Illinois bill requires insurance coverage for therapeutic horseback riding
Advocates for hippotherapy say riding a horse for an hour is the equivalent of power walking, and can be beneficial for those who struggle to move.
Specialists in the field also report that horses have a calming effect on patients with anxiety.
In the past, insurance companies have fought against covering the services.
Senate Bill 69 passed out of the Senate unanimously in April and passed the House just before the end of the legislative session.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Biden's former doctor asks to delay testimony to House panel, citing patient privilege concerns
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Joe Biden's physician has asked to delay his testimony before the House oversight committee this week, citing the need for an agreement that will respect doctor-patient confidentiality rules as part of the investigation into Biden's health in office. Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who served as Biden's physician at the White House, requested a delay until the end of July or early August 'to reach an accommodation that will protect the very substantial privilege and confidentiality interests of Dr. O'Connor and former President Biden,' according to a letter from his lawyer sent to Rep. James Comer of Kentucky on Saturday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter. A spokesperson for Oversight Republicans said the committee will follow the House's deposition guidelines, which allow for witnesses to assert privilege on a question-by-question basis, with the committee chair ruling on each claim. But O'Connor is not allowed, in the committee's view, to delay or decline a congressional subpoena due to concerns over questions about potentially privileged information. The back-and-forth is part of a broader struggle over the scope of the House Republican inquiry into Biden's age and mental fitness, with serious implications for both politics and policy. Republicans have also claimed that some policies carried out by the White House 'autopen' may be invalid if it is proven that Biden was mentally incapacitated for some part of his term. Biden has strongly denied claims that he was not in a right state of mind at any point while in office, calling the claims 'ridiculous and false.' The House Oversight Committee first requested O'Connor testify before the committee last July, but the Biden White House blocked his testimony. Comer renewed his request in May and later subpoenaed the doctor in June. David Schertler, the attorney for O'Connor, in the letter said the committee is refusing to 'accommodate to any degree Dr. O'Connor's objections' over protecting privilege. He said the committee's decision was 'unprecedented' and 'alarming' and warned that it threatened broader principles around medical privacy. Scherlter said O'Connor could face 'serious consequences' for violating his obligations as a doctor, including losing his medical license. In a June subpoena of O'Connor, Comer said that claims of physician-patient privilege under the American Medical Association's code of ethics 'lack merit' because that code is not part of federal law. He said the committee's subpoena meets the AMA's own requirement that physicians must share a patient's medical information if 'legally compelled to disclose the information' or 'ordered to do so by legally constituted authority.' Comer has promised that the committee will make all its findings public in a report after the inquiry has finished. He has subpoenaed O'Connor and Anthony Bernal, former chief of staff to former first lady Jill Biden. The committee last month heard voluntary testimony from Neera Tanden, former director of Biden's domestic policy counsel. The committee has also requested the testimony of nearly a dozen former senior Biden aides, including former White House chiefs of staff Ron Klain and Jeff Zients; former senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn; former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and a former assistant to the president, Ashley Williams. The Trump White House has waived executive privilege, a principle that protects many communications between the president and staff from Congress and the courts, for almost 10 senior former Biden staffers. That move clears the way for those staffers to discuss their conversations with Biden while he was president. While the privilege can apply to former staffers, the decision of whether to waive it is decided by the sitting administration. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Biden's former doctor asks to delay testimony to House panel, citing patient privilege concerns
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Joe Biden's physician has asked to delay his testimony before the House oversight committee this week, citing the need for an agreement that will respect doctor-patient confidentiality rules as part of the investigation into Biden's health in office. Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who served as Biden's physician at the White House, requested a delay until the end of July or early August 'to reach an accommodation that will protect the very substantial privilege and confidentiality interests of Dr. O'Connor and former President Biden,' according to a letter from his lawyer sent to Rep. James Comer of Kentucky on Saturday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter. A spokesperson for Oversight Republicans said the committee will follow the House's deposition guidelines, which allow for witnesses to assert privilege on a question-by-question basis, with the committee chair ruling on each claim. But O'Connor is not allowed, in the committee's view, to delay or decline a congressional subpoena due to concerns over questions about potentially privileged information. The back-and-forth is part of a broader struggle over the scope of the House Republican inquiry into Biden's age and mental fitness, with serious implications for both politics and policy. Republicans have also claimed that some policies carried out by the White House 'autopen' may be invalid if it is proven that Biden was mentally incapacitated for some part of his term. Biden has strongly denied claims that he was not in a right state of mind at any point while in office, calling the claims "ridiculous and false.' The House Oversight Committee first requested O'Connor testify before the committee last July, but the Biden White House blocked his testimony. Comer renewed his request in May and later subpoenaed the doctor in June. David Schertler, the attorney for O'Connor, in the letter said the committee is refusing to 'accommodate to any degree Dr. O'Connor's objections' over protecting privilege. He said the committee's decision was 'unprecedented' and 'alarming' and warned that it threatened broader principles around medical privacy. In a June subpoena of O'Connor, Comer said that claims of physician-patient privilege under the American Medical Association's code of ethics 'lack merit' because that code is not part of federal law. He said the committee's subpoena meets the AMA's own requirement that physicians must share a patient's medical information if 'legally compelled to disclose the information' or 'ordered to do so by legally constituted authority.' Comer has promised that the committee will make all its findings public in a report after the inquiry has finished. He has subpoenaed O'Connor and Anthony Bernal, former chief of staff to former first lady Jill Biden. The committee last month heard voluntary testimony from Neera Tanden, former director of Biden's domestic policy counsel. The committee has also requested the testimony of nearly a dozen former senior Biden aides, including former White House chiefs of staff Ron Klain and Jeff Zients; former senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn; former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and a former assistant to the president, Ashley Williams. The Trump White House has waived executive privilege, a principle that protects many communications between the president and staff from Congress and the courts, for almost 10 senior former Biden staffers. That move clears the way for those staffers to discuss their conversations with Biden while he was president.
The Hill
8 hours ago
- The Hill
Planned Parenthood sues over Trump megabill ‘defunding' provision
Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration on Monday over a provision in the new tax and spending law that would strip Medicaid funding from its health centers because the organization also provides abortions. Planned Parenthood said the law unconstitutionally eliminates patients' ability to use Medicaid as their insurance at any of its health centers nationwide. 'The prohibition specifically targets Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member health care providers in order to punish them for lawful activity, namely advocating for and providing legal abortion access wholly outside the Medicaid program and without using any federal funds,' the organization wrote in the complaint. Federal law has prohibited healthcare providers from using federal funds for abortions for more than 40 years. 'Thus, this statute must be doing something more — and it is. The Defund Provision is a naked attempt to leverage the government's spending power to attack and penalize Planned Parenthood and impermissibly single it out for unfavorable treatment,' the lawsuit stated. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts by Planned Parenthood Federation of America as well as state members Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah. Republicans have been trying to pass legislation that blocks federal funding to Planned Parenthood for years, but the intricate rules of passing a party-line bill in the Senate meant the provisions have needed to pass muster with the Senate's parliamentarian. To abide by those rules, the law imposed a one-year ban on state Medicaid payments to any health care nonprofit that offers abortions and received more than $800,000 in federal funding in 2023 — a list that's comprised almost entirely of Planned Parenthood. The law will primarily affect Planned Parenthood clinics in blue states with large numbers of Medicaid beneficiaries where abortion is still legal. The organization said 200 clinics in 24 states were at risk of closing under the bill. Of those clinics, 90 percent are in states where abortion is protected and legal. 'This case is about making sure that patients who use Medicaid as their insurance to get birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment can continue to do so at their local Planned Parenthood health center, and we will make that clear in court,' Alexis McGill Johnson, the chief executive of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. The Hill has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment on the lawsuit.
