LGBT adults face problems with health care affordability. About half say it's difficult to afford these costs; half say they've skipped/postponed care due to cost. These challenges could grow as new policies are set to leave millions uninsured. www.kff.org/health-costs... w/@lunnalopes.bsky.social

988 suicide & crisis line’s service for LGBTQ young people has fielded over 1M contacts—but the FY2026 budget request eliminates its funding. As usage rises, its future is uncertain. Our new brief explores the landscape and latest data: www.kff.org/mental-healt... w/ @heathersaunders.bsky.social

The bill would also prohibit marketplace plans from covering gender affirming care as an essential health benefit, which could mean costs accrued for service wouldn't count towards deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums, & not be protected from lifetime limits, increasing out-of-pocket liability.

Medicaid plays a larger role in the lives of trans adults (21%) compared to cisgender adults (14%). While there are already barriers to gender affirming care, new coverage limitations would likely make access more challenging.

The reconciliation bill initially would have prohibited Medicaid from covering gender affirming care for minors. A last minute amendment would extend that prohibition to adults. Medicaid provides insurance to one in five transgender adults. www.kff.org/other/issue-...

The first #100Days of the 2nd Trump presidency have been marked by efforts to limit #LGBTQ+ people’s access to health care, civil rights protections, and recognition of their identities. We have been tracking these actions as they relate to health policy: www.kff.org/other/fact-s...

Here is our updated EHE funding tracker: www.kff.org/hivaids/issu...

Our new KFF brief examines the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative’s (EHE) activities & impact to date and what its future might look like under the 2nd Trump administration. kff.org/policy-watch... We also updated our EHE funding tracker (link below).

Together these actions could all hamper the nation’s ability to address HIV in the immediate term, jeopardize innovation, & lead to increased HIV incidence. Additionally, erosion of HIV expertise, research, & infrastructure could have ramifications for public health more broadly.

Today we released a new piece that consolidates information on recent HIV related HHS staff reductions, office closures, & other restructuring initiatives. These actions come on top of NIH grant cuts & threats to CDC's prevention funding. w/
@jenkatesdc.bsky.social www.kff.org/policy-watch...

Our analyses using this data provide policy/advocacy, media, & congressional stakeholders with timely data on the epidemic, incorporating both epidemiological and social factors. Over 10+ years there are many other examples of our work relying on MMP, see: www.kff.org/hivaids/

As cuts to Medicaid and new policy priorities are put on the table, Medicaid work requirements have come back into policy discussion. Our brief using MMP data assessed their possible impact on people with HIV: www.kff.org/hivaids/issu...

Using MMP data, we examined what we know about people with HIV who are out of care (which puts individuals at risk for poor outcomes and jeopardizes public health) and we have been told it is impacting policy discussions at the national level: www.kff.org/hivaids/issu...

MMP data and support from the team at CDC have made our work richer and have helped to shape policy efforts nationwide. One resource that is widely cited is our work examining insurance coverage + viral suppression: www.kff.org/hivaids/issu...

First though, why is MMP unique? Health data is often from a small sample, single payer, or relies on self report. MMP is nationally representative & cross payer. It uses a survey + medical record abstraction (people share experiences & that is connected w/ health information).

With CDC staff & programs cuts, the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) could be at risk. MMP is a rich data source on people w/ HIV & has been core to much of our HIV work for over a decade. Eliminating it would create a data gap. A thread highlighting some of our MMP based work:

Our new piece examines a CMS proposal that would change how ACA plans cover gender affirming care, likely making these services harder to access and/or more expensive. www.kff.org/private-insu... with @mattrae.bsky.social and Kaye Pestaina

⚡KFF’s @lindseydawson.bsky.social writes about the implications of a potential funding cut to the CDC’s HIV prevention budget. #QuickTake on.kff.org/4izGLZR

Our new guide examines Trump Admin executive actions that could have a direct impact on #LGBTQ+ people’s health. It includes an overview of key provisions, their known/potential impact, and related litigation and will be updated as needed. w @jenkatesdc.bsky.social

www.kff.org/other/fact-s...

President Trump’s Executive Order that aims to restrict youth access to gender affirming care doesn’t immediately change policies or regulations, but there’s significant confusion.

Here’s a look at state responses and legal challenges filed by the @aclu.org and other groups⤵️

Ahead of tomorrow's SCOTUS arguments challenging TN's ban on minor access to gender affirming care, our new brief provides background on state bans, explains the challenge to the TN law, and explores the potential impact of a Court ruling. With @lauriesobel.bsky.social www.kff.org/other/issue-...