CEC Blasts GOP Bill to Cut Medicaid & Target Trans Americans’ Healthcare

Washington, DC — Today, Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano released the following statement after Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced a budget reconciliation bill that would cut Medicaid, take health care away from millions of Americans, and restrict access to medically-necessary care for transgender people:

“Republicans have made themselves crystal-clear: they’re more than happy to cut Medicaid and strip people of their health insurance in order to pay for tax breaks for their billionaire friends,” said Rep. Mark Takano, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. "Republicans’ cruel reconciliation bill restricts transgender peoples’ access to medically-necessary and lifesaving healthcare—not to save costs, but to distract their base from the fact that the rest of their bill will take health care away from millions of Americans."

“As costs continue to rise, Congress should be focused on helping working families, not cutting Medicaid. Regardless of how anyone may feel about the healthcare transgender people may seek, we can all agree that patients should have the right to make personal medical decisions with their families and doctors without government interference. Transgender people, like all people, deserve to be able to access the healthcare they need—and no American should lose their healthcare to pay for billionaire’s tax cuts.”


BACKGROUND
The Energy and Commerce Committee’s budget reconciliation bill contains two provisions that target transgender peoples’ access to medically necessary care: 

• Sec. 44125 prohibits Medicaid and CHIP funding for puberty blockers, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries for trans people under 18.
• Sec. 44201(h) amends the Affordable Care Act to prohibit items and services furnished for a "gender transition procedure" (including puberty blockers, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries) from being covered as an essential health benefit. This will impact both plans offered on the ACA exchanges and other plans that are subject to the essential health benefits requirements.