Why? The standards of care outlined by the APA is pretty clear on this.
And note, I did not say that there was consensus, but general agreement - meaning the predominant line of thought leans toward supportive care.
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For those who are interested in the actual text of the memo sent to FL public universities, here are two documents:
- The memo itself: 23-022 - SUS Gender Dysphoria Services.pdf - Google Drive
- The attachment with specific instructions on what data to include: 23-022 - Attachment.pdf - Google Drive
From the memo:
All requests contained herein are for aggregated information. Please ensure all responses do not contain personally identifiable information or protected health information and are provided in an aggregated and de-identified format.
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Well, I would rather have the governor use the actual numbers than make something up. For those who support transgender care, we can own it-yes, we spend $x million on this type of care, $y million on maternity, etc etc. We shouldnt be trying to hide information from the public that is paying for it.
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And FSU had the most applications in its history
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Right, but he only requested info about one kind of medical data from universities, and when asked his spokesman referenced a political speech. That doesn’t strike you as being about politics and not medical care?
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Politicians make everything about politics. So what? The information is probably available under the state’s FOIA law anyway. If we provide this care, we can admit it, not hide it.
I would hope someone would find out what we spend on mental health care too. Maybe that could be used to argue for more or different forms of care
Sure, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable given the context of the request, the response to questions about it and so on, that this is laying the groundwork for the government to make medical decisions for it’s population based on politics.
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It already does-see, for example, abortion, euthanasia and contraceptive decisions.
yeah, that’s a good point. So, let’s just say that I think it reasonable to see this as one more area the government is seeking to control medical decisions based on politics and not standards of care, and for people who rely on those medical treatments to be worried/upset.
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We’re doing good. We haven’t gotten kicked off yet. LOL.
My position is to say that medical decisions have already been politicized to the point that it’s very difficult to actually get the truth anymore in many cases. I’m fairly sure that both sides of these debates are operating in an information vaccuum that shouldn’t exist.
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It’s a difficult subject for sure.
Basically for things like this, I’d first look at setting up a process to determine the truth, and a process to determine a course of action. So for government regulation of medical care (which I do believe to be a valid function of government), I’d want to see the process used to determine things, and it should be created in general first (ie, not tied to a particular issue - so you’re not defining a process to get a result you’ve pre-determined).
So, going along these lines, I think a medical review board is fine, but it obviously should be populated by doctors, statisticians, public health professionals, etc - and the hiring process should be open and transparent based on standards of qualifications not political leanings. Something like that…
Then that medical board’s primary function should not be to dictate standards of care, but to ensure that the various medical communities themselves are following strict processes to determine their standards of care. I don’t think the government needs to determine the best procedures for heart transplants, but to ensure that the procedures being employed conform to best medical practices and have followed the appropriate level of testing and so on.
I can go on, but this is a very generalized process that I just came up with to show my general intent. Medical care should be determined based on a process rooted in our knowledge to date - not people’s feelings on an issue. That doesn’t mean what we know now is perfect and won’t ever change, but it’s the best we have at the time, and we make decisions based on that. Periodic review is essential in advancing scientific knowledge.
What I see in discussions about this, is decisions being proposed based on feelings of discomfort and fear that we’re making a mistake. Those feelings are valid, but not a great way to make decisions. I also have a personal opinion that a lot of this is driven by some to create an outgroup in order to enforce social cohesion among others to create a voting block – that is not a valid way to do things - but it’s also only my opinion on why this discussion keeps popping up.
Does HIPAA apply to schools/universities?
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If they are health care providers or insurance companies.
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Don’t forget that gender affirming ‘standard of cars’ services are available per ACA-approved health plans which every student already should have. What the Gov seems to be seeking is data on those additional services provided by the on campus student health service paid for by the state/student health fees?
Well, I think if that were only the case he would have just asked for the dollar amount.
But also, it doesn’t matter because the issue I and I think others have is why single out this one medical condition? What standard is the government following to determine what medical procedures to fund or not fund? Again, I go back to the spokesman citing a politcal speech, which means the government is doing this for politcal purposes and not medical purposes, and is that a standard we are comfortable with?
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Right. Though, as i believe you mentioned elsewhere, the standard of care is to support people seeking transition; the opposing view is the outlier view. So, there isn’t a medical reason that would hold up.
Also, who does Desantis seek information on next? This is a dangerous precedent no matter who holds power, and particularly bad for a group that’s been suffered increased discrimination and violence.
I expect that it’s intended to
- gather data for policy making
- gather data for talking points in political contexts
- provoke trans students and allies in order to spark controversy (increasing press coverage of these issues and political actions)
I don’t think the intent is for the state to gather information on specific trans individuals. I think this is aimed more at the institutions providing care, rather than the individuals receiving care. However, it’s also very understandable that the individuals receiving care would have privacy concerns.
what precedent? I have no doubt that the student health service tracks # of students vaccinated for covid, number of students who present with the flu or with an STD, number of students who arrive intoxicated and sleep it off in the infirmary, number of students who receive birth control on campus…
All services provided by the student health services are tracked and reportable, as they should be.
Is it political? Absolutely. The state surely has the right to decide what services the campus health service will provide, or not. (And yes, those are political decisions made with input from College Health. As a great man once said, “elections have consequences”.)
But again, the services are available off campus if students have privacy concerns.
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These kids should take the time they would have spent protesting, and learn some coping strategies. Unfortunately, all too common for that age.
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The numbers they should be really looking at are the mental health ones in this age group as per latest CDC data.
Protesting can be seen as a type of coping strategy. A type of pressure-vent. As long as it’s done peacefully I see no issues with protest. I’ve had some great conversations with protestors and counter-protestors back in my youth. Civility is a must, however.
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