Idaho
Idaho AG asks U.S. Supreme Court to hear state’s gender care coverage ban case • Idaho Capital Sun
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a lawsuit challenging the state’s law banning public funds from covering gender-affirming health care.
The new law took effect in July, banning Idaho Medicaid and public funds from covering gender-affirming medication and surgeries.
Transgender and nonbinary Idahoans on Medicaid who sued in 2022 — alleging Idaho Medicaid has an unwritten policy of denying or delaying gender-affirming care coverage — this year amended their lawsuit to seek to block the new law.
Labrador asked the Supreme Court to review if refusing coverage for sex-reassignment surgeries violates the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
Labrador filed his request for U.S. Supreme Court review, formally called a petition for writ of certiorari, on Dec. 5. That was a day after the nation’s highest court heard oral arguments in a case challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, called United States v. Skrmetti.
Petitions for writ of certiorari are a process to appeal lower court decisions directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court hardly approves such requests; each term, the court hears oral arguments in about 80 among the 7,000-8,000 petitions filed, SCOTUSblog reports. Approval requires votes by four of the nine justices.
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What Labrador’s cert petition requests
Labrador’s request asked the court to hold his petition until the Tennessee case is decided since “this question will likely be answered by Skrmetti.”
The request then asks the court to remand Idaho’s case to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision in September denying Idaho officials “qualified immunity.”
The suit from Tennessee already before the Supreme Court deals with “substantively identical issues” to Idaho’s, Idaho Office of the Attorney General spokesperson Dan Estes told the Idaho Capital Sun in a statement.
“Multiple circuit courts have ruled over the last two years that states can regulate sex reassignment treatments without violating the Constitution,” Estes said in a statement. “We hope the Supreme Court will agree and issue a ruling confirming the constitutionality of Idaho’s alleged policy of not covering sex reassignment surgeries under Medicaid.”
In July, federal judge Raymond E. Patricco, chief magistrate judge in the District of Idaho, issued a temporary restraining order that had blocked Idaho’s new law only for the seven suing patients in the lawsuit, but the order expired.
On Nov. 22, Patricco heard oral arguments on whether to grant a preliminary injunction, a broader, longer-lasting legal block against the law. He has not yet issued his ruling.
What Idaho’s law does
The bill creating the new law — House Bill 668 — was approved by all but one Idaho Republican state legislator this spring before Gov. Brad Little signed it into law.
Bill sponsors argued the bill ensures that taxpayer dollars are not inappropriately used. Opponents said major medical groups say gender-affirming care is medically necessary and safe, and warned that the law could lead to a lawsuit.
According to the law, public funds cannot cover hormone therapy, puberty blockers or surgical procedures for the purpose “to affirm the individual’s perception” of their sex. But the law outlines other coverage of the procedures still legally allowed.
In response to the new law, Health West, the go-to gender-affirming care clinic in eastern Idaho, stopped providing gender-affirming care. The move appeared to be driven by fears of losing funding, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.
How much does gender-affirming care cost Idaho taxpayers? Health agency hasn’t said.
It isn’t clear how many Idaho Medicaid patients receive gender-affirming care. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has declined to answer questions about gender care coverage and costs, citing the litigation — but has said the agency hasn’t covered “any surgeries for gender dysphoria for adults or youth.”
Around 350,000 Idahoans are on Medicaid, which largely covers low-income and disabled people. Gender nonconforming people are at higher risk for being in a lower socio-economic status, a study in February found.
Less than 1% of Idaho’s population is transgender — or about 7,000 Idaho adults and 1,000 Idahoans age 13 and up, according to estimates from the University of California-Los Angeles.
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Cert petition Labrador MH v. Adams 12-5-24
CALDWELL, Idaho (CBS2) — More than 2,000 Idaho Power customers in Canyon County are without electricity Wednesday evening as crews respond to an outage affecting Caldwell and Middleton.
Idaho Power reported the outage at 8 p.m. July 8, listing 2,163 customers impacted in the 83605, 83644 and 83687 ZIP codes.
The outage is expected to be resolved by 10 p.m. July 8; Idaho Power said a crew was dispatched and en route. The cause of the outage is not immediately known.
(KRON) — An Idaho man is recovering after a life-threatening rattlesnake bite during a family visit to Oroville, Northern California. Chris Howarth spent nearly two weeks in intensive care following the incident in his mother’s garden.
During his 12-day stay in intensive care, Howarth received 54 vials of anti-venom and multiple blood transfusions, split between six days at Oroville Hospital and six days after being flown to Stanford.
Six weeks after the incident, he is approximately 80% recovered.
Howarth initially believed the bites were a prick from a thorn or a “star thistle or one of those goat heads.” He described the sensation as feeling “like getting your blood drawn.”
“I think I got bit twice. I said ‘ow’ again and ‘ow’ again. It almost felt like getting your blood drawn,” said Howarth. Howarth also noted he “didn’t hear it at all” when his father went to inspect the area and observed the snake shaking its tail without making noise.
As his wife drove him to the hospital, his condition worsened.
“On the way there, he was started kind of feeling some numbness and tingling in his mouth and his tongue so I knew we needed to get to the closest hospital,” said Jenny Howarth.
Howarth is still experiencing lingering effects from the bite, including swelling, soreness and fatigue.
“My leg is still kind of sore and tender, my ankle still swells, I barely got able to tie a shoe just a few days ago and also still having lingering effects of fatigue,” Howarth said.
California’s Poison Control system has received 77 rattlesnake-related calls this year, with experts reporting encounters are occurring earlier and more frequently. Dr. Rafa Lima, an emergency physician at Kaiser Permanente in San Leandro, explained that rattlesnake venom “destroys local tissue and causes a lot of pain and swelling.”
Dr. Lima advised immediate medical attention for suspected venomous snake bites. “If you are bitten by a snake with a rattle or you suspect is venomous, you should really get care immediately,” Dr. Lima said.
He also dispelled common myths, stating, “There’s a common myth that you should just tourniquet up the wound and bind it and mobilize it, or even try to suck the venom out but all that does is delays the time to get treatment and the longer the venom is in the tissue, the worst prognosis.”
Howarth mentioned that the weather conditions were unexpected for a rattlesnake encounter.
“That day and even the day before, it kind of been cooler and it had been raining so we weren’t expecting to see a rattlesnake,” she said.
Howarth hopes his experience highlights that rattlesnakes pose a risk in garden areas, not just hiking trails, even during cooler weather. Howarth hopes to return to work next week.
Those who want to donate to a GoFundMe set up for Howarth can do so here.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
NAMPA, Idaho — Nearly 20 years after Idaho soldier John Borbonus was killed in Iraq, his legacy is continuing to serve fellow veterans.
The Borbonus Family Foundation, created in his honor, announced a $500,000 grant Tuesday to the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa.
WATCH: One Idaho soldier’s legacy continues to serve fellow veterans
Warhawk Air Museum receives $500K grant honoring Idaho soldier John Borbonus
The museum says the unrestricted gift is its largest ever and will help cover operating costs as it continues to grow.
Executive Director Carson Spear says grants of this size often come with requirements to fund a specific project, but the Borbonus Family Foundation instead asked to use the funds where they are most needed.
Warhawk leaders say the funding will help preserve veterans’ stories and continue programs like the Kilroy Coffee Klatch, which brings together veterans from different generations each month.
RELATED | Kilroy Coffee Klatch brings veterans together at the Warhawk Air Museum
Vietnam veteran Emil Berry says the museum is more than a place to display history.
“It brings back memories, and also it helps the veteran, helps the military personnel. It’s just a special, very special establishment,” Berry said.
Borbonus’ sister, Alexa Borbonus, says Warhawk already preserves part of her brother’s story through a display dedicated to his service.
“The Warhawk Museum, they have a special place in our hearts,” Alexa Borbonus said. “They have John’s case on display now, and they provide a safe space for all our veterans in Idaho.”
RELATED | Skydivers honor fallen Boise soldier John Borbonus at annual memorial golf tournament
Sen. Jim Risch, who attended Tuesday’s announcement, said museums like Warhawk remind people that “freedom isn’t free” and help future generations appreciate the sacrifices made by those who served.
Following the announcement, the Borbonus family also donated John Borbonus’ challenge coin and the KIA bracelet worn by his family to Warhawk’s bar display, adding another piece of his legacy to the museum.
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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