Until recently, nearly all public and private health plans in Washington State excluded coverage for gender transition-related care. These unfair policies not only ignored evidence that transition-related care is medically necessary and life-saving for many transgender people, but they also ran afoul of laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sex.
Legal Voice is proud to be a founding member of the Coalition for Inclusive Healthcare, which has worked to end discriminatory exclusions against transgender people in Washington health plans. And we are excited that the Coalition’s advocacy has helped win another important victory for inclusive care!
The Washington State Health Care Authority has issued final rules to provide inclusive coverage for transition-related care under Washington’s Apple Health (Medicaid) program. This policy represents a significant victory for Washingtonians, affirming that everyone should have access to the health care they need, without discrimination. The final rules will go into effect on August 31.
We are pleased that the State of Washington has taken action to help ensure that transgender people are able to receive medically necessary care. We will continue to work with our partners in the Coalition for Inclusive Healthcare to help ensure fair implementation of these policies and to end health care discrimination against transgender people.
