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Tensions over L.A. immigration sweeps boil over as Padilla is tackled, ICE arrests pick up; IN residents watch direction of Trump spending bill amid state budget cuts; More than two dozen 'No Kings' events planned Saturday across Montana.

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Democrats demand answers on CA Sen. Padilla's handcuffing and removal from a DHS news conference. Defense Secretary Hegseth defends the administration's protest response as preventative, and Trump vows protests of Saturday's military parade will be met with "heavy" force.

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EV charging stations are harder to find in rural America, improving the mental health of children and teachers is the goal of a new partnership in seven rural states, and a once segregated Mississippi movie theater is born again.

NV Bill Looks to Secure Gender-Affirming Care

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Monday, March 6, 2023   

A Nevada bill is seeking to secure gender-affirming health care for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in the state.

SB 163 would require health insurance companies to provide coverage for treatments and procedures relating to gender dysphoria and gender incongruence.

Amy Koo - acting deputy director of ONE APIA Nevada - said health care in the U.S. is "convoluted" as is, but adds SB 163 would help recognize and streamline gender-affirming health care for folks in Nevada, setting what she calls a model for the rest of the country.

Koo said it is important to note a bill like this doesn't necessarily make it easier to access gender-affirming care, but aims to remove outside barriers.

"This bill is going to be helping those of us who are most vulnerable to the tides of discrimination," said Koo, "and so that is something I really want to highlight - that this doesn't make it easier for people to access the care, it just makes sure other outside factors aren't able to prevent people from accessing that care."

Koo said while many states around the country move to restrict or ban gender-affirming health care, she said she is pleased to see Nevada pushing to make health care more equitable for a population she says is high risk.

Preston Tang, an advisor with the Southern Nevada Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society, said they're always receiving calls from individuals trying to find providers and insurance plans that cover gender-affirming care.

He said the situation is "frustrating" but is happy to know SB 163 could change that.

Tang said there is growing consensus among experts and medical professionals that recognize the importance of gender-affirming health care. He said while advocating may seem intimidating, now is the time for action because many LGBTQ causes and rights are under attack.

"This is the time where we need to rally together, as human beings, as allies," said Tang, "to support our LGBT community and or transgender siblings so that we can ensure that they have equal access to medical care."

Senate Bill 163 is being sponsored by Sens. Melanie Scheible and Dallas Harris, both D-Las Vegas. The bill would require public and private health-care plans, including Medicaid, to cover medical services but would also establish requirements before the insurer will cover certain gender-affirming procedures.




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