HHS and CMS’ proposed rules don’t change the fact that gender-affirming care is still legal in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. – In response to the proposed rules from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to withhold federal funds from providers who offer gender-affirming care to young people, the ACLU of Virginia Senior Transgender Rights Attorney Wyatt Rolla (they/them) released the following statement:

"Today’s proposed rules don’t change the fact that gender-affirming care is still legal in the Commonwealth, but they do threaten hospitals that provide it by proposing to block them from receiving Medicaid and Medicare funding for any care for any patient. Until the public has commented on whether we want to hold hospitals hostage with politically-motivated rules like these, all Virginia providers – including those at hospitals – can continue care without interruption, because these rules are not finalized or in effect.

"These proposed rules are hateful, but even if finalized, they are not a federal mandate, and Virginia providers should resist any attempts to insert politics into the legal, lifesaving care they’ve been providing in Virginia for years."