What to know about the impacts of the Supreme Court's ruling on transgender care for youth
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth in a ruling that's likely to reverberate across the country.
Most Republican-controlled states already have similar bans.
In his majority opinion Wednesday , Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Tennessee's ban does not violate the Constitution's equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same.
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Social Security fund could run out in 8 years, trustees say. Is there hope?
Social Security's reserves could vanish in eight years, roughly on par with previous estimates, according to a new report. At that point, if no adjustments are made, the entitlement program's trust fund will be able to pay out just 77% of benefits to seniors. Medicare is in the same boat. That's the latest projection for the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund, according to the 2025 Social Security and Medicare Trustees annual report released Wednesday. Is there any hope? Only if Congress gets its act together and makes some fixes, which are doable. "A huge number that lawmakers have allowed this to run out of control — but it doesn't change the fact that we have the tools we need to address this problem and turn the ship around," Emerson Sprick, an economist and associate director of the Economic Policy Program at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told Yahoo Finance. Some slightly good news: If the OASI were combined with the fund that pays out disability benefits — the Disability Insurance Trust Fund — the reserve fund would not go broke until the third quarter of 2034, three quarters sooner than reported last year, and it would shell out 81% of scheduled benefits. However, the two funds can't be combined, at least for now. The combined projection of the two funds is frequently used to indicate the overall status of the Social Security program. But the situation is worse than you think. 'Since last year's report, one law was enacted that is projected to have a substantial effect on Social Security's financial status — The Social Security Fairness Act was enacted on January 5th, 2025,' said a senior government official. Read more: What is the retirement age for Social Security, 401(k), and IRA withdrawals? This law, the Social Security Fairness Act, impacts more than 3 million Social Security recipients by increasing monthly benefits for certain types of workers, including some teachers, firefighters, and police officers in many states, federal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System, and people whose work had been covered by a foreign social security system. 'Although it's not reflected in the projected year of trust fund depletion, the report shows clearly that Social Security's financial outlook has worsened over the last year, mainly due to the enactment of the act," said Sprick, the economist. The Medicare Hospital Insurance trust fund will also exhaust its reserves in 2033, three years earlier than projected last year, primarily due to the change in projected expenditures. The projected shortfall for Medicare — which covers 67.6 million people: 60.3 million aged 65 and older, and 7.3 million disabled — largely stems from the rising cost of healthcare. This increase is mainly a result of higher-than-anticipated 2024 expenditures and higher projected spending for inpatient hospital and hospice services, according to the senior government official. Read more: Medicare open enrollment: How to add or adjust your coverage How broadly would these cuts be felt? The Social Security program paid nearly $1.47 trillion in benefits last year to about 68 million Americans. For about half of seniors, Social Security provides at least half of their income, and for about 1 in 4 seniors, it accounts for at least 90% of their income. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy There are plenty of factors beyond the new law that are responsible for the dwindling till and have been festering for years. Stepping back to look at the bigger picture over 75 years, the Trustees project that the Social Security trust funds face a 3.82% taxable payroll shortfall, up significantly from 3.5% last year, according to the senior official. That's a persistent problem — the share of total earnings subject to payroll tax has decreased significantly. Social Security is mostly a pay-as-you-go program. Payroll taxes collected from workers now pay out the benefits to current recipients. Part of the problem is that people are living longer and the birth rate is falling, so the ratio of workers to beneficiaries is shrinking. During 2024, an estimated 184 million people had earnings covered by Social Security and paid payroll taxes on those earnings. Total income, including interest, to the combined OASI and DI Trust Funds amounted to $1.42 trillion in 2024. Almost 91% of that revenue, or $1.29 trillion, came from payroll taxes, $55 billion from taxation of Social Security benefits, and $69 billion in interest earned on the government bonds held by the trust funds. However, much of wage growth has gone to higher earners, reducing the percentage of wages subject to Social Security tax, the official said. 'Earnings for the roughly 6% of workers above the taxable maximum level increased much more rapidly than earnings for the 94% of workers below the taxable maximum level, so that the share of total earnings subject to the payroll tax has declined." The ceiling: $176,100. That means payroll taxes will contribute a smaller percentage to Social Security's revenues. This factor is largely responsible for the worsening financial status of the trust funds compared to the projections in 1983 after the last major amendments, when the combined trust funds were projected to become depleted after 2050. Read more: When will I get my Social Security check? Payment schedule for 2025. Certainly, other issues will be tossed into the equation moving ahead. One possibility that the trustees will be watching is the impact the administration's immigration policy might have on future population growth and, subsequently, future workers paying into the Social Security system, including the number of foreign-born workers who pay into the program. 'Congress must act," AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan said in a solutions exist to fix the shortfall, including ratcheting up payroll taxes, which currently fund the program at 12.4%, split evenly between employees and employers. Other proposals include raising the retirement age for younger workers or lifting the cap on the amount of a person's income that is subject to the Social Security tax. For 2025, the Social Security tax limit is $176,100. The current rate for Medicare is 1.45% for the employer and 1.45% for the employee, or 2.9% total. There is no wage cap for Medicare. And employers are responsible for withholding 0.9% additional Medicare tax on an individual's wages paid in excess of $200,000. 'Congress has always acted to avert past shortfalls, and will again. Allowing a 15-20% immediate benefit cut to go into effect would be political suicide,' said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works. Congress has eight years, and the clock is ticking. Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work" and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump administration to shutter LGBTQ+ youth suicide hotline
PRESENTED BY The Big Story The Trump administration has given a crisis hotline for LGBTQ+ youth 30 days to shut down and stakeholders as well as lawmakers are speaking out against the move. © The Associated Press While the White House had signaled earlier this year that it would no longer fund the LGBTQ youth service, 'Press 3 option,' of the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline starting in 2026, it had said funding for the rest of this year would remain unchanged. But the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced Tuesday it would 'no longer silo' the program. 'The Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus included a Congressional directive for $29.7 million to fund the specialized service,' the agency said in a statement. 'Federal funding in FY24 for the Press 3 services increased to $33 million. As of June 2025, more than $33 million in funds have been spent to support the subnetworks, fully expending the monies allocated for 988 Lifeline LGB+ subnetwork services.' The Health Department's annual budget 'does not, however, grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by 'counselors' without consent or knowledge of their parents,' said Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for the White House's Office of Management and Budget. The Trevor Project, which responds to roughly half of 988 calls and texts from LGBTQ+ youth, said it had received a stop-work order from the Trump administration. 'This is devastating, to say the least. Suicide prevention is about people, not politics,' said Jaymes Black, the Trevor Project's CEO. 'The administration's decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible.' GOP Rep. Mike Lawler (N.Y.) also spoke out against the move, saying on Wednesday, 'This is wrong,' adding that 'the 988 hotline has been a lifesaver.' Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Democrats, major medical groups denounce Supreme Court gender-affirming care ruling Democratic leaders and professional medical organizations on Wednesday denounced the Supreme Court's ruling upholding a 2023 Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a decision the high court delivered along ideological lines that stands to impact similar laws passed in roughly half the country. The high court's three Democratic-appointed justices dissented with the conservative majority. Justice Sonia … FDA approves 6-month HIV prevention shot Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences announced Wednesday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its six-month, twice-yearly HIV PrEP injection, which was found in trials to be more than 99.9 percent effective among participants. Gilead's product Yeztugo, a form of lenacapavir, was approved for reducing the risk of sexually acquired HIV in adults and adolescents when injected twice a year. Lenacapavir is … GOP Rep. Lawler: Trump cutting LGBTQ youth suicide hotline is 'wrong' Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Wednesday that the Trump administration's decision to cut the LGBTQ youth suicide hotline is 'wrong.' 'This is wrong. According to studies, LGBTQ+ young people have an elevated risk of suicide and are more likely than their peers to attempt it. We should ensure they have the resources necessary to get help,' Lawler said in a post on social platform X. 'The 988 hotline has been a lifesaver. … In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Obama: US 'dangerously close' to moving toward autocracy Former President Obama warned on Tuesday the current political climate isn't 'consistent' with American democracy. 'It is consistent with autocracies,' Obama told a crowd in Hartford, Conn., where he spoke about the growing threat posed under the Trump administration, according to Connecticut Public Radio. A MESSAGE FROM ALLIANCE FOR AGING RESEARCH Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: What Others are Reading Most read stories on The Hill right now: Senate GOP leader faces pushback after members blindsided by Trump bill Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is facing strong pushback from members of the GOP conference over the Finance Committee's piece of … Read more 5 takeaways from Tucker Carlson's interview with Ted Cruz Pundit Tucker Carlson published a nearly two-hour interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday, during which the two conservative firebrands … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Republicans uncover no new intel on Biden during hearing on his cognitive abilities
The Senate Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday digging into the cognitive abilities of former President Joe Biden and claims of whether his aides helped what they say was a cover up of his alleged mental decline -- claims the former president and many on his staff have denied. The probe didn't uncover any new information on the former president -- with Democratic members of the subcommittee boycotting the hearing. Democratic senators on the committee walked out of the hearing shortly after it began, with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin blasting the panel for even holding the hearing, while he says a number of timely investigations should be going on related to President Donald Trump's current actions. "So far this year, the Republican majority on this committee has not held a single oversight hearing, despite numerous critical challenges facing the nation that are under our jurisdiction," Durbin said. MORE: GOP senators plan hearing on Biden's perceived cognitive decline The GOP panel repeatedly accused Democrats -- and the media -- of concealing the former president's alleged real health conditions in order to prevent Trump's 2024 victory. "Today's hearing is about competency, corruption and cover up within the Biden administration. Simply put, the last administration was rudderless from one crisis to another. The Biden Administration failed and folded. The partisan media did their best to cover up those failures," Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley claimed. Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who was among the witnesses, compared his time working under Trump in his first term to his observations of Biden, praising Trump's energy and mental focus. Spicer never worked for the Biden administration. Spicer also criticized "legacy media" for questions raised about Trump's fitness for office in his first term, while he claims they were not questioning Biden the same way. "Many, rightly so, believe the media in this country is culpable in covering up the obvious decline of the 46th president and leaders of the free world -- the president of the United States. The scrutiny that was baselessly directed at President Trump during his first term was wholly absent from the media coverage of the Biden White House," Spicer claimed. Republicans on the committee also focused on Trump -- saying he is in command and makes skillful decisions. "The public is counting on us to ensure this never happens again, because we won't always be fortunate enough to have a leader like President Trump, who is so unmistakably in command," Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said. In May, Senate Republicans announced their plans to launch the probe into Biden's mental fitness while in office -- including his use of autopen, a mechanical device to automatically add a signature to a document that's been utilized by several past presidents, including Trump in his first term. The hearing also comes after Trump earlier this month ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether Biden's administration sought to conspire to cover up his alleged mental state while in office. The move by the White House represents a significant escalation, as it is a directive to the Justice Department to formally investigate. MORE: Trump directs DOJ, White House counsel to investigate Biden's mental state in office Biden responded to the Trump order, saying "Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency." "I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false," Biden said in a statement. In May, House Oversight Chairman James Comer requested Biden's White House physician, Kevin O'Connor, appear for a transcribed interview as part of an investigation into Biden's mental fitness and use of a presidential autopen while in office. Comer asked O'Connor to sit for an interview on June 25. The calls for the probes into Biden also come after the recent release of "Original Sin" by CNN host Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, claiming the Bidens had a "capacity for denial and the lengths they would go to avoid transparency about health issues." In response to the book's release, a Biden spokesman said "there is nothing in this book that shows Joe Biden failed to do his job, as the authors have alleged, nor did they prove their allegation that there was a cover up or conspiracy." On Wednesday morning, Trump -- who often criticizes Biden -- lambasted the former president's use of autopen and claimed that Biden didn't have control while leading the country. "All these people, all the scum that was around the Oval, you know, the Oval Office, or around the beautiful Resolute desk, telling this guy here, 'Do this,' 'Do that,' and not even tell him. They just go over to the autopen and sign whatever the hell they wanted to sign," he said. Trump claimed that it was aides who were making decisions for Biden -- employing the autopen to carry out an agenda. "He wasn't for open borders, he wasn't for transgender for everybody. He wasn't for men playing in women's sports. But he has no idea what the hell -- he has no idea," Trump claimed.
