Nothing prohibits Virginia from using our own dollars to continue gender-affirming care for Medicaid and CHIP recipients

RICHMOND, Va. — Today a new final rule from the Department of Health and Human Services goes into effect cutting off federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for gender dysphoria services for young people: those under 18 in Medicaid and under 19 in CHIP. In a September 24 bulletin, the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) announced the Commonwealth will stop covering these services beginning October 13.

In August, Equality Virginia met with DMAS Director Steven Ford to discuss the new federal rule, and how the Commonwealth is able to use state funds to continue covering gender dysphoria services for Virginian youth. On October 9, Equality Virginia and the ACLU of Virginia sent a joint letter to Director Ford urging DMAS to immediately rescind the bulletin and to meet with providers, pharmacies, managed care organizations, and community groups to discuss a plan to preserve coverage with state-only funds. In response to a federal rule going into effect today, the ACLU of Virginia and Equality Virginia released the following statement:

“Gov. Spanberger may be blaming the Trump administration for an end to Medicaid and CHIP coverage for youth gender-affirming healthcare in the Commonwealth, but the reality is that nothing prohibits states like Virginia from using their own dollars to continue this care for Medicaid and CHIP recipients. In fact, at least nine states already have — and Virginia is one of 22 states simultaneously suing the Trump administration in Illinois v. HHS on the grounds that this care is safe and medically necessary.

“It's baffling that the Spanberger administration has not announced a plan to make sure young people on Medicaid and CHIP get the care their doctors prescribed, and we urge the Commonwealth to act quickly to rescind the bulletin, establish a plan for state-only funding, and tell providers how to document services so they can be covered retroactively once the plan is implemented. If the governor is serious that her office is ‘looking at every option available,’ she should not have a hard time finding a way to get young people and their families the essential healthcare they need.”