Health

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NYU Experts Report First US Case Of Difficult To Treat Sexually Transmitted Fungal Infection In NYC Gay Man

NYU’s Langone Health News reports: Experts at NYU Langone Health who focus on the spread of contagious rashes document the first reported case in the United States of a sexually transmitted fungal infection that can take months to clear up, even with treatment. The first report, which published online on June 5 in the journal JAMA Dermatology, describes a man in his 30s who developed tinea on his penis, buttocks, and limbs after returning home to New York City from a trip to England, Greece, and California. Genetic tests of fungal samples collected from the patient’s rashes revealed that the infection was […]

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The Status of Health Care for Transgender People: Successful Legal Challenges and a Dangerous Expansion

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The landscape on health care access for transgender Americans seemingly shifts by the day. Here’s a summary of the most recent movement in state legislatures and the courts: On Tuesday, May 21, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed into law one of the most extreme anti-transgender laws in the nation. H. 4624 bans health care for transgender youth under 18. Alarmingly, it also imposes severe restrictions on access to health care for transgender adults under major insurance plans and health care providers who receive public funds. “Anti-transgender extremists claimed that their surge of attacks against basic access to health care were in […]

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CDC says vaccination could protect the U.S. from more dangerous mpox virus

As concerns mount about a large outbreak of an especially virulent form of mpox in central Africa and an uptick in U.S. cases since early last year, the mpox vaccine appears to give long-term protection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. In a separate report, the CDC indicated that overall new mpox infections across the U.S. have remained at a steady, low level —–  about 60 cases weekly, compared with 3,000 cases a week at the outbreak’s summer 2022 peak —– in recent months. However, cases so far this year are elevated nationally compared with the same period in 2023 […]

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Neurodiversity Pride isn’t centered on LGBTQ+ people, but perhaps it should be

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Neurodiversity Pride Day will be observed internationally on June 18, 2024 as a way to celebrate people who have neurologically atypical ways of thinking, learning, and behaving, and to reduce stigma against these people. The neurodiversity (ND) movement often uses a rainbow infinity symbol — one that’s also used by autism awareness advocates. But while neither movements are specifically centered on LGBTQ+ people, perhaps it’s time to re-think that, especially since LGBTQ+ identities have long been stigmatized as forms of mental illness and numerous studies have linked queerness with autism. Below is a quick look at the slippery concept of […]

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CDC warns of new mpox outbreak, urges vaccination

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With a severe version of mpox breaking out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning that it could spread and that people at risk should be vaccinated as soon as possible. High-risk populations include men who have sex with men, although anyone can contract the disease, which is largely spread by skin-to-skin contact — sexual relations, for instance, but also in crowds at outdoor festivals. Thousands of gay and bisexual men developed mpox in a 2022 outbreak. People with compromised immune systems, such as those living with HIV, are at high risk for […]

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Lesbian and bisexual women die earlier than straight women, decades long study finds

Lesbian and bisexual women die significantly earlier than heterosexual women, according to a new study, and it’s likely due in part to discrimination. The role sexuality plays in overall health is a subject that’s attracted researchers for decades, resulting in a large body of evidence of how LGBTQ people experience a variety of negative outcomes, from mental health issues to chronic disease, at elevated rates. But what hadn’t been widely studied is how these outcomes actually affect mortality rates. The paper, published last month in JAMA, reviewed decades’ worth of data from the Nurses’ Health Study II, which began in 1989 as part of […]

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Gay couple files first-of-its-kind class action against NYC for IVF benefits

A gay couple filed a first-of-its-kind class action lawsuit against New York City on Thursday alleging that the city’s health insurance plan is discriminatory because it doesn’t cover in vitro fertilization, or IVF, for male couples.  The lawsuit is the latest development in what has become a yearslong effort by the couple to get the city to change its IVF benefits, which the couple argues makes accommodations for heterosexual and lesbian couples, and for single women. Corey Briskin and Nicholas Maggipinto said they have been talking about having children since 2014, ahead of their engagement. They planned to use a […]

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The FDA grants trans-inclusive at-home cervical screening device a priority review

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a priority review for a trans-inclusive cervical screening at-home test to become approved in the US, and we think it’s high time for a change. For women, trans and non-binary people with uteruses, undergoing a regular cervical smear to prevent and detect cervical cancer can be an unpleasant experience due to the cold and down-right uncomfortable speculum used. Some gender-diverse people also experience gender-based discrimination in such appointments. The outdated device used in pelvic appointments to separate the vaginal walls can be cold and uncomfortable. The clamp-like instrument was invented in […]

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Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ customers

Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ customers in need of fertility treatment. Under the deal announced Friday, the insurer will make coverage of artificial insemination standard for all customers nationally and work to ensure that patients have equal access to more expensive in-vitro fertilization procedures, according to the National Women’s Law Center, which represented plaintiffs in the case. Aetna, the health insurance arm of CVS Health Corp., covers nearly 19 million people with commercial coverage, including employer-sponsored health insurance. The insurer will set aside a $2 million fund to reimburse people who […]

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How did the Biden administration just make health care fairer for LGBTQ+ people?

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The Biden-Harris administration announced Friday that it had finalized an essential update to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, significantly strengthening protections against discrimination in health care, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This pivotal rule change reverses prior rollbacks under the Trump administration and establishes a new benchmark for inclusivity in health care access. Advocacy groups have praised the move. What is Section 1557? Section 1557 of the ACA is a critical nondiscrimination statute prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs or activities. It plays a vital role in ensuring equity within […]

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