By Michael Bielawski
A new bill in the House Healthcare Committee would make health insurance companies cover gender-affirming care at hospitals.
This bill is in the House Health Care Committee while the Trump Administration on Tuesday issued an executive order banning federal funds for healthcare facilities that continue with such procedures.
“This bill proposes to expand access to health insurance coverage for gender-affirming health care services,” it states. “It would also require health insurance plans and Vermont Medicaid to provide coverage for fertility-related services and direct the Agency of Human Services to seek federal approval of an amendment to Vermont’s Medicaid state plan to permit the Medicaid coverage.”
The bill is H. 55, its main sponsor is Rep. Troy Headrick, P/D-Burlington, and there are 11 more sponsors. There is also a companion bill with Headrick as the lead sponsor with 13 more sponsors. H. 56 is “to require the Department of Health to establish an emergency supply of essential medications for reproductive and gender-affirming care.”
H. 55 states that some of the “Medically necessary gender-affirming health care services” that would be supported would include “facial masculinization and feminization procedures” as well as “facial hair removal, such as laser hair removal or electrolysis.”
The bill further states that safeguards such as requiring the patient to limit treatment or get further consultation before a big decision will not be required. It says, “A health insurance plan shall not impose barriers to accessing gender-affirming health care services, such as mandating a specific duration of hormone therapy or requiring correspondence from more than one health care provider before authorizing gender-affirming surgery or other gender-affirming health care services.”
State Plan amendment?
According to the bill, the Vermont State Plan would have to be modified for this to become law. It states, “On or before September 1, 2025, the Agency of Human Services shall request approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to amend Vermont’s Medicaid state plan to include coverage for fertility-related services as set forth in Sec. 3 of this act.”
Risks federal funding
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order indicating that the federal government will not fund or support any kind of medical procedures concerning an attempt to change one’s sex.
Released on Tuesday, the policy called Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation states, “Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.”
The order gets into how the federal funds might be cut. It states, “The head of each executive department or agency that provides research or education grants to medical institutions, including medical schools and hospitals, shall, consistent with applicable law and in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that institutions receiving Federal research or education grants end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
In addition to cutting off funds, it further states that numerous other actions may be taken against entities that continue with these procedures.
It states that the feds will “prioritize investigations and take appropriate action to end deception of consumers, fraud, and violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by any entity that may be misleading the public about long-term side effects of chemical and surgical mutilation.”
House Health Care Committee Info
See all bills assigned to this committee here. Constituents may contact committee members (click link on name for bio, party affiliation, etc.) with comments, questions, and information at the following email addresses:
House Healthcare
Rep. Alyssa Black, Chair, ablack@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Francis McFaun, Vice Chair, fmcfaun@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Daisy Berbeco, Ranking Member, dberbeco@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Brian Cina, bcina@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Mari Cordes, Clerk, mcordes@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Wendy Critchlow, wcritchlow@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Allen “Penny” Demar, ademar@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Leslie Goldman, lgoldman@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Lori Houghton, LHoughton@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Woodman Page, wpage@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Debra Powers, dpowers@leg.state.vt.us
All committee transcripts are available at http://www.goldendomevt.com. The Committee meeting video is available at the committee’s YouTube channel. The committee meets in the morning in Room 42.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle