{"id":1590083,"date":"2022-08-05T06:17:17","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T10:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1590083"},"modified":"2022-08-05T06:19:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T10:19:02","slug":"west-virginia-judge-rules-transgender-surgeries-must-be-covered-by-medicaid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/west-virginia-judge-rules-transgender-surgeries-must-be-covered-by-medicaid\/","title":{"rendered":"West Virginia Judge Rules Transgender Surgeries Must Be Covered by Medicaid"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwest-virginia-judge-rules-transgender-surgeries-must-be-covered-by-medicaid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1590083&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/west-virginia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">West Virginia<\/a><br \/>\n&#8216;s Medicaid program is required to cover gender transition surgeries for<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/transgender\">transgender<\/a><br \/>\n residents, a federal judge in Huntington ruled this week.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Chuck Chambers ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lgbt\">LGBT<\/a><br \/>\n interest group Lambda Legal, saying that a Medicaid exclusion for low-income residents with gender dysphoria would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, the Affordable Care Act, and the Medicaid Act.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is undisputed that the criteria determining whether or not such treatment is covered under the Medicaid Program hinges on a diagnosis \u2014 but when treatment is precluded for a diagnosis based on one\u2019s gender identity, such exclusion invidiously discriminates on the basis of sex and transgender status,\u201d Chambers, an appointee of former President<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-clinton\">Bill Clinton<\/a><br \/>\n, wrote in Tuesday&#8217;s 30-page opinion.<\/p>\n<p><b><br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/restoring-america\/faith-freedom-self-reliance\/states-sue-biden-over-transgender-rule-school-lunch-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TWENTY-TWO STATES SUE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OVER TRANSGENDER RULE FOR SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM<\/a><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"Enhancement-item\">\n<figure class=\"Figure\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-image-size=\"articleImage\" \/><source data-image-size=\"articleImage\" \/><figcaption>\n<div class=\"Figure-content\">\n<p>While the number is more than double the amount previously thought, transgender adults still only make up 0.6 percent of the adult population nationwide. (AP Photo\/Eric Risberg, File)<\/p>\n<p>Eric Risberg<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Chambers cited the 2020<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\">Supreme Court<\/a><br \/>\n decision in <i><br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2019\/17-1618\">Bostock v. Clayton County<\/a><br \/>\n, <\/i>in which the justices ruled 6-3 that employers cannot discriminate against LGBT employees on the &#8220;basis of sex.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Only individuals who identify as transgender would seek &#8216;transsexual surgery,&#8217; and as the Supreme Court reasoned &#8230; one cannot consider the term &#8216;transgender&#8217; without considering sex,&#8221; Chambers added. <\/p>\n<p>The judge also outright dismissed the claim that gender transition surgeries are not medically necessary, saying the argument is &#8220;wholly unsupported by the record, and importantly, is refuted by the majority of the medical community.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>An initial lawsuit challenging the state Department of Health and Human Resources&#8217;s blanket Medicaid exclusion was filed on behalf of Christopher Fain, who was denied coverage for a testosterone prescription under Medicaid, and Zachary Martell, who is married to a state employee with healthcare coverage. <\/p>\n<p>Fain and Martell were rejected from being covered for a bilateral mastectomy, which led Fain to file a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 600 transgender residents who faced rejections for Medicaid coverage.<\/p>\n<p>Shauntae Anderson, another plaintiff in the lawsuit, called Chambers&#8217;s decision &#8220;lifesaving&#8221; in a<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lambdalegal.org\/blog\/fain_wv_20220802_court-rules-for-transgender-west-virginia-medicaid-participants-denied-health-care-coverage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a><br \/>\n.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am excited to finally have access to the healthcare I deserve. The exclusion negatively affects my health and wellbeing as well as the health and wellbeing of other transgender Medicaid participants in our community,&#8221; Anderson said.<\/p>\n<p>Lambda Legal attorney Avatara Smith-Carrington issued a statement after the ruling saying that transgender Medicaid participants in the state deserve to have equal access to healthcare that &#8220;cisgender Medicaid participants receive as a matter of course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtecting and advancing health care for transgender people is vital, sound, and just,&#8221; Smith-Carrington said.<\/p>\n<p>The <i>Washington Examiner <\/i>contacted the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.<\/p>\n<p>Chambers&#8217;s ruling comes as more Republican-led states seek to impose bans on gender transition treatments for minors, despite the Justice Department&#8217;s recent<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-reinforces-federal-nondiscrimination-obligations-letter-state-officials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">attempts to counter<\/a><br \/>\n such bans by invoking the 14th Amendment&#8217;s Equal Protection Clause.<\/p>\n<p>Florida Republican Gov.<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\">Ron DeSantis<\/a><br \/>\n announced Thursday he was<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/i\/broadcasts\/1yNGaYgnRbDGj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suspending<\/a><br \/>\n Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren for refusing to enforce the state&#8217;s prohibition on sex-change surgeries for minors following the governor&#8217;s June<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/22050967-board-letter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">request<\/a><br \/>\n that the state&#8217;s board regulating doctors bar transition-related care for minors.<\/p>\n<p><b><br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This week, DeSantis said at a press conference that physicians providing such care to minors should be sued for these practices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t disfigure 10, 12, 13-year-old kids based on gender dysphoria. Eighty percent of it resolves anyways by the time they get older,\u201d DeSantis<br \/>\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FLVoiceNews\/status\/1554844275074031616\">said<\/a><br \/>\n. \u201cI think these doctors need to get sued for what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>West Virginia &#8216;s Medicaid program is required to cover gender transition surgeries for transgender residents, a federal judge in Huntington ruled this week.U.S. District Judge Chuck Chambers ruled in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1590086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1590083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1590083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1590086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1590083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1590083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1590083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}