States move to restrict transgender adult care
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/states-move-to-restrict-transgender-adult-care/ar-AA1z4Rfn?ocid=windirect&cvid=cf7b50c1c8ef4d0ba90d1f779a7c21b3&ei=32
ABC News (15 Feb 2025)
After months of targeting transgender youth medical care, legislators in some states are now setting their sights on restricting funding for care for transgender adults.
Lawmakers in at least eight states are seeking to restrict state or public funds from being used for gender-affirming care, limiting a patient's ability to use Medicaid to help pay: Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia.
Kentucky state Rep. Josh Calloway, a Republican, is one of the legislators behind the Kentucky bill.
His bill would bar state funds from going toward services related to gender transitioning, including mental health counseling or therapy, hormone therapy or any surgical procedures.
Calloway could not provide details about how much in state funding currently goes to gender-affirming care for transgender patients. Instead, Calloway stated that the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services informed him that if his bill were implemented, it could cost the state between $12 to $21 million in the need for psychiatric care, counseling and hospital stays from impacted patients who may need increased mental health services.
"The truth is there's only male and female, and there is no way that either can transition to the other," said Calloway.
The bill has exceptions for intersex people – such as those with differences in sexual development – and does not restrict such care for non-transgender people.