TUESDAY, May 11, 2021 (HealthDay News) — In a move to reverse Trump-era policies, the Biden administration announced Monday that the government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care.
The Trump administration had tried to narrow the legal rights to access medical care by gay and transgender Americans, defining “sex” as the gender at birth, thereby excluding transgender people from the law’s protection.
“Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences,” U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra told the Associated Press. “Everyone — including LGBTQ people — should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.”
The new policy will bring HHS into line with last year’s Supreme Court decision that said sex discrimination laws in workplaces also protect gay and transgender people. Despite that ruling, the Trump administration tried to restrict the legal protections against health care discrimination. A federal judge had blocked those rules from taking effect, the AP reported.
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