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Ohio has scrapped plans to restrict gender-affirming health care for adults following backlash over a proposal issued last month. Ohio's proposed limits would have been the toughest restrictions on transition-related care for adults in the country, transgender rights advocates said. (Goldman, 2/7)

Transgender Americans are at the center of growing political attacks and national media coverage, and yet there is little data — and plenty of misinformation — about their lives. A report released Wednesday aims to change that. (Rummler and Sosin, 2/7)

After multiple delays, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says it’s “on track” to implement specialized Medicaid plans this summer that are designed for beneficiaries with complex needs. Now scheduled to launch on July 1, the so-called “tailored plans” are expected to cover about 150,000 existing Medicaid participants who require more extensive care and support than typical enrollees. Many people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, complex psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders will be moved to the plans, according to DHHS. (Baxley, 2/8)

Three Mecklenburg County commissioners attended the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority board meeting on Tuesday after reading a Ledger/NC Health News article this week — and all said afterward that it bothers them that the public board doesn’t give the public a chance to speak. Commissioners Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, Elaine Powell and Laura Meier also said they would like to have more input in approving appointees to the board, which governs Atrium Health, the $9.3 billion system that’s also a government entity. (Crouch, 2/8)

Citing the state’s ballooning older adult population and lapses in care at several Connecticut nursing homes, Gov. Ned Lamont released a wide-ranging bill Wednesday that proposes reforms across the elder care sector, from measures designed to increase transparency in nursing home operations to consumer protections for people in assisted living centers. (Carlesso and Altimari, 2/7)

In an era of rising health costs, it almost sounds too good to be true: A midsized Montana-based company managed to nearly halve its per-person health spending in just five years, without dropping benefits. Pacific Steel & Recycling's success in wrestling down its health spending provides a case study of how employers can cut costs, but CEO Jeff Millhollin said the effort also demonstrates why it's harder than needed for most companies and workers. (Reed, 2/8)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a long-anticipated rule aimed at reducing the level of air pollution known as particulate matter — microscopic particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and harm people’s health. Reducing air pollution has been a prime focus of the Biden administration’s environmental agenda. The new rule tightens the amount of particulate matter, often referred to as soot, permitted in the air from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter annually. (Martinez, 2/7)

“Today’s action is a critical step forward that will better protect workers, families and communities from the dangerous and costly impacts of fine particle pollution,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a news conference. “The science is clear, soot pollution is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution, and it’s linked to a range of serious and potentially deadly illnesses, including asthma and heart attacks.” (Briscoe, 2/7)

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, female firefighters and lifeguards explained to the board how ill-fitting uniforms designed for men restrict their ability to move, are heavier because of unnecessary material and leave gaps that increase their risk of being burned by flying embers or inhaling smoke known to cause cancer. The supervisors responded by passing a motion ... that demands the county Fire Department, working with its Women’s Fire League, develop a plan within 60 days to offer female firefighters, paramedics and lifeguards uniforms and personal protective equipment made to fit them. (Cosgrove, 2/6)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Cities Know The Way Police Respond To Mental Crisis Calls Needs To Change. But How? 

Philadelphia police officers Kenneth Harper and Jennifer Torres were in their patrol car sitting at a red light when a call came in over the 911 radio dispatch. “This job says ‘female complaint in reference to dispute with daughter, suffers from bipolar, infant on location,'” Harper read off the computer near the front seat. (Leonard, Wolffe and Popperl, 2/8)