Toolkit: Protect Gender Affirming Care Access

House Republicans are advancing a reckless budget and tax plan that delivers massive tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy, paid for by gutting programs millions of Americans depend on. In addition to slashing Medicaid, SNAP, and student loan relief, the bill would bar Medicaid from covering any gender-affirming care and ban ACA marketplace plans from offering it as an essential health benefit. This would strip away access to life-saving healthcare for hundreds of thousands of transgender adults and countless minors. At a time when families are already grappling with rising costs and economic instability, this proposal threatens the health, dignity, and futures of communities across the country, especially those most vulnerable.

This toolkit offers timely messaging guidance, key talking points, digital assets, and the latest updates to help expose the real-world harm of this dangerous and discriminatory plan.

• Trump’s tax plan strips healthcare from hundreds of thousands of trans people, a cruel move that threatens lives and denies people their dignity. This isn't about saving money. It’s about targeting a vulnerable community and banning care that leading medical organizations agree is necessary.

• ACA plans and Medicaid are lifelines for low-income people. Removing gender-affirming care means cutting off support for those most in need. We must stand up against this attack on trans people’s right to healthcare. Call your Senators. Speak out. Protect healthcare for all people.

• Gender-affirming care isn’t optional, it’s medically necessary, evidence-based, and life-saving. Cutting off this care puts lives at risk. We must speak out and demand a budget that protects people, not profits.

• Healthcare discrimination has no place in America. Trump’s tax plan is dangerous, and we must demand our leaders reject it.

• Healthcare is a human right, and every person, regardless of income, gender identity, or zip code, deserves access to the care they need. We must speak out and demand a budget that protects people, not profits.

• At a time when families are already struggling with rising costs, housing insecurity, and economic uncertainty, this proposal is a cruel and calculated move. It punishes low income families, targets trans people for political gain, and adds $4.5 trillion to the deficit, all to pay for tax cuts that benefit billionaires and big corporations.

• We need a federal budget that supports care, equity, and compassion, not one that sacrifices lives for the sake of tax breaks and political games. Contact your Senators. Mobilize your networks. Tell the truth: trans rights are human rights, and trans healthcare is healthcare.

• Protect Gender Affirming Care Access

• STOP THE CUTS 

• Save Medicaid Now

• URGENT: Tell Congress to Defend Trans Health Care NOW

• CALL THE SENATE! PARTICULARLY THE HEALTH COMMITTEE

  • Ohio Senators

  • Senate Health Committee

  • Comment portal from Advocates for Trans Equality to email Senators

  • Information from Equitas Health

  • Information from the ACLU

  • Information from Aids United

Gender-Affirming Care is Under Attack Content

• The ACLU is tracking 588 Anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S.

• Medicaid Enrollment in the U.S., by Congressional District

• Medicaid/CHIP Coverage by Congressional District, 2023

• Here’s What to Know About Congressional Republicans’ Budget Plans

• How to Take Medicaid from Millions of Americans, in Less Than 72 Hours

• Trans Civil Rights Tracker

• Transgender Medical Care: What You Should Know and How To Preserve Access to Care

• The GOP’s plan could throw millions off Medicaid — and that’s just the start

• House Republicans’ Medicaid Cuts and Associated Lives Lost by Congressional District

• House passes tax bill that would ban Medicaid from covering transition-related care

• House Republican Health Agenda Cuts Coverage, Raises People’s Costs

• Medicaid and CHIP Cuts in the House-Passed Reconciliation Bill Explained

• The terrifying reality Trump’s megabill creates for trans people

• BREAKING: 200 Health Centers at Risk of Closure if Republicans “Defund” Planned Parenthood

• U.S. House Slashes Health Care for Millions of Americans – Including the LGBTQ+ Community – In Order to Give Tax Cuts to Ultra Wealthy

1. Loss of Essential Health Coverage: The bill prohibits federal Medicaid funds from covering gender-affirming medical care for all ages, including hormone therapy and surgeries.

2. Disproportionate Impact on Low-Income Trans Individuals: Approximately 180,000 transgender adults rely on Medicaid. Without federal funding, many states may be unable or unwilling to cover gender-affirming care, leaving vulnerable populations without necessary medical services.

3. Mental Health Risks: Gender-affirming care is recognized by major medical associations as medically necessary. Denying access can lead to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among transgender individuals.

4. Legal and Civil Rights Concerns: The bill's provisions may conflict with anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act, potentially leading to legal challenges and further uncertainty for patients and providers.

• 770,793 Ohioans are enrolled in Medicaid under the expansion program (Group VIII). 

• If Congress reduces the federal funding rate from 90% to a lower rate (closer to the typical 62.5%), Ohio would face billions of dollars in additional costs. 

• The pending state operating budget (HB 96) includes a provision that would immediately end Medicaid coverage for these individuals if the federal share drops below 90%. 

• This means that if the federal funding decreases, hundreds of thousands of low-income Ohioans could lose their health coverage very quickly.