Idaho Gov. Brad Little – Photo: Phil White / Office of the Governor of Idaho
Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill into law prohibiting Medicaid and state employee health plans from covering the cost of gender-affirming medications and procedures for low-income transgender adults and minors.
House Bill 668 declares that public funds “shall not reimburse or provide coverage for any surgical operation or medical intervention…for purposes of altering the appearance of an individual in order to affirm the individual’s perception of the individual’s sex in a way that is inconsistent with the individual’s biological sex.”
The bill contains exemptions for certain types of surgical operations or medical interventions, such as those deemed medically necessary; those meant to force intersex people or those with “a medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development” to conform to binary bodily stereotypes; and those used to help a person “de-transition” or to treat an “infection, injury, disease or disorder that has been caused or exacerbated by” gender-affirming surgery.
It also declares that any transition-related procedures performed to alter a person’s appearance to align with their gender identity, rather than their assigned sex at birth, does not qualify as “medically necessary.”
Because the bill prohibits “public funds,” state employees, like teachers or government workers, are barred from using their employer-sponsored health plan to cover the cost of gender-affirming treatments for themselves or their dependents, reports the Idaho Capital Sun.
The measure’s backers argue that it is necessary to prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted on efforts to affirm a person’s gender identity.
A sponsor of a nearly identical measure argued that the bill does not completely ban transgender people from obtaining coverage for medical procedures or medications — just as long as those aren’t related to their transition.
“While I have great compassion for those who struggle with these issues [of gender dysphoria], I also understand that the idea of actually creating the function of the opposite sex is a scientific impossibility,” State Rep. Julianne Young (R-Blackfoot), the sponsor of the similar-in-scope House Bill 520 said during debate.
House Bill 668 ultimately passed the Idaho House of Representatives by a 58-11 vote, and the Idaho Senate by a 26-8 vote. If no legal challenge is mounted against the law, it will take effect on July 1.
The Tennessee State Senate has approved a bill requiring clinics to report detailed data on patients receiving gender-affirming care, a move critics warn could enable the state to track transgender people and the doctors who treat them.
The measure requires all gender clinics in Tennessee to submit monthly reports to the Department of Health on patients who receive transition-related treatments or surgery. The state would then publish annual reports based on that data.
The reports would exclude patients’ names but include details such as age, sex assigned at birth, prescribed medications, and the dates prescriptions were written or surgical referrals made. The requirement would apply not only to those receiving gender-affirming care, but also to patients seeking treatment for side effects or those who later experience "regret" and pursue "detransition."
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed five anti-LGBTQ bills passed by the state’s Republican-led legislature.
The bills would have barred transgender athletes assigned male at birth from competing on female-designated sports teams in both K-12 schools and colleges; required school boards to adopt policies forcing teachers to out transgender students to their parents and obtain permission before allowing changes to names or pronouns; prohibited minors from accessing gender-affirming care; and allowed people who experience "regret" after such care to sue providers until age 33.
A federal judge in Oregon issued a blistering ruling against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., blocking their efforts to yank federal funding from providers of gender-affirming care for minors.
At the center of the case is the so-called "Kennedy Declaration," in which the HHS secretary claimed that gender-affirming care does not meet accepted medical guidelines, lacks evidence of benefit for treating gender dysphoria, and may cause long-term harm.
At the time, critics said Kennedy based the declaration on an HHS review of gender-affirming care that was anonymously produced and rushed through in 90 days without peer review, in order to comply with President Trump's executive order limiting minors’ access to such treatments.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.