HEALTH EQUITY
LGBTQ+ clinicians hold the line, plan for future
It would be “out of touch,” as Alex Sheldon put it, if a professional group for LGBTQ+ clinicians didn’t acknowledge at its annual meeting the way that federal forces have zeroed in on the community this year. “We have people in the room who've been targeted directly — literally themselves — by the federal administration for the care that they provide,” said Sheldon, executive director of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equity. “It would be alarming, honestly, if the tone weren't slightly different than it was last year.”
Last year, everyone gathered just weeks before the presidential election took place. They knew the stakes were high, Sheldon said, but “we still couldn't possibly have anticipated the rapid descent of everything that we hold dear in LGBTQ+ health care.” This weekend, the group met again for three days of plenaries and presentations organized to balance the focus on resistance to restrictive policies with building a path toward a future with expanded, improved evidence and access to care. Security was on the premises, and many attendees seemed to have considered if there was a physical risk to showing up. But there were also drag performances and karaoke.
GLMA’s own work has also changed over the last year. While the group had previously volunteered its medical expertise in litigation, now the group is suing the federal government itself, based on the standing of its members who have lost research grants and been unable to deliver care. In August, the group notched a win when a district court judge blocked the NIH from terminating grants focused on sexual and gender minorities. — Theresa Gaffney
MENTAL HEALTH
California enacts safeguards for AI chatbots
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law yesterday a bill that forces developers of artificially intelligent chatbots to erect safeguards for users of the technology and provides them with the right to pursue legal action against negligent developers.
The law has several provisions, including preventing chatbots from exposing minors to sexual content and developing protocols for addressing talk of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm in the chat. It’s the first state to develop guardrails after months of media reports about how AI chatbots can trigger delusions, paranoia, and even suicide. It’s clear that chatbots can pose a risk to a person’s mental health, especially if they have psychosis, as I wrote about in September.
Relatedly, my colleague Mario Aguilar has a scoop this morning that Lyra Health will let its members talk about their mental health with a chatbot, making it the largest company to launch a generative AI product as a part of ongoing therapy treatment. Read more here.
BUSINESS
Medicare Advantage plans shrinking coverage
For years, Medicare Advantage plans have skyrocketed in popularity with zero-dollar premiums and generous benefits. But a decade of enrollment growth could finally contract for the first time in 20 years, writes STAT’s Tara Bannow.
Private Medicare insurers are saying cuts to plans and benefits are necessary because members’ care has gotten more expensive. So when Medicare’s annual enrollment period starts Wednesday, beneficiaries will face tough choices.
Insurers have been slashing plans and benefits for a few years now. It began after the Covid-19 pandemic, when older adults returned for procedures they’d put off during shutdowns, like hip and knee replacements. Among the plans being sold for next year, industry analysts pointed to noteworthy cuts among Elevance, UnitedHealthcare, and CVS Health, which owns Aetna. Will 2026 be the bottom? Read Tara’s story.
