Defend Trans Health Care NOW

I urge you to protect the health and wellbeing of transgender and gender-diverse people of all ages and to VOTE NO on a budget that will place countless lives at risk. The version of the budget reconciliation bill being considered in the Senate contains numerous provisions that will impact the lives of millions of people across the country. Among the many dangerous provisions in this bill is a section that includes discriminatory restrictions on the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care, the coverage of medically-necessary and evidence-based transition-related healthcare for trans people of all ages. 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. Over that period a compelling and rigorous body of evidence has been produced, which demonstrates that this healthcare is safe and effective for people of all ages and is potentially lifesaving for many. 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. By substantially restricting access to the provision of this medically-necessary care, this bill endangers the lives and wellbeing of many tens of thousands of trans and gender-diverse people. It is for these reasons that nearly every legitimate medical and behavioral health association, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has declared their support for the value and medical necessity of this care for transgender and gender-diverse people. These provisions clearly intend to make trans people and their health care into political scapegoats, to be blamed for the economic hardships facing many Americans. I urge you to oppose any version of the budget that contains discriminatory exclusions on transition-related care for trans people.