1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

As a retired family doctor, I’m asking you to vote no on any bill that defunds transition-related healthcare for trans Americans on Medicaid. In the late 1990s, I responded to a request from the founders of Persad ( a mental health agency for sexual minorities) to start providing medical care for transgender individuals. My parters and I brought in experts to teach us how to provide that care, and we quickly started getting patients from the Tri state area who wanted help in starting gender related care. Over 20 years of providing that care, I saw how important that care is to the wellbeing of transgender individuals. It is essential for the wellbeing of these people that they are able to continue that care. In 2022 the Williams Institute reported that of the estimated 1.3 million transgender adults in the U.S, approximately 276,000 were enrolled in Medicaid. The means approximately 21% of trans adults rely on Medicaid coverage, likely a result of significant economic and employment barriers. Trans people across the country suffer severe economic barriers, making them more likely to rely on federally funded healthcare coverage. By prohibiting the coverage of this healthcare, many tens of thousands of trans people will lose access to medically necessary transition-related and face disruptions to their coverage of all their healthcare needs. Transition-related healthcare or gender-affirming healthcare has been safely provided to gender-diverse people for well over four decades, in keeping with medical best practices, scientific evidence, and rigorous standards of care. The healthcare that this legislation seeks to eliminate or substantially restrict has been proven to reduce rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, disordered eating, and suicidality amongst trans people of all ages. It is for these reasons that nearly every legitimate medical and behavioral health association has declared their support for the value and medical necessity of this care for transgender and gender-diverse people. I therefore urge you to oppose any version of the budget that contains discriminatory exclusions on transition-related care for trans people.