Iowan taxpayers must fund transgender surgeries through Medicaid
Aiden Vasquez needed more than an hour to collect himself before he could talk about Friday’s Iowa Supreme Court decision ruling that transgender people like himself could use Medicaid funds to pay for transition-related care, including surgeries.
The court’s unanimous decision struck down the administrative code governing Medicaid in Iowa that classifies transition-related surgeries as "cosmetic, reconstructive or plastic surgery" and explicitly bans "surgeries for the purpose of sex reassignment."
Transgender surgeries can range from $20,000 to $100,000, putting it out of reach of individuals who qualify for the assistance.
In affirming a district judge's decision, Justice Susan Christensen wrote that the “express ban on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgical procedures” contradicted the gender-identity protections in the Iowa Civil Rights Act....