Trump Administration expected to remove healthcare protections from women, transgender community

Trump Administration about to negatively affect healthcare for transgender community and women

In the past, the religious right has cloaked its attacks against the transgender community as an issue of safety in women's bathrooms and locker rooms. However, a possible move by the Trump Administration could put into perspective how women and transgender individuals in general are in danger of losing decent health care:

According to NewNextNow:

The anti-discrimination policies set up by Obamacare designed to protect transgender patients are now in danger of being rescinded, according to The Hill. The Department of Health and Human Services has reportedly crafted a proposed rule that would allow doctors to legally refuse treating trans patients or women who have had abortions, two groups who were protected under the Affordable Care Act. A Christian group previously sued to rescind those protections by claiming they were against its members’ religious beliefs. The group won the case and a Texas judge then blocked the provisions from going into effect. The Department of Justice never appealed the ruling after Jeff Sessions was appointed as the Attorney General of the Trump administration earlier this year, and now the provisions are at risk of being removed entirely.

The Hill provided background on this issue:

A sweeping 2016 final rule from the Obama administration prohibited healthcare providers and insurers who receive federal money from denying treatment or coverage to anyone based on sex, gender identity, or termination of pregnancy, among other conditions. It also required doctors and hospitals to provide “medically necessary” services to transgender individuals, as long as those services were the same ones provided to others. That rule was challenged in court by a group of Christian providers called the Franciscan Alliance. 

They argue the rule forces insurers to pay for abortions and compels doctors to perform gender transition services, even if the services are against their medical judgment. The Alliance won that case, and a Texas district court judge issued a nationwide injunction blocking the gender identity and pregnancy termination provisions from taking effect. Trump’s HHS decided not to appeal the ruling. On Aug. 4, the Department of Justice, which is representing HHS in the lawsuit, said it was reviewing a draft proposed rule that had already cleared HHS. It’s unclear when DOJ will complete the review. Once DOJ finishes, the final step before the rule’s release is a review by the Office of Management and Budget. Buchert said she was surprised at how quickly HHS drafted the new proposal. “I expected them to take more time in deliberating, in the same way the original rule was crafted, rather than crafting something internally and sending it over to DOJ,” she said.

According to both sources, the ACLU has been prepared for the new rule and will fight it. NewNextNow, however, added an interesting coda:

The guidance won’t go public until the DOJ reviews it and sends it to the Office of Management and Budget, so it remains unclear if the changes will affect gay, lesbian and bisexual patients, as well.

Hat tip to AKSARBENT