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US administration erases transgender and nonbinary health protections

   Written by Maria Cohut, Ph.D. on June 17, 2020 — Fact checked by
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   Care Act, in a move that leaves room for healthcare providers to
   discriminate on the basis of gender identity.
   a man holding up his hand with the transgender flag on it Share on
   PinterestNew ruling affecting the Affordable Care Act removes
   protection against discrimination for transgender and nonbinary people.

   On Friday, June 12, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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   the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology.”

   This move is heavily criticized by transgender and human rights
   activists, who flag it as one step further down a slippery slope toward
   curtailing basic human rights in the U.S.

   Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for
   Transgender Equality — a nonprofit social equality organization
   headquartered in Washington, D.C. — has slammed the ruling, noting
   that:
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     “Even as the death toll and catastrophe of the COVID-19 pandemic
     grows and people take to the streets, the Trump administration
     remains focused on denying equal access to healthcare to transgender
     people. […] The new rules released [on June 12] are hateful and
     cruel and will keep people from being able to get the care they need
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   In the official release, the HHS claim that the rule will save $2.9
   billion over 5 years, chiefly by avoiding the distribution of
   additional informational material translated into several languages.

   “Now more than ever, Americans do not want billions of dollars in
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   According to data from the Williams Institute of the University of
   California, Los Angeles School of Law, an estimated 1.4 million U.S.
   adults identify as transgender, and it is possible that the actual
   number is even greater.

   A review published in 2017 in the journal Current Opinion in
   Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity shows that according to existing
   research, transgender people are often likely to miss out on healthcare
   due to widespread stigma and discrimination.

   Transgender and gender nonconforming individuals — particularly
   adolescents and young adults — also have a high risk of developing
   depression and anxiety and of attempting suicide.

   The World Health Organization (WHO) have pointed out that for
   transgender individuals, “Transphobia and discrimination are major
   barriers to healthcare access and can result in increased risk of
   health concerns unrelated to gender or sexuality.”
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   Education in 2019 showed that among a cohort of 223 U.S. healthcare
   providers, 108 (48.4%) reported having no formal education regarding
   transgender healthcare.

   Despite this, 111 (49.7%) of the respondents said that they had at
   least one transgender individual under their professional care.

   The researchers who conducted the survey and analysis expressed concern
   that transphobia is likely a crucial stumbling block in U.S.
   healthcare.

   The new rule affecting the Affordable Care Act could further cut off
   transgender and gender-nonconforming people from accessing the care
   that they need.

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       Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, PharmD
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