Florida’s move is a “major change” that will disrupt low-income members of the transgender community who have been receiving treatment through Medicaid for years, said the Southern Regional Office of LGBTQ advocacy group Lambda Legal. Senior Attorney Carl Charles said. His group said they were “alarmed” to see the measures taken so quickly, adding, “People are right to think that the move carries the stamp of approval from DeSantis.” Let’s go,” he said., Widely considered the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Brock Juarez, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, told The Washington Post that the agency “has implemented a very thorough process and our detailed research and findings speak for themselves. I will,” he said.
Lambda Regal is “exploring all options” to challenge the rules, Charles said.
“It hurts,” he said. “People have made a life decision to pursue a life-changing course of care, and now they face the possibility of not being able to go ahead with it.”
Earlier this year, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Radapo issued a memo to health care workers in the state advising providers not to offer gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers, to minors. . The memo also advises against social transitions. Radapo writes that this “should not be a treatment option for children and adolescents”. I’m here.
The nation’s largest medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Pediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry, advocate gender-affirming care to help treat minors experiencing gender dysphoria. Gender and gender identity do not match.
Gender-affirming care may, but does not always, include medical interventions such as hormone replacement therapy, chest surgery, and voice therapy. The most common treatments for adolescents include reversible puberty blockers. According to current standards, genital surgery is not recommended for patients under her age of 18. In April, her 300 health care providers across the state wrote an open letter to the Tampa Bay Times criticizing the state’s guidance for gender-affirming care.
Meredith McNamara, an associate professor at Yale University, said: “Florida was the first to take the medical evidence behind gender-affirming care and make false claims that there was not enough evidence to support its benefits. It was the state of Medicine who worked with a team of researchers to review Florida medical reports on this issue.
“We are concerned that a Florida medical institution has adopted an purported scientific report that blatantly violates the fundamental principles of scientific investigation,” the researchers wrote.
McNamara said state medical boards had not previously set policies or standards for treatment. Instead, their work tends to focus on issues such as licensing and reviewing complaints against physicians. AHCA Medicaid Decisions and Imminent Rule Changes, “It’s really rare and a concern for the medical community,” she said.
in the postegg “It’s kind of scary to think about the precedent this might set,” added McNamara.
extrapolation from 2019 survey A study by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School showed that approximately 9,000 people in Florida receive gender-affirming care each year. Some studies suggest that trans people are more likely to take Medicaid. In one study, 15% reported a household income of less than $10,000 a year, compared to her 4% in the general population. As of 2019, about 152,000 trans adults nationwide were enrolled in Medicaid, and about 32,000 of them lived in states that denied gender-affirming care coverage, a UCLA report said. said.
The move comes as LGBTQ advocates say some of the state’s most vulnerable residents already feel targeted.
In the past two years, Florida has passed laws banning transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports teams in state public schools, as well as laws limiting classroom discussions about gender and sexuality.
Last week, the Florida Medical Board voted to begin reviewing the new restrictions, spurred by pressure from DeSantis and the state’s Department of Health. Not only would it prohibit gender-affirming care for all transgender youth, but it could also require a 24-hour waiting period for adults seeking transitional care, such as hormone therapy or surgery.
At a recent press conference, DeSantis said doctors “are literally cutting out the private parts of young children. And it’s wrong.” We’re doing something with it,’ but the Florida legislator added, ‘Maybe we want to do something more important about it.’
Such a move has attracted supporters, including many who attended a recent Medical Commission meeting.The WFSU reported that many of the attendees belonged to religious groups. Among them was Janet Cooper, co-founder of her Parents for Ethical Care, an organization that believes “no child is born in the wrong body.” Cooper called on states to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
“For many kids, transgender identity is a crutch,” Cooper said. “It’s a placeholder for real suffering that’s not named.”
Alyssa McKenzie, an Orlando-based transgender rights activist, has found Orlando to be a safe and positive place for LGBTQ people for the most part.But for the past six months, she has served as governor The 42-year-old advocate, who has prioritized laws restricting LGBTQ rights and labeled critics “groomers,” has noticed an increase in harassment and attacks involving children and families.
MacKenzie was particularly surprised that earlier guidance recommended doctors social transitions for children. This can be as simple as changing your name or how you tie your hair without requiring medical intervention. Transgender youth face much higher depression and suicidal tendencies than cisgender youth.
For transgender adults and children, accessing gender-affirming care and receiving support for the transition is often a matter of life and death. The deprivation of transgender adults and medical care is the most serious threat trans people have faced in the United States.”
Other states have sought to limit transgender youth’s access to gender-affirming care, but most do so through their legislatures. Despite attempts, these bills have not been successful in the legislature.
Instead, Florida is trying to ban people from accessing gender-affirming care through the Department of Health — a move some health experts criticize As an example of government excesses that could set a dangerous precedent.
Mike Haller, a professor and director of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Florida, said the decision to ban people from using Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care is critical for patients seeking safe, evidence-based care. He said it was a “cruel and unusual punishment”.
The new rule affects all transgender patients on Medicaid, including adults. Haller, who treats children at his clinic, estimates that 60 to 65 percent of his patients are on Medicaid.
“It’s already had a worrying, chilling effect,” said Haller.[Patients] They fear that it is already illegal, so they are not going to come to their appointment.
