A Jehovah's Witness in need of a liver transplant has won her appeal in the Kansas Court of Appeals. The state's Health Policy Authority (KHPA) previously denied her request for out-of-state transplant where she could get the "bloodless" operation she claims is required by her religious beliefs. A panel of judges found that denial violated her free exercise rights.
The Kansas City Star has more:
A three-judge appeals court panel overturned a lower-court ruling and ordered the Kansas Health Policy Authority to grant Mary Stinemetz’s request to undergo a Medicaid-funded liver transplant in Nebraska.
…
While the Kansas Court of Appeals found that state Medicaid rules didn’t focus on Stinemetz’s faith, it did note that state regulations allow for exceptions to the general rule barring Medicaid funding for out-of-state services.Because the rules allow for exceptions, the state under the First Amendment could not deny Stinemetz’s request unless it had a compelling reason, something that judges had trouble pinpointing during oral arguments.
You can read the ruling here.
