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Unpaid medical debt will no longer appear in New York residents’ credit reports under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday. The law prohibits credit agencies from collecting information about or reporting medical debt. The law also bans hospitals and health care providers in the state from reporting such debt to the agencies. New York is the second state after Colorado to enact such a law. A similar nationwide measure is being considered by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (Khan, 12/13)

The Ohio Senate passed legislation Wednesday to prevent doctors from administering gender-affirming health care to transgender minors and bar trans student athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Ohio’s House Bill 68 passed the state’s Republican-controlled Senate in a 24-8 vote largely along party lines. One Republican — state Sen. Nathan Manning — voted with all Democrats against the measure, which will need to clear a final House vote before it is sent to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who has so far declined to say whether he will sign it. (Migdon, 12/13)

Missouri Republican lawmakers have pre-filed more than 20 bills aimed at restricting LGBTQ rights ahead of the 2024 legislative session, which begins next month. For Kale Marie Michael, a 22-year-old transgender woman from Kansas City, it feels like her community is always under attack. (Bayless and Shorman, 12/13)

The mother of a transgender girl sobbed in federal court Wednesday as she contemplated having to move away from her Navy officer husband to get health care for her 12-year-old if Florida’s ban on gender dysphoria treatments for minors is allowed to take affect. The woman, who testified as Jane Doe to protect the identity of her child, said her daughter went from being anxious and upset to a thriving, happy straight-A student after being allowed to live as a girl about eight years ago, a decision she made with her husband after multiple visits to their family’s doctor. (Farrington, 12/13)

A state Senate committee Tuesday unanimously approved two high-profile bills that supporters say would help expand access to health care and spur innovation in Florida. The bills approved by the Health Policy Committee are a top priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, for the 2024 legislative session, which will start Jan. 9. (12/13)

Upstart companies around the country sell crushed kratom leaf, providing no clear dosing instructions or warnings about potential dangers. They don’t have to. As medical examiners log an increasing number of overdoses involving kratom across Florida and elsewhere, the industry has largely operated without government constraints or safety measures that could help protect consumers. (Wilson and Ogozalek, 12/13)

More than 40 years after a couple sought the help of a Boston, Massachusetts, fertility specialist, their daughter discovered through a purchased DNA kit that the doctor is her biological father, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts. The suit alleges Dr. Merle Berger secretly used his own sperm to inseminate the mother, Sarah Depoian, in 1980. (Dewberry, 12/14)

When North Carolina expanded Medicaid this month to give more than half a million people access to government-subsidized health care, those new beneficiaries could gain even brighter smiles. The state’s Medicaid program offers comprehensive oral health benefits such as routine cleanings, exams and other preventative services. Care deemed “medically necessary” includes some oral surgeries, periodontal care, tooth restoration, denture fittings and placements — with complete replacements every 10 years and partial replacements every five years. (Blythe, 12/14)

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it is seeking residents in some Detroit neighborhoods to participate in a statewide project investigating certain chemicals in blood and urine. The department says the Michigan Chemical Exposure Monitoring (MiChEM) project team will be in Detroit from Jan. 10-12, 2024 to collect data on lead, mercury, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). (Booth-Singleton, 12/13)