May 24, 2019: Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a proposed rule reinterpreting the scope of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Section 1557 is the non-discrimination section of the ACA. It bars health care programs that receive federal funds from discriminating against people based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
Under the Obama Administration, discrimination on the basis of sex encompassed discrimination based on gender identity and pregnancy decisions — and every district court that has ruled on the issue has affirmed that interpretation.
The proposed rule, however, would eliminate all protections for transgender people and people who have had abortions. No one, regardless of their gender identity or pregnancy decisions, should be denied access to quality and competent health care.
The rule also removes a requirement that health insurance companies and care providers notify patients about non-discrimination protections with taglines to inform people with limited English proficiency how to access language services–a direct assault on information access.
Learn more about what the rule means for transgender people here.
Tell the Trump-Pence Administration we will not allow this direct attack on the transgender community and people who have had abortions to go unchallenged. Health care is a human right. Please visit the National Center for Transgender Equality’s (NCTE) and the Transgender Law Center’s (TLC) action page and make your voice heard!
| Click here to take action now! |
