The Tennessee State House passed a bill on Thursday that would prevent the state’s Medicaid program from covering gender transition procedures for minors.
State representatives passed House Bill (HB) 2498 by a vote of 73 to 14. State Representative Kip Capley (R-Summertown) is the sponsor of this bill proposal.
Under HB 2498, TennCare would not be able to cover or reimburse medical providers if they perform medical procedures that assist someone to identify with a gender different than their biological sex and treat distress caused by a mismatch between a person’s biological sex and gender identity.
The bill proposal defines “medical procedure” as “surgically removing, modifying, altering, or entering into tissues, cavities, or organs of a human being” and “prescribing, administering, or dispensing any puberty blocker or hormone to a human being.”
HB 2498 also defines sex as “an individual’s immutable characteristics of the reproductive system that define the individual as male or female, as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth.”
The bill proposal would provide a temporary grandfather clause for TennCare, meaning if a person began gender transition procedures before the law takes effect, the state Medicaid program can continue providing coverage until March 31, 2027.
Tenncare would be able to provide medically necessary procedures that treat “congenital defect, precocious puberty, disease, or physical injury,” HB 2498 says
If the bill proposal becomes law, it will take effect on July 1st.
Last year, the United States Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee state law that banned gender transition procedures for minors.
“The rapid and unexplained rise in the number of kids seeking these life-altering interventions, despite the lack of supporting evidence, calls for careful scrutiny from our elected leaders,” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said.
“This victory transcends politics. It’s about real Tennessee kids facing real struggles. Families across our state and our nation deserve solutions based on science, not ideology,” he added.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
How many actions must be taken before these crazy operations and procedures are ended? I sure as heck do not want my tax dollars to pay for it.