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AMSA Urges HHS Office of Civil Rights to Uphold Protections for Transgender Individuals Against Discrimination
In response to ongoing Department of Justice investigations into rolling back Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) stands in solidarity with the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality in defending transgender individuals from discrimination.
STERLING, Virginia – August 10, 2017 – Today, AMSA submitted a formal letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights, opposing the rollback of Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which explicitly prohibits discrimination in health care. This provision is critical in safeguarding transgender communities and ensuring equitable access to medical care. Under this rule, insurance providers are prohibited from categorically denying transition-related care for transgender individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
A comprehensive analysis of the necessity, supporting evidence, and protective benefits of this rule was outlined in the NCTE’s letter to the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12, 2017. Their findings highlight that 0.6% of U.S. adults—approximately 1.4 million people—identify as transgender. The broader medical and scientific community recognizes gender identity as an innate, non-pathological aspect of human diversity. This understanding is distinct from the clinical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, where some transgender individuals experience profound distress or impairment due to the misalignment between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth, affecting their daily functioning across multiple aspects of life.
AMSA strongly opposes any policy changes that permit exclusion or discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or that restrict access to affordable, high-quality, and equitable health care for transgender individuals.
By: Daniel H. Gouger, MD, Education and Advocacy Fellow
About the American Medical Student Association:
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online.
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