Feds propose bolstering LGBTQ health protections

A new proposal from the Biden administration would reverse Trump-era limits on health care protections against discrimination for transgender and other LGBTQ people.

 

The proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would strengthen ObamaCare’s rules to prohibit discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in certain health programs and activities that receive federal funding.

 

The proposal also seeks to protect from discrimination people seeking reproductive health care services, including those who have had abortions.

 

The move comes after former President Trump’s administration ruled to remove most of the protections that prevented health care workers from denying care to patients based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.

 

Key quote: “We know that in many states, communities, our transgender community, are feeling like they’re being left out. This I hope will send a signal that if you are seeking health care, and you have a right to access that care, we will protect that right against discrimination,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.