop chanting and outrage of opponents. Under the legislation, doctors could no longer provide any “gender transition procedures,” which includes surgery – which testimony showed isn’t happening in Indiana – as well as puberty blockers and hormonal […]
Bill boosting “distressed” wastewater infrastructure draws mixed testimony
A Senate panel on Thursday approved a bill that would let utility companies ask the state for permission to pass some wastewater infrastructure costs to regular water ratepayers. “Senate Bill 180 … creates a tool for the [Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission] to use as, essentially, a last resort option when all other solutions won’t work […]
Prescription savings under PBMs and manufacturer rebates a source of confusion
Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) were the target of senators Wednesday as they attempt to find solutions to decrease Indiana’s elevated health care costs across a series of Senate priority bills. Senate Bill 8 would require the entities to pass on rebates they receive from drug manufacturers to the patients buying medications. PBMs are third-party administrators […]
Lawmakers hear, but don’t vote on, bill decriminalizing marijuana
A bill decriminalizing the possession of two ounces, or less, of marijuana received a hearing before a House committee Wednesday but isn’t expected to get additional consideration. Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, chairs the House courts committee and said the dialogue needed to be heard but didn’t call a vote on the bill — which would […]