WASHINGTON, D.C. [July 3, 2024] — Whitman-Walker Institute condemns the politically motivated ruling from a federal district court judge that blocks vital nondiscrimination protections for transgender people across the country. Today, a U.S. district court judge in Mississippi issued a nationwide injunction in State of Tennessee v. Becerra, blocking enforcement of key parts of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. This ruling directly attacks a regulation issued in April 2024 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which strengthened nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQI+ people in health care and health coverage nationwide.
This ruling was the first of three rulings today in which judges prioritized politics over people and blocked key non-discrimination protections in healthcare for transgender people and for millions of other Americans.
The regulation that was blocked in these three cases demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring health care and health insurance access for all by securing nondiscrimination protections for some of our nation’s most marginalized communities, including transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people, people with limited English proficiency, people with disabilities, and people seeking reproductive health care.
Dr. Kellan Baker, Executive Director of the Whitman-Walker Institute, says, “It’s shameful that a federal judge would side with bigots in seeking to dismantle these protections. The Biden-Harris administration correctly took action to help remove barriers to care and advance health equity for underserved communities, including LGBTQI+ people. Robust enforcement of this rule is critical to improve the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ people across the country. This ruling is part of a dangerous trend in which politicians deny and disregard the clear evidence documenting the harms of widespread discrimination against LGBTQI+ people, particularly transgender people, in health care and health insurance.”
Whitman-Walker Institute, which leverages research, policy, and education to advance health equity nationwide, is affiliated with Whitman-Walker Health, the lead plaintiff in a 2020 federal lawsuit brought to reverse the Trump administration’s weakening of Section 1557’s nondiscrimination protections for underserved communities, particularly LGBTQI+ people.
According to the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey, nearly 50% of respondents who saw a provider in the last year had at least one negative health care experience because of their gender identity.
Twenty-three percent of LGBTQI+ respondents, including 37% of transgender respondents, reported postponing or avoiding needed medical care in the past year due to disrespect or discrimination by providers.
About Whitman-Walker Institute
Whitman-Walker Institute is a Washington, D.C. based organization that leverages cutting-edge research, policy, and education to advance health equity at the federal level and in states across the country. We bring to this work expertise in rigorous research and health policy analysis, deep relationships with state and federal policymakers, longstanding partnerships across multiple justice movements, and the direct service experience of Whitman-Walker Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center that serves thousands of diverse patients across the D.C. area and beyond. The Institute is home to nationally recognized experts in areas of policy such as LGBTQI+ health equity, care for transgender people, insurance reform, social determinants of health, HIV prevention and treatment, and sexual orientation and gender identity data collection. More info can be found at: https://www.whitman-walker.org/institute/
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