Virginia Capitol (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Virginia’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program on Oct. 13 stopped covering gender-affirming care for transgender minors in response to a Trump-Vance administration directive.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in August announced federal funding could no longer be used to pay for gender-affirming care through Medicaid or CHIP.
Virginia’s Medicaid program will no longer cover gender-affirming care for anyone under 18; and its CHIP will no longer cover it for those under 19. Advocates say this decision will adversely impact trans youth with parents who cannot afford private insurance or pay out of pocket for health care.
State Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) in 2020 when she was in the Virginia House of Delegates introduced House Bill 1429 that prohibits health insurance companies from discriminating against policy holders based on gender identity. Then-Gov. Ralph Northam signed it.
“In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed my bipartisan bill defining transition-related care as medically necessary,” said Roem in an Oct. 13 social media post. “It also prohibits health insurers from discriminating against trans folks. When the feds set out to hurt, Virginia should step up to help.”
Roem in 2018 became the first openly trans person seated in a state legislature in the U.S. She has been in the Virginia Senate since 2024.
“As the author of the bipartisan 2020 bill HB 1429 that defined transition-related care as medically necessary and prohibited health insurers from discriminating against trans people, I know how important it is for patients to be able to follow their doctor’s orders,” Roem told the Washington Blade on Tuesday. “Medical decisions need to be left to patients, their families and their physicians, not the federal administration.
“When the federal government intentionally fails to cover medically necessary health care for trans people through Medicaid, then that means families with the money to afford care can get it while families with the same needs that can’t afford it are being told to go without that same medically necessary care,” she added. “Until the federal government rectifies that discriminatory inequity either through a policy change or through the courts, the commonwealth of Virginia should step up to take care of Virginians’ health care needs.”
Roem noted she “lived uninsured for 2.5 years.”
“I also know what it’s like to have had health insurance not cover my health care needs,” she said. “Simply put, when you have a prescription for your medically necessary care from your physician, you should be able to afford it, no matter who you are.”
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has also spoken on the issue.
“This is not a question of whether or not our administration is making a choice to pull back funds,” she said in response to a recent question about it. “This is a question of an example once more of a federal government and a Trump administration that is changing access to health care.”
“Once again, the Trump administration is targeting and using as pawns people who rely on Medicaid for their healthcare coverage, and in this case, children,” added Spanberger. “So we are looking at every option available, and certainly, I won’t speak for the Attorney General’s office, but I do know that the Attorney General’s office has been very forward-leaning and focused on making sure that they are protecting all Virginians who are summarily and without justification, at the whims of a reckless administration, losing their access to healthcare or to doctor-prescribed and doctor-driven medical coverage.”
Michael K. Lavers contributed to this story.
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.
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