Florida’s ban on Medicaid coverage for transgender treatments was struck down by a federal judge, even as the state’s regulator for the health insurance program warned that such procedures can result in harm.
The judge insisted that Florida’s action was “purposeful discrimination against transgenders” and that it wasn’t related to “legitimate state interest.”
Hinkle deemed the ban on Medicaid payment for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for gender dysphoria as “invalid.”
AHCA’s Warning
Before banning the use of Medicaid for transgender treatments, the AHCA had issued a 46-page report in June that reviewed medical evidence related to “gender-affirming care” for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria.It concluded that many of the treatments for the condition, such as puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, “are not consistent” with generally accepted professional medical standards and that they are “experimental and investigational with the potential for harmful long-term effects.”
There is “insufficient evidence that sex reassignment through medical interventions is a safe and effective treatment for gender dysphoria,” the report said.
Instead, the available evidence points to such interventions causing “irreversible physical changes and side effects that can affect long-term health.”
Negative Effect of Treatments
In a recent interview with NTD, James Esses, a commentator and co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists, warned about the dangers of transgender treatments on children, pointing out that such procedures negatively impact brain development and bone growth.“Cross-sex hormones can have irreversible physical impacts,” he said. “One of the most concerning things is, if a child starts puberty blockers before commencing puberty, and then goes on to take cross-sex hormones straight after that, they can be left permanently infertile.”
Esses expressed concerns about gender ideology invading classrooms.
“I often have parents contact me who are absolutely terrified because of what their children are being taught at school, where they’re not able to monitor it. And often they have a real difficult time even getting hold of the materials that children are being taught at schools.”
In addition, 11 participants reported having suicidal thoughts during the study.
The lawmakers wrote, “Rather than shutting the study down after such serious adverse events, the researchers published their paper, concluding that the study was a success because cross-sex hormones had altered subjects’ physical appearance and improved psychosocial functioning.”