Transgender Idahoans Ask Court to Block Medicaid Pay Exclusion

A new Idaho law that will prohibit using Medicaid funds to pay for gender-affirming care is unlawful and must be stopped from taking effect, Medicaid-eligible transgender patients told a federal court.

The provision known as HB 668 and an unwritten exclusion policy violate the Medicaid Act’s availability and comparability requirements, the plaintiffs said in a brief filed in the US District Court for the District of Idaho on Monday. They asked for partial summary judgment and a permanent injunction to prohibit the state from enforcing the pay exclusions.

Idaho is one of 10 states that exclude Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming ...