The Shortcomings of Transgender Health Care
Why removing health care protections for transgender patients is inhumane and dangerous
Transgender people have specialized health care needs and face disproportionate barriers to accessing proper treatment. The Obama administration attempted to address these challenges by extending nondiscriminatory protections to transgender patients in a 2016 provision in the Affordable Care Act. Trump has declined to enforce that legislation, and this month finalized a rule expressly removing protections for transgender patients against discrimination by doctors, hospitals, and insurers.
A landmark decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, also released this month, interprets sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation when it comes to workplace protections, and will likely have far-reaching implications, including in education, housing, and health care. (At least one lawsuit, led by a collection of LGBTQ+ health clinics, has already been filed to block Trump’s attempt to remove protections for transgender patients following the SCOTUS decision.)
But many health care providers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree that a policy of nondiscrimination does not go far enough to ensure equitable and sufficient treatment for trans…
