Federal Judge Strikes Down Ban on Medicaid Coverage for Gender Affirming Care
Federal Judge Strikes Down Ban on Medicaid Coverage for Gender Affirming Care
TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Yesterday, a federal court ruled that the State of Florida's rule denying Medicaid coverage for gender affirming care for transgender people violates the federal Medicaid statute, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Affordable Care Act. This important legal victory comes on the heels of victories in Florida, the South, and across the country that expose the anti-transgender and anti-LGBTQ hysteria sweeping state legislatures, from bans on transgender access to healthcare to bans on drag performances.
Equality Florida issued the following statement:
This ruling affirms what we have long known: the DeSantis Administration's Medicaid rule was politically motivated, denying access to care is against the overwhelming weight of medical authority, and there is no rational basis for a state to ban such care or exclude it from Medicaid coverage.
This was about discriminatory government overreach into real people's lives. In an attempt to prop up the Governor's presidential aspirations, the state violated the federal Medicaid statute, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Affordable Care Act's prohibition against sex discrimination.
Judge Hinkle struck at the heart of the matter: "I find that the adult plaintiffs’ motivation is their desire to achieve the best possible medical treatment for their gender dysphoria. I find that the minor plaintiffs’ parents’ motivation is love for their children. I find that the motivation of the minor plaintiffs and their parents is the desire to achieve the best possible medical treatment for the minor plaintiffs’ gender dysphoria. This is not the State’s motivation."
We applaud the plaintiffs and legal partners bringing this case, as well as the advocates across Florida who continue to resist the Governor's anti-freedom agenda and advance the fight for full equality.
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Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. Through education, grassroots organizing, coalition building, and lobbying, we are changing Florida so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.