HHS Extends Anti-Bias Health Care Protections To Cover Gender Identity
Under the new guidance, insurers and hospitals cannot deny services based on someone's gender identity. Some advocates are disappointed, however, saying that the rule does not go far enough.
The Washington Post:
Obama Administration: Insurers Must Provide Services Regardless Of Gender Identity
The Obama administration unveiled two broad initiatives Friday aimed at combating discrimination against transgender Americans in schools and health-care coverage, affirming the president’s goal of elevating transgender protections to one of the central civil rights issues of his presidency. The moves, both of which had been in the works for years, prompted an immediate backlash from conservatives who disparaged the measures as government overreach. White House officials countered that they reflected one of the administration’s core principles: protecting those targeted for discrimination because of their identity. (Eilperin, 5/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
Obama Administration Extends Antibias Protections to Transgender People Seeking Health Care
The moves by multiple federal agencies broadened an emotional debate on the transgender issue, which escalated earlier this week when the Justice Department and the state of North Carolina sued each other over a new law in the state requiring people to use public bathrooms based on the gender on their birth certificates. “There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said. (Barrett and Radnofsky, 5/13)