1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to introduce legislation in your state modeled on Vermont's H.576, which would establish an Affirming Health Care Trust Fund to protect transgender youth access to medically necessary gender-affirming care as federal threats intensify and access nationwide collapses. The situation is urgent. More than 20 hospitals have already closed their doors to transgender youth care under federal pressure, including major hospital systems across Colorado. Roughly half of U.S. states now ban this care outright. The Trump administration is threatening to cut entire Medicaid and Medicare funding streams from hospitals that continue providing care to transgender youth. States must act now to protect healthcare providers and the young people who depend on them. Vermont's H.576, introduced by Representatives Daisy Berbeco, Tiffany Bluemle, and Troy Headrick, offers a proven model. The trust fund would provide monetary support to healthcare providers and nonprofits offering gender-affirming care, covering costs for patients who would otherwise go without treatment, funding the establishment of state-based clinics, and paying for malpractice and liability insurance for clinicians who continue offering care. Critically, the bill includes strong privacy protections that explicitly bar state actors from disclosing patient-identifiable data, provider identities, or award recipient identities to the federal government. This protection matters as subpoenas for transgender healthcare records sweep the nation. Massachusetts allocated $1 million toward similar clinics last year, demonstrating state-level action is both possible and necessary. Organizations like the Trans Youth Emergency Project report they have capacity to refer displaced patients to private clinics, but those providers need sustained support as hospital-based programs shut down and demand rises. I urge you to introduce similar legislation in your state, ensure it includes robust privacy protections and meaningful funding, and advance it swiftly to protect transgender youth healthcare access before more providers are forced to close their doors.