In December, the Trump administration proposed sweeping restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. On Dec. 18, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announced two new proposed policies that would effectively terminate Medicaid coverage of of gender-affirming care for individuals under 18, cutting off a critical lifeline for many trans youth. 1 The first of these policies would modify the Conditions of Participation (CoPs) to disqualify hospitals that offer gender-affirming care from Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement. As virtually all hospitals in the U.S. rely on CMS funding to operate, the adoption of this policy would mean hospitals nationwide would no longer provide gender-affirming care. The second proposed policy prohibits the allocation of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funds to gender-affirming care for minors under 18, ending state insurance coverage of gender-affirming care for minors. These policies alone would make ge...
For the moment we still celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King as a federal holiday. This year commemorates the holiday’s 40 th anniversary. Born Jan. 15, 1929, King is one of the seminal figures of the Black liberation struggle. His importance cannot be overestimated. He provided a major impetus for the giant leap in the struggle at the midpoint of the 20 th century. Though the legacy is sanitized for the consumption of the masses, and the comfort of the ruling class, King called into question the character of the system that has oppressed Black people for centuries. Political consciousness can grow with struggle. When modest demands are met with violence, the system reveals its true nature and that it cannot be merely reformed. From this experience class consciousness is constructed, which affects not only the masses engaged in the movement but also its leadership. Dr. King arrived at the perspective t...