Ban on Medicaid Coverage for Transgender Care Overturned
June 23, 2023 | Florida
A federal judge has struck down Florida’s restrictions on Medicaid payments for transgender medical treatments, dealing a blow to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Gender identity is real,” U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle wrote in a 54-page ruling, released Wednesday, that noted that Florida also recognized it despite “bigotry directed at transgender individuals” by state lawmakers.
A Florida health code rule and a new state law that “categorically ban” public funding for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery violated federal prohibitions against sex discrimination, added Judge Hinkle, a Clinton appointee. (Excerpt from The Washington Times.)
