The State Health Benefit Plan in Georgia is making changes to its coverage policies that may allow minors to receive gender-affirming care in other states, despite such treatments being banned in Georgia for individuals under 18.
This comes after the plan was sued by state employees who claimed that they were victims of illegal discrimination due to the lack of coverage for "gender-affirming care."
The plaintiffs recently requested the Atlanta federal court to dismiss the case, as they reached a settlement with the state Department of Community Health, which oversees the health plans.
As part of the settlement, the state will pay a total of $365,000 to the plaintiffs and their lawyers. The lawsuit argued that the state's insurance cannot discriminate on the basis of sex, citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
David Brown, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the importance of providing access to transgender healthcare, stating, "There's no justification, morally, medically, legally or in any other way for treating transgender health care as different and denying people access to it."
Although Georgia recently banned hormone therapy and sex change surgery for minors, the settlement requires the health plan to cover medically necessary care for spouses, dependents, and employees. This means that the plan may be required to pay for care for minors outside of the state, even though it is prohibited within Georgia.
Brown explained, "The plan can't treat this care any differently from other care that's not available in the state." The settlement aims to ensure that individuals receive the necessary care, regardless of their location, while challenging the discriminatory practices that have been in place.
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