Daily Edition for Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Stanford Medicine Halts Gender-Affirming Surgeries For Those Younger Than 19: Stanford Medicine has stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 — becoming the second major health care provider in California to scale back transgender care for youths amid efforts by the Trump administration to restrict access to the specialized care. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area News Group, and Los Angeles Times.
What RFK Jr. Isn’t Talking About: How To Make Vaccines Safer
By Arthur Allen
Vaccines are under fire from the top of the Trump administration. Federal programs to monitor them and make them safer have always been underfunded.
5 Takeaways From Health Insurers’ New Pledge To Improve Prior Authorization
By Lauren Sausser and Phil Galewitz
Dozens of health insurance companies pledged on Monday to improve prior authorization, a process often used to deny care. The announcement comes months after the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, whose death in December sparked widespread criticism about insurance denials.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Lawmakers Want To Know Why Covered California Shared Data With LinkedIn: Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are questioning why California’s state health insurance exchange shared sensitive health data with LinkedIn. An investigation by The Markup and CalMatters showed through forensic testing how the exchange, Covered California, used trackers that told LinkedIn when visitors entered details like whether they were blind, pregnant, or used a high number of prescription medications into the website coveredca.com. Read more from CalMatters.
California’s Much-Touted IVF Law May Be Delayed Until 2026, Leaving Many in the Lurch
By Sarah Kwon
California lawmakers are poised to approve a six-month delay in implementing the state’s in vitro fertilization law, pushing its start to January 2026. The plan to postpone, which has drawn little attention, is part of the state budget package and has left patients, insurers, and employers in limbo.
‘We Need To Keep Fighting’: HIV Activists Organize To Save Lives as Trump Guts Funding
By Amy Maxmen
While Congress fails to stave off cuts to HIV care, community leaders in Mississippi and beyond race to limit the damage.
Daily Edition for Monday, June 23, 2025
Measles Cases in California Surpass Total For All Of 2024: This month, the number of measles cases reported in California so far in 2025 jumped above the total for all of 2024. There have been 16 measles cases reported in the Golden State so far this year, compared to 15 total last year and just four the year before. Read more from Bay Area News Group.
Push To Move OB-GYN Exam Out of Texas Is Piece of AGs’ Broader Reproductive Rights Campaign
By Annie Sciacca
Following a petition from Democratic state attorneys general, the American Medical Association adopted a position that medical certification exams should not be required in person in states with restrictive abortion policies. The action’s success was hailed as a win for Democrats trying to regain ground after the fall of Roe.
Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.
By Paula Span
Newer formulations are even more effective at preventing illnesses that commonly afflict seniors — perhaps even dementia.
Muchas personas mayores aceptan las vacunas con entusiasmo. La investigación les da la razón
By Paula Span
Para los adultos mayores que expresan mayor confianza en la seguridad de las vacunas que los grupos más jóvenes, los últimos meses han traído consigo investigaciones muy positivas.
