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Are doctors or insurance companies legally allowed to decline hormone therapy prescriptions to trans patients?

Thursday, September 17, 2020
By Kate Lucky
NO

With few exceptions, health care providers and institutions are not permitted to decline requests from trans patients to receive hormone therapy treatment.

A Trump administration change to rules preventing healthcare discrimination against trans people was blocked by a federal judge in August. For the time being, that leaves in place the Affordable Care Act's prohibitions against healthcare discrimination against trans people.

In some states, religious refusal laws could allow religious providers to refuse hormone treatments. One survey found 12% of trans patients “said a doctor or other health care provider refused to give them health care related to gender transition." It’s unclear if these refusals were based on medical opinions, lack of knowledge or personal beliefs.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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