Shefali Luthra

it is literally a punchline in girls!! have people forgotten

A proposed rule to kick hospitals out of Medicare/Medicaid if they offer trans kids gender affirming care is now being reviewed by the office of budget and management

h/t my colleague @shefali.bsky.social

Pregnant people in rural parts of the country are running out of places to give birth Some doctors worry that massive cuts to Medicaid will leave pregnant people needing to drive hundreds of miles for prenatal care and delivery services.

Medicaid cuts are set to decimate hospital labor and delivery options — forcing patients to travel hundreds of miles for essential health care, and likely yielding worse outcomes for pregnant people and their kids

19thnews.org/2025/08/preg...

How anti-abortion and anti-trans bills are impacted by Texas Democrats fleeing the state The exodus is an effort to block a redistricting proposal that would favor Republicans, but other GOP priorities are caught up in the plan.

The standoff over Texas' redistricting is imperiling other GOP priorities: abortion restrictions & a bathroom ban. Some conservatives want another session if Dems run out the clock.

"We have no reason to believe this will be the end of our bill on abortion pills," said the head of TX Right to Life

Trump moves to bar nearly all abortions at Veterans Affairs hospitals The Trump administration is moving to end nearly all abortions at Veterans Affairs medical facilities, overturning a Biden-era policy that sought to protect access.

Pregnant veterans would no longer be allowed to receive abortions at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in cases of rape, incest or when the pregnancy threatens their health under a proposed rule from the Trump administration that would revoke a Biden-era policy expanding abortion access.

also i may destroy you! friday night lights! the americans! tv is a richer tapestry than most men would have you believe

game of thrones on the same tier as lost, or even better than the leftovers/mad men/crazy ex-girlfriend/fleabag/girls ... what are we doing here

this is easily the best explanation I've read on the redistricting arms race

In Search of Equity, WNBA Players Have a Nobel Laureate on Their Side Harvard economist Claudia Goldin, who focuses on the role of women in the American economy, has been advising the WNBPA in its CBA negotiations.

Spent a bit of time at the WNBA All-Star Game chatting with a new basketball fan: Harvard economist Claudia Goldin, who has been advising the WNBA players in their labor negotiations, part of a more robust strategy this year from the union

This policy will discourage lawfully present immigrants who are eligible for Medicaid from signing up, or signing their kids up, leaving them without health insurance. That, of course, is a feature, not a bug.

What It’s Like to Be Transgender in Trump’s America How the federal government has restricted health care access for transgender Americans, and how those shifts in policy and rhetoric are changing life for one Alabama family.

“I feel unsafe almost everywhere."

My latest from @tradeoffs.org: a daughter and dad in AL talk about how Trump's anti-trans policies/rhetoric have affected their lives.

Plus @oriion.bsky.social explains all the anti-trans health policies coming out of Washington.

tradeoffs.org/2025/07/17/t...

“It’s very stressful. I wish we could get California to move a bit faster,” one NY-based doctor, whose prescriptions are filled in California, told me

The CA bill has been on "suspense file" — a sort of legislative purgatory — since 7/7

e.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB260

States move to keep doctors’ names off of abortion pill prescription labels Doctors are pushing for laws that would make it harder to detect who prescribed abortion pills. They say it would protect them from out-of-state prosecutions.

Massachusetts is on the verge of passing a law to let shield law providers w/hold their names prescriptions for abortion pills.

It's part of a strategy to protect providers from out-of-state lawsuits. But most abortion prescriptions are filled in California — where a similar bill is still in limbo.

Really devastated to share we have a sad update on this one. We heard last night the family was in fact deported.
We've updated the story with what we know: 19thnews.org/2025/07/chil...

Thousands of people still get abortions in states with bans. This Texas bill aims to stop it. The bill’s backers have said they intend to target the medical professionals mailing abortion pills, which could provide a blueprint for other states.

We wrote earlier about the bill abortion opponents were pitching — one that would create civil penalties for anyone who mails pills into the state, similar to the Texas's 2021 six-week ban.

Across the country, abortion opponents are trying to stop telehealth, which has helped 1000s circumvent bans.

Last month, conservative lawmakers in Texas and state & national anti-abortion orgs wrote to Abbott asking him to add abortion to the state's special session, specifically the bill that would try to block abortion pills from being mailed into the state

texasrighttolife.com/wp-content/u...

Greg Abbott has added abortion restrictions to the agenda for the TX legislature's special session, starting July 21.

The state's anti-abortion movement faced a huge loss this session w/ its bill to block telehealth abortion. They've been calling for another chance.

gov.texas.gov/uploads/file...

The child tax credit is changing. Here’s what it means for your family. The credit rises to $2,200, but its new requirements will shut out an estimated 2.7 million American children.

We get into all the nitty gritty details here. Who qualifies, who doesn't, how much do you get, how much do you need to qualify for the full amount, how to file.

Most notably, an estimated 2.7M American children will not get it bc their parents aren't citizens
19thnews.org/2025/07/chil...

BREAKING: A federal judge just blocked the "big beautiful bill's" provision to defund Planned Parenthood. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

House Republicans pass their megabill, sending it to President Trump The House delivered President Donald Trump his top legislative priority — a day before his July 4 deadline.

It's been wild having covered the Obamacare repeal fight in 2017 — which dragged on for months amid multiple GOP revolts and was ultimately scuttled — to see Republicans with objections fall in line so quickly this time around after securing little-to-no changes. www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

SBA Pro-Life America called the reconciliation bill — which will bar Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid for a year — "the greatest pro-life victory since the Dobbs decision."

CBO estimates that change alone will cost $52 million over the next decade. PP says 100+ clinics could close.

Opinion | We’ve Never Seen Health Care Cuts This Big

"By one estimate, the potential increase in the number of people uninsured, both through Republican actions and inaction, would erase almost three-quarters of the gains in coverage from the Affordable Care Act."

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/o...

A few Republican lawmakers have tried to frame the Medicaid cuts as targeting men. The data tells a different story. 19thnews.org/2025/05/medi...

Hollywood actors demand answers from Amazon on its treatment of pregnant workers In a letter sent to Amazon, Jane Fonda and other actors urged the company to address claims it’s endangering pregnant workers — some of whom say they have miscarried or been fired.

In a letter sent to Amazon, Jane Fonda and other actors urged the company to address claims it’s endangering pregnant workers — some of whom say they have miscarried or been fired.
19thnews.org/2025/06/holl...

Supreme Court lets South Carolina ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, threatening access for thousands Most people who go to Planned Parenthood — including for birth control and cancer screenings — are insured through Medicaid. The ruling could undercut their ability to get basic health care.

Most people who go to Planned Parenthood — including for birth control and cancer screenings — are insured through Medicaid. The ruling could undercut their ability to get basic health care.

“Baby baskets to newborns” sounds like it should be the kind of policy consistent with the stated aims of someone like JD Vance — who repeatedly says he wants Americans to have more babies — or even the (mostly conservative) activists who support organizations like crisis pregnancy centers

States move to keep doctors' names off of abortion pill prescription labels | Alabama Reflector The moves come as some attorneys general in states with near-total bans have made efforts to stop telehealth abortion services.

Via @19thnews.org: Out-of-state doctors are pushing for laws that will make it harder to detect who prescribes and sends abortion medication, as anti-abortion lawmakers look for ways to stop the flow of pills to their states.

I'm working on a story for NPR about financial anxiety among LGBTQ folks right now, as some worry their rights and benefits could be rolled back.

Is this you? If so, get in touch. Drop me a line at lwamsley@npr.org, with a bit about your situation and a number to reach you. Thanks!

States move to keep doctors’ names off of abortion pill prescription labels Doctors are pushing for laws that would make it harder to detect who prescribed abortion pills. They say it would protect them from out-of-state prosecutions.

In states like Texas & Louisiana, lawmakers are increasing their efforts to go after abortion providers, including those who mail pills from out-of-state — a key source of abortion.

Now, blue states are responding, pushing new legislation that could make it harder to prosecute those doctors.