Trump to roll back health care protections for transgender people
NEW TODAY: The White House has said that it will roll back a rule that banned discrimination against transgender people in health care. Let's talk here:
The Affordable Care Act (ACA or “Obamacare”) banned hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies from discriminating on the basis of sex (& several other categories) if they receive federal money. Most healthcare providers receive some form of federal funding.
A 2016 rule issued by the Department of Health & Human Services said the ban on sex discrimination in the ACA extended to discrimination based on gender stereotypes & transgender people.
Why is this important? Before the ACA protections, health insurers often refused to cover expenses related to transitioning, calling them "unjustified," “cosmetic,” or even “experimental.” This means trans people had to pay out of pocket - or forego - appropriate care.
Rolling back the ACA protections of healthcare for transgender people will make it harder for trans folks to access health care. Full stop.
This is just the latest in the targeted attacks from the Trump administration focusing on erasing trans people's rights & ability to exist safely in the US. Last February, the Department of Education rolled back protections for transgender students, putting us at risk in schools.
Members of the military who have bravely served our country - as well as community members who would like to serve - have been targeted as well.
Another doctor similiarly stated they didn't serve "people like me" but "didn't want to get sued," so "let me go get my book to see what I have to do." I walked out of their office.
In 2010, it took me 4 doctors & SIX MONTHS - in NYC, even WITH recommendations from @LGBTCenterNYC of "good" doctors - to find a doctor who had the knowledge to treat trans patients & would take insurance. (now I know about @CallenLorde but couldn't get in at the time!)
In the first few years of my transition, I was terrified when I had to go to an emergency room - fearful that I may be treated differently/badly when I said I was trans. I had bad experiences with EMTs when I broke my collarbone & in an ER after a bike accident.
Nowhere in the Hippocratic Oath does it say "treat who you think deserves it." If one commits to the medical profession, they do not inherit the right to determine who has access to care - they commit to caring for all those who need it.
The current Dept of Health & Human Services wants to roll back that rule, claiming that it was never intended to protect the rights of transgender people. They say it interferes with health care providers’ “religious freedom."
I started my medical transition before the ACA protected trans people in healthcare. I was told by one doctor in New York City, "we don't help people like you" when I was trying to begin testosterone. We're looking at more of these cases if protections are rolled back.
Training/education/understanding is of course part of this & it varies by location, but my experiences in NYC before protections were troublesome - so imagine how it was in Mississippi or North Carolina or middle of nowhere Midwest.
More info: Under ACA, It is illegal to exclude transition-related care from coverage: Insurance companies can’t have automatic or categorical exclusions of transition-related care. This could change.
Under ACA protections, it is illegal for a health insurance company to refuse to enroll one in a plan, cancel coverage, or imposing higher rates because of one's transgender status: An insurance company can’t treat you differently bc you're trans. This could change.
Under ACA protections, it is illegal for an insurance company to deny a trans woman coverage for a prostate exam because she is listed as female in her records or coverage for gynecological care because her sex assigned at birth was male. This could change.
Under ACA protections, it is illegal for any health program, provider, or organization that gets any federal funding (including accepting Medicare or Medicaid payments for any patients) or is administered by a federal agency to discriminate against you because you are transgender
It's also illegal to discriminate against you if you don’t conform to gender stereotypes.
ACA protects trans patients from being: Refused treatment or admittance Forced to have intrusive/unnecessary examinations Refused services provided to other patients Refused treatment according to your gender identity, including access to restrooms consistent with your gender 1/2
2/2 ACA protects trans patients from being: Harassed or refused to respond to harassment by staff/other patients Refused counseling, medical advocacy, referrals, or support services Isolated or deprived of human contact, or limited participation in social/recreational activities
Additionally, health care providers cannot require you to participate in “conversion therapy” w/ the purpose of changing your gender identity, and cannot harass, coerce, intimidate, or interfere with a trans person's ability to exercise their health care rights. This could change
Let's also note: it's not just about trans-related care specific to transition. If ACA protections are rolled back, transgender folks may be denied primary & emergency care among other areas. We're talking everything from ear aches & pap smears to broken bones & cancer treatment.