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.
Several state chapters of the Libertarian Party are attempting to block Chase Oliver, the party's official presidential nominee, from the ballot because of his hands-off stance on access to gender-affirming care.
Oliver won the party's nomination at its national convention in May, following seven rounds of balloting. Mike ter Maat, a former police officer, won the vice presidential nomination.
Oliver has previously said he hopes to get at least 2% of the vote in the presidential race and "continue to be a fly in the ointment of the two-party system."
He was critical of Donald Trump appearing at the Libertarian convention, where the former president was booed and jeered at by many convention attendees. He has also been critical of Democratic President Joe Biden and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
On Monday, the Nassau County Legislature approved a measure reinstating a ban prohibiting female-designated sports teams with transgender members from using county-owned athletic facilities.
The measure now heads to Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman for his signature into law.
Blakeman previously attempted to issue an executive order instituting the ban in March, but a state judge overturned that order two months later.
In that May ruling, Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Francis Ricigliano said Blakeman had overstepped his authority in issuing the order, usurping powers delegated to the county legislature.
New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill preventing transgender girls in grades 5-12 from participating on female-designated sports teams.
He declared that the measure "ensures fairness and safety in women's sports" by prohibiting transgender females from competing against cisgender females, against whom they may have a physiological and competitive advantage.
New Hampshire is the 25th state to impose a restriction on transgender athlete participation.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, along with the national organization GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), criticized the law, which requires student-athletes to show a birth certificate or "other evidence" to prove their gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth.
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