PROPOSED BILL SEEKS TO BAN ALMOST ALL GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE

Texas Republican State Sen. Bob Hall filed Senate Bill 1029 on Feb. 17, according to CBS News. The bill aims to ban public funding for gender-affirming care as well as restrict the ability of health insurance companies to cover it. It would also increase legal liability for providers.

CBS News spoke with Texas Health Action CEO Christopher Hamilton, which is a LGBT health nonprofit.

“This bill would have a chilling effect, halting all best practice medical care for all trans people in this state, regardless of age,” Hamilton said. “If this bill passes, insurers will no longer cover genderaffirming care, malpractice insurers will not provide malpractice insurance to providers, and physicians will not assume a personal financial lifetime liability for providing gender affirming care, affecting nearly 100,000 trans people in the state.”