Target: Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida
Goal: Don’t implement the proposed denial of Medicaid coverage for trans healthcare needs.
In Florida, Governor DeSantis and his administration has put forward a new plan which would deny Medicaid coverage for certain types of medical care often utilized by trans folks. The proposal would block coverage for treatments including hormone therapy and puberty blockers – common targets in anti-trans legislation throughout the United States.
Proponents of the new plan claim that cross-sex hormones, gender reassignment surgery, and even puberty-blocking medications should not be covered because they haven’t been proven to be effective or safe. They further argue that such healthcare is not “medically necessary,” a critical requirement for healthcare to be covered by Medicaid. These arguments are at odds with the consensus of experts in the field. The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the US Department of Health and Human Services (among other experts) all support the treatments – deemed medically-necessary – which would be denied under Florida’s new Medicaid rule. In response to the proposal, Sarah Warbelow, the Human Rights Campaign Legal Director, said: “The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration is willfully misinterpreting studies, ignoring evidence, and lending credence to prejudice.”
The new Medicaid rules are part of a growing and highly concerning trend of anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the United States. As of July, over 300 bills targeting the community have been introduced by state lawmakers. Healthcare is a basic human right, and those rights are under attack in Florida. Sign below to protect trans folks and demand Governor DeSantis block these new rules from being implemented.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Governor DeSantis,
Healthcare is a human right, and your administration’s new proposed Medicaid rules would deny that basic right to some of Florida’s most vulnerable community members. State officials, under your administration, are arguing types of healthcare often sought out by trans individuals are not “medically necessary,” nor have they been proven safe. Both arguments are at odds with the consensus of experts in the medical field, a list of these experts includes The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Your administration’s move to block healthcare for Florida’s low-income trans folks, against the advice of the majority of the medical community, is a blatant political ploy to gain support and further discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. If enacted, this new rule would have devastating impacts on many Floridians, the very people you were elected to serve. You must not implement these proposed changes to Medicaid coverage in your state, and instead expand access to healthcare.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Ted Eytan
If you’re human, you have a right to healthcare.