Abortion Pill Case Coming to SCOTUS in March, New Anti-Transgender Approach in AZ & More

SCOTUS Sets Date for Abortion Pill Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could limit access to the abortion drug mifepristone on March 26. The FDA initially approved the drug for terminating pregnancies through seven weeks gestation in 2000 and extended that period to 10 weeks in 2016.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk stayed FDA approval of the drug last April, but that decision was put on hold by the Supreme Court pending appeal. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in August the drug could remain available under the prescription and dosage guidelines in effect prior to 2016, but that decision is on hold pending the ruling of the Supreme Court. (STATELINE)

AZ Bill Would Mandate Gender Detransition Care

A bill introduced in Arizona (SB 1511) would require doctors and health care institutions that provide gender-affirming care to also provide or pay for gender detransition procedures. The measure would also require insurers that cover gender-affirming care to cover detransition care. (NEWS FROM THE STATES, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)

NC to Stop Covering Weight-Loss Drugs for State Employees

The governing board of the North Carolina State Health Plan voted last week to stop covering medications for weight loss, like the wildly popular drug Wegovy. The state spent $100 million on such drugs last year, 10% of the total amount it spent on prescription drugs. The state will continue to pay for versions of the drugs used to treat diabetes. (NEW YORK TIMES)

FL Lawmakers Considering Breast Imaging Legislation

Legislation under consideration in Florida (SB 932/HB 773) would prohibit insurers from charging out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary diagnostic and supplemental breast exams. Over 22,000 Floridians were diagnosed with breast cancer last year, more than 3,000 of whom died from the disease, according to the Susan G. Komen organization, which attributed those figures in part to “exorbitant out-of-pocket costs associated with essential breast imaging procedures.” Close to a dozen states, including Georgia and Tennessee, have already passed measures similar to SB 932/HB 773. (FLORIDA POLITICS, SUSAN G KOMEN, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)

—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK

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