Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration has taken steps toward a potential restriction of the state’s Medicaid coverage for transgender substances or transgender surgery for youth, saying that there was “insufficient evidence” for such approaches to treat gender dysphoria.
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which is responsible for regulating Medicaid in the state, issued a 46-page report (pdf) on June 2 reviewing medical evidence related to “gender-affirming care” for people who experience gender dysphoria—a condition where a person identifies differently to their birth gender.
Currently, Florida Medicaid does not have a specific policy on Medicaid coverage for transgender treatments, but the coverage is determined based on generally accepted professional medical standards (GAPMS). The report noted that as a condition of Medicaid coverage, sex reassignment treatment must be “consistent with [GAPMS] and not experimental or investigational.”…