1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

While signing a slate of bills that protect the LGBTQ+ communities, Governor Newsom vetoed one that is extremely important: Senate Bill 418. This bill passed both houses of the California legislature with huge majorities before heading to the governor’s desk. Newsom’s veto means that insurers will not be required to fill 12 months’ worth of hormone therapy at a time for transgender Californians, and also allows insurers to exclude gender identity when it comes to insurance coverage. In his veto message, Newsom made noises about rising healthcare costs, but other states that have similar provisions (notably Washington State) have seen no increases in healthcare costs for the general public due to filling hormone treatment prescriptions for 12 months at a time. So it’s not costs that are the real issue here. Long-term refills protect patients who depend on stable access to these medications, including cisgender patients who require hormone treatments. The current administration in Washington DC is going out of its way to disrupt care for our transgender friends and family members, so I am extremely upset that this lifeline is being yanked away from Californians. I urge you to begin the process of overriding Governor Newsom’s veto of SB 418 today.