Three health care bills

Do No Harm in Medicaid Act

• Bars federal Medicaid payments: The bill would prohibit federal Medicaid payments for specified gender-transition procedures for people under 18 enrolled in a state Medicaid plan or waiver. The prohibition would also cover federal payments for state-program administrative costs tied to providing those procedures and drugs to minors
• Defines covered procedures: The definition covers listed surgeries and implants, and medications such as puberty-blocking drugs and hormones at doses greater than those normally produced by a healthy person of the same age and sex. The procedures must be performed to change the body so it no longer corresponds to the person’s sex, as the bill defines that term
• Allows specified medical exceptions: With a parent or legal guardian’s consent, the payment prohibition would not apply to treatments for precocious puberty, specified genetic or sex-development conditions, or certain physical illness, injury, or danger of death or impairment of a major bodily function. It also allows treatment of complications from a prior covered procedure and procedures to restore the body after one, but not procedures performed to alleviate mental distress

1. Introduced
2. In committee
3. Reported
4. Passed House
5. Passed Senate
6. Law

What’s next: Passed the House. Next step: the Senate.