North Carolina Ordered to Pay for Transgender Employees’ Care

A North Carolina health plan for state employees must pay for treatments “leading to or in connection with sex changes or modifications” because the plan’s exclusion of such care is discriminatory, a federal court said.

The North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees’ exclusion of gender confirmation coverage discriminates against transgender employees and their dependents on the basis of sex and transgender status in violation of the Equal Protection Clause and Title VII, the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina said.

The NCSHP is North Carolina’s largest health plan, with about 740,000 members. ...