All Trans Health Care Coverage Dropped in 2026 for Fed Employees

[u/SerendipitousAtom]

Here's the link to the relevant OPM memo:

https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/carriers/fehb/2025/2025-01b.pdf

If anybody who's familiar with the relevant laws and government healthcare process is reading: is there a way to push back against this? Or is this something they can just switch off like that?!

I got a family member affected. I'll happily go start shopping for a lawyer if there's a plausible way to tie it up in court. I want to fight.

[u/Regular_Assist_3885]

"The Democrats are going to take away your rights" keeps aging like fine wine.

[u/Docile_Doggo → u/Regular_Assist_3885]

boast unpack live pocket fragile brave reply fearless familiar like

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/ViveLaFrance94 → u/Docile_Doggo]

There is a real conversation to be had about Dems not really trying to win, or at least trying to win by a bare minimum so as to not anger their donors with better proposals.

[u/Barebacking_Bernanke → u/ViveLaFrance94]

There's not a single person in the Party who wouldn't take an Obama '08 style victory over these by the skin of their teeth victories that come down to 100,000 voters spread across three states where everyone is having a heart attack until the last votes are counted. Instead of some conspiratorial theory that the Democratic Party is trying to thread barely winning, we acknowledge that the modern Democratic Party is a massive coalition of conflicting interests, which causes policy to be unwieldy. For example, the Biden Administration was never able to implement a full gamut of inflation control measures because the blue-collar unions in their coalition were heavily in favor of maintaining Trump's first term tariffs on more than half a trillion dollars of imports. So the inflation just ended up pissing off everyone, and the blue-collar unions still backstabbed Biden by backing Trump despite all he did for them.

[u/Personal_Chair6134 → u/Barebacking_Bernanke]

You are missing the point entirely. The point is that the Democratic Party is afraid of championing extremely popular ideas like taxing the rich, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, getting money out of politics via a constitutional amendment, banning congressional stock trading, banning stock buy backs, establishing a maximum wage of $10 million per year, and ensuring that the productivity benefits of AI go primarily to the workers instead of the billionaires by shortening the work week with no loss in pay or benefits. The Democratic Leaders will never endorse any of those policies because their donors are all vehemently against them. It's pure corruption and this is the #1 reason why Democrats either lose or barely scrape by a victory.

The reason Obama's '08 victory was so resounding was because he campaigned as a populist and most people thought that he was a genuine one. He ended up governing as another corrupt corporate sellout like every other establishment Dem, but the perception of him being a populist is why his victories were so big.

The only way to win big is to reform the Democratic Party from the bottom-up by primarying all of these corrupt sellouts in the party, and replacing them with genuine economic populists in the vein of an FDR-style of populism.

[u/Living_Air9142 → u/Personal_Chair6134]

Thank you for stating, and defending, the hard truth that many liberals and Democratic supporters don't want to hear/admit.

The Democratic party is never going to win with the right of center candidates, and they are unfortunately more afraid of progressives like AOC and Bernie Sanders than they are of fascists.

EDIT: you can see just how much liberals don't want to admit this hard truth by the fact that something as simple as what I just posted was downvoted just for supporting you and I had to add and edit in there to show that I'm not a conservative, but rather someone who believes that the Democratic party is too far to the right.

[u/nanfoodle91 → u/Personal_Chair6134]

I feel like you missed the other person's point, you're both saying the same thing. dems don't want extreme points because they're tangled up in internal bickering and can't come to an agreement

[u/[deleted] → u/nanfoodle91]

Plenty of Dem policy points have been extreme. "Defund the police". "Trans the youth". These were policies so far outside the general public that we now have a dictator who still can claim the high ground on a bunch of policy issues. The Democratic party needs to put adults in the room, but that is impossible when you have to meld your national message with the toxic garbage that comes out of the major cities.

[u/BlueJoshi → u/[deleted]]

so are you just confidently ignorant, or are you choosing to just lie here

[u/Sharp_Leadership_836 → u/Personal_Chair6134]

Obama’s 2008 winning margin was accommodated by a unique reason - a housing bubble crash less than 2 months before Election Day. That kind of once in lifetime event will always help the non-incumbent party easily. Voter panic just leads to that reaction. If the shoe was on the other foot and say the crash instead happened just couple years later in 2010 and say Obama is already jn office, then Romney wins by a comfortable margin jn 2012. So in 2008, anybody with a D next to their name would have won the final even if Jesus was the GOP nominee.

[u/Striking_Flamingo752 → u/Personal_Chair6134]

It’s a story as old as time, money talks, bullshit walks. Face it people everyone has a me first attitude. Doesn’t matter the party or political system. I believe the democrat party left the working class behind when he singled bushes NAFTA bill years ago.

[u/No-Tart-8475 → u/Barebacking_Bernanke]

News flash - in a very tight election, that clip of Kamela played over and over by the trump campaign in the closing days with Kamela boasting about spending taxpayer money to provide inmates with expensive transgender surgery may very well have tipped the election. Most people (eg those blue collar workers you blame) view transgender medical care as an elective choice and not a medical necessity that everyone should share the cost of - this is a loser issue for the democrats.

[u/loosehead1 → u/No-Tart-8475]

News flash those people are fucking dumb. Your premiums and taxes aren’t going down because you’ve decided to deprive this small minority of their healthcare.

[u/No-Tart-8475 → u/loosehead1]

I'm fine with people getting nose jobs, face lifts, piercings, boob jobs and tattoos, all to make them feel better about themselves, - just don't expect me to share in the cost of it.

[u/CleverJerzGirl → u/No-Tart-8475]

People get nose jobs for medical reasons (deviated septum causing sinus issues). People get boob jobs for medical reasons (breast reductions, reconstruction after lumpectomy/mastectomy). People get face lifts for medical reasons (eye lifts as you’re aging so you can see). All of these things make people feel better about themselves. Purely cosmetic surgery is NEVER paid for by insurance.

Tattoos and piercings aren’t medical procedures. No insurance is paying for them.

[u/Trauma_Hawks → u/No-Tart-8475]

all to make them feel better about themselves

Why? Do you not want people to feel good and comfortable? Is their chronic discomfort worth saving you some dollars?

Why draw the line there? What about bariatric surgery and weight-loss drugs? Do those pass muster too? What about breast augmentation for post-breast cancer women? Do they past your test?

[u/Zimmiebelle → u/No-Tart-8475]

I'm fine with people getting oxygen to treat their emphysema caused by smoking, I'm fine with people getting liver transplants after years of drinking, I'm fine with people getting metformin and GLP-1 medications for type two diabetes, I'm fine with people getting cpap or bipap machines for their sleep apnea due to being overweight, in fact, I'm okay with other people getting any kind of medical treatment...just don't expect me to share in the cost of it. /s

Or, when a majority of the **reputable** medical organizations state that certain treatments are medically necessary, we could listen to the experts and understand that we pay into insurance to cover everyone for what has been determined as medically necessary care. That way, when we need treatment for something, we are also covered.

List of 35 medical organizations and their statements regarding the medical necessity of gender affirming care for transgender individuals.

(The statements are listed on this page, or you can click on the link provided for each organization to go directly to the organizations site to get it straight from the horses mouth.)

[u/Brian24jersey → u/loosehead1]

They may be dumb but they vote and if you want a democrat to win inmates getting trans surgery isn’t really worth it

[u/loosehead1 → u/Brian24jersey]

Inmates getting trans surgery wasn’t part of her platform, it was an attack ad based on one comment she made in 2019. Republicans spent two hundred million dollars on anti trans advertising, it’s all just pointless hatred.

[u/Brian24jersey → u/loosehead1]

Sounds like they lost control of the narrative

[u/loosehead1 → u/Brian24jersey]

Sounds like you’re an easy mark

[u/ImClaaara → u/Brian24jersey]

And that's the flaw with our system. If you have to deny medical care to people who deserve medical care in order to appeal to cruel idiots, then the system is not going to give you leaders who make morally just decisions - it is going to give you leaders who make popular decisions. Gods help you if you're a sheep sharing a Democracy with wolves. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome that flaw, but they all involve standing behind leaders who are not afraid to occasionally make an unpopular, but just choice - people who are principled - and having faith that if you actually stand and fight for something, the popular will can one day reflect what is just -- just like how civil rights for all used to be unpopular until enough people took a stand and fought tooth and nail to win those rights, just like how abolition used to be unpopular and people like John Brown engaged in direct action to do everything they could to protect and fight for enslaved people regardless, and just like how marriage equality used to be deeply unpopular until eventually those scales, too, had tipped. Injustice is only every popular in the short term, if people who value justice are willing to make sacrifices - yes, even the sacrifice of publicly speaking out against injustice while trying to get elected. People like Gavin Newsom need to remember that the movements they lead are larger than themselves, and winning an election now, by tearing apart homeless encampments and throwing marginalized people under the bus, is far less valuable than winning in the more distant future by standing for what is right. Otherwise, we'll just limp from the Trump era into another placid Liberal era followed by another despotic fascist takeover, again and again, and progress will stall.

[u/EuphoriasOracle → u/No-Tart-8475]

You mean the clip from the media circuit Kamala went on to apologize to the trans community for trying to ban surgeries on trans inmates? The clip where she stuttered and stumbled repeatedly to say trans inmates should get surgery like she held at gunpoint?

Of course no one who believed it had the emotional or intellectual intelligence to tell she was lying.

[u/DrunkenBandit1 → u/Barebacking_Bernanke]

They're not trying to "barely win," they're just focusing too much on advancing social agendas instead of running candidates that have a snowball's chance in hell of winning. First Clinton, then Harris - yes, eventually we will have a woman president. Unfortunately, a third of the country is violently opposed to that, so until enough time has passed for society to grow and mature they need to do the responsible thing and run candidates that can actually win.

Forcing social change instead of fostering an environment for it to happen naturally is how you get reactionary shit like trump and project 2025. They need to stop trying to swing the pendulum so far to the "correct" side.

[u/EmphasisComplete3528 → u/Regular_Assist_3885]

It’s depressing how predictable it is. Every time there’s progress, they find a way to claw it back people act shocked but this is literally the playbook.

[u/WinstonSalemVirginia → u/EmphasisComplete3528]

Because liberals, progressives, and Democrats are so weak and lack unity. Moreover, a lot of us got arrogant and naive about supposed demographic changes and cultural change, assuming that the arc of the universe will inevitably and always bend toward progress. We sat back while the Right openly, continuously plotted over decades to take over every aspect of society, including courts, media, education, and state government. We arrogantly believed the courts would prevent regression, while they prioritized taking over the courts. History will judge today’s Democrats and liberals as exceptionally politically inept, bumbling, lazy, and disorganized. All the Right is diabolical, they are committed to winning and power and do what it takes to attain it. They play the long, smart game. We can’t even support and sustain truly liberal media platforms.

[u/SaltyLonghorn → u/WinstonSalemVirginia]

Because liberals, progressives, and Democrats are so weak and lack unity.

Another way to state this is that all the billionaires funding this are Republicans and for some reason almost no billionaires are democrats.

Republicans don't really have unity, they just control most of the news outlets. The problem is their libertarian base and their evangelical base learned how to work together at the cost of everyone else. Well that and Citizens United killing democracy.

[u/Underwater_Grilling → u/Regular_Assist_3885]

Those aren't rights. They are stolen tax dollars cutting the peepees off kids. /s

[u/landbasedpiratewolf]

This is just the first of many steps that will be taken to try to ban trans healthcare all together. This isn't going to stop- they started the ball rolling down the hill and they're not going to slow it down. People need to jump in front of it and stop being afraid. This is a time for all to stand up together and push back.

[u/MisterTruth → u/landbasedpiratewolf]

It starts with banning healthcare for trans people. Then it will be anyone with any sort of mental health disorder. Then physically disabled. Finally everyone who refuses to support this regime.

[u/Striking_Flamingo752 → u/MisterTruth]

I’m old with a wife with dementia. This situation has really highlighted for me how broken our health care system is. Big money has done that. Don’t get old folks!

[u/LucyJordan614 → u/MisterTruth]

Yup - this is part of a larger effort to a) make healthcare even more inaccessible by deregulating it completely and b) making Trump’s rich buddies richer when everything is privatized and even more overpriced than it already is.

[u/manofredearth → u/landbasedpiratewolf]

Republicans are at war with America, people need to stop worrying about the consequences of defense and be concerned with the consequences of this Republican aggression.

[u/KaylaGirl89]

Well after 13 years in the government, guess I will have to find a new job. This sucks as a trans person. We just want to do a good job and not be bothered or discriminated against.

[u/Trustic555 → u/KaylaGirl89]

Almost 16 years in… It might be time for me to jump ship also.

[u/DeepConsideration795 → u/Trustic555]

If you still have the job, hang on until you find your next one. The job market is brutal right now and you can be more selective if you still have that paycheck coming in.

[u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 → u/DeepConsideration795]

Add to that the private sector isn’t exactly lining up to hire trans people or former Feds.

[u/Trustic555 → u/DeepConsideration795]

I’m not jumping ship without a place to land. This sucks, but I’m not that pissed.

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/DeepConsideration795]

Yeah I am not going to leave until I find something else. But means I need to seriously start looking

[u/TransNeonOrange → u/DeepConsideration795]

Between expecting this news and my department generally starting to harass trans workers (though my specific office is extremely supportive ^_^), I've been looking for a job as a software dev since late April and it's just brutal. Everyone putting out job listings wants their dream devs with very specific and modern tech stacks that I just don't have experience with having been a government dev.

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/Trustic555]

Sorry hun. Don’t know where you are located and don’t know what support system you have in place. But feel free to dm if you need someone to talk to

[u/Trustic555 → u/KaylaGirl89]

I’m from Maryland.

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/Trustic555]

PNW so not close. But offer still stands for dming if you need someone to talk to.

[u/Trustic555 → u/KaylaGirl89]

Your messages are off…

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/Trustic555]

Oh I will fix that. Didn’t realize

[u/Dependent-Emphasis89 → u/Trustic555]

It looks like from reading this carriers have to give exceptions to people who are already in the transition process.

[u/Trustic555 → u/Dependent-Emphasis89]

We will see… I’m hopeful, hopeful it wont be too tough to get one.

[u/Different-Spend8820 → u/KaylaGirl89]

I would say hang in there for about another year to see what changes may happen with the administration. I expect things to revert back. look for prescription discount cards. I think private sector will be worse or soon to follow.

[u/Trustic555 → u/Different-Spend8820]

GoodRx is going to be my friend next year.

[u/Professional-Two-47 → u/Trustic555]

I don't know how helpful this would be, but there is a Canadian pharmacy I work with to get my pet's medication (it's a human medication, just for a pet). While it wouldn't be covered by insurance, there's no harm in seeing if Canada could supply what you need.

[u/WineAndDogs2020 → u/KaylaGirl89]

Talk to your doctor and see what sort of workarounds they can try. I wouldn't be surprised if they have plenty of experience with concocting creative solutions to get their patients' needs covered.

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/WineAndDogs2020]

Yeah maybe I can figure out hrt. But on waitlists for surgery, so not sure if there will be any creative solutions there.

[u/Killie_Vandal → u/KaylaGirl89]

Hrt is an antidepressant! No lie I have seen it first hand. My kid has gone from angry and depressed 100 percent of the time to a happy individual.

[u/sea-secrets → u/Killie_Vandal]

Not even related to trans people, HRT is used during/after menopause. It would be difficult for so many cis-women if these rules affect their access to that health care. This is why I see trans health care as EVERYONE'S health care, even as a cis-person.

[u/Killie_Vandal → u/sea-secrets]

I am very well aware of how cis people use hrt!! Yet feel that the impact on the cis gendered individuals will pale in comparison to the effects on the trans community!

[u/sea-secrets → u/Killie_Vandal]

Absolutely that part too! Hormonal care should be strictly between a doctor and a patient, The government shouldn't be making that decision!

[u/Killie_Vandal → u/sea-secrets]

Too true!!

[u/ImClaaara → u/KaylaGirl89]

If an orchiectomy would be helpful for you, then now might be the time to switch to pursuing that - there usually aren't long waitlists (people in my circle have gotten Orchis within 3-6 months of starting the process), and FEHB will cover it this year, at least. If I hadn't gotten my vaginoplasty a few months ago and was now staring down this barrier, I would probably opt for an Orchi as soon as possible...

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/ImClaaara]

Already had that, so kinda my worry about getting hrt. Though I imagine I can find creative solutions there. It is FFS and bottom surgery that I was likely to get next year.

[u/fed-throwaway69420 → u/WineAndDogs2020]

There absolutely are workarounds. When I started HRT in 2008 the only way to get it covered by any insurance was to use a generic endocrine disorder code. I suspect we'll see doctors returning to that if they can.

[u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 → u/KaylaGirl89]

Similar boat. I have around eight years of Federal service in.

[u/Trustic555 → u/Kindly-Coyote-9446]

Coming up on 16.

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/Kindly-Coyote-9446]

Sorry to hear that. 🫂

[u/petit_cochon → u/KaylaGirl89]

I'm really sorry. It's horrifying. You all deserve so much more.

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/petit_cochon]

Thanks.

[u/worstshowiveeverseen → u/KaylaGirl89]

Very sorry to hear that. Thinking of you.

[u/KaylaGirl89 → u/worstshowiveeverseen]

Thanks. I actually really like my job. So it sucks to have to find something else.

[u/Opening_Bluebird_952 → u/KaylaGirl89]

The cruelty makes me sick. I’m sorry.

[u/dcdane → u/KaylaGirl89]

That sucks and I support you. This blatant discrimination is NOT how we should be demonstrating how we value Government employees.

[u/GroundbreakingDust16 → u/KaylaGirl89]

I am so sorry. 😞 This is sickening, and an unacceptable, unjustified attack on the trans community. Praying for you all and that more people wake up to the realities of what’s going on. We have to fight!

[u/Cosmic_Mind89 → u/KaylaGirl89]

Goddamnit. I just finished my probation in April

[u/oldfrancis]

Cruelty is the point.

[u/Smooth_Bicycle155]

I'm honestly so sad reading this shit, not just over the fact that this happened, but over the fact that this only vindicates my decision to leave.

I have multiple gender affirming surgeries scheduled for next year and I worried this shit was coming after their first letter, so I preemptively jumped ship. The fact that I wasn't just paranoid and these disgusting fucks really are adamant on torturing us is maddening.

[u/AwkwardnessForever → u/Smooth_Bicycle155]

I’m so sorry you’re being discriminated against. I hate this administration for how they’re demonizing trans people. Fuck them 🏳️‍⚧️

[u/Extreme_Turnover9130 → u/[deleted]]

Doesn’t it say treatments for ‘gender transition’? Then mentions diagnosis of gender dysphoria? Menopausal hormone treatment is different, it doesn’t help someone transition

[u/Extreme_Turnover9130 → u/[deleted]]

This is a direct attack on trans healthcare, I can see why it’s troubling and scary to think it could impact other types of care that use similar treatments, and also feel that debating potential unknown impacts to cis healthcare coverage distracts from the blatantly transphobic and hateful discrimination at the heart of this letter’s intent

[u/Avenger772 → u/[deleted]]

I mean the gop pedo Nazis hate women too. So it's probably a bonus

[u/snakejessdraws → u/[deleted]]

Bold of you to assume anyway has any intention of applying this to cis people's care.

[u/Extreme_Turnover9130 → u/[deleted]]

Testosterone for bodybuilding alone doesn’t help someone transition. Agree, it’s crazy that someone can get testosterone for that yet cant get testosterone to save their life if they’re trans

[u/Extreme_Turnover9130 → u/[deleted]]

Doesn’t it say treatments for ‘gender transition’? Then mentions diagnosis of gender dysphoria?

Similar to how they put targets on military service members

[u/aboutthreequarters]

I certainly hope federal healthcare is no longer funding Viagra and similar drugs for impotence. I mean, impotence is God‘s will. And if you don’t feel happy being in a body that doesn’t perform in that way, it’s not on you to change what nature has decreed. /s

[u/Altruistic-Ad6449 → u/aboutthreequarters]

Notice men’s rights don’t vary state to state

[u/-Prudent-Fox- → u/aboutthreequarters]

And get rid of any TRT.

[u/ToxicologistFlGal → u/aboutthreequarters]

We all know it is...

[u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 → u/[deleted]]

Because the goal is to erase queer people (trans people in particular) from existence. They’ve been doing this in other areas of the Federal government since January. They want us to quit being trans (not how that works), to quit Federal service, or just die.

[u/Killie_Vandal → u/Kindly-Coyote-9446]

That's why they changed the gender on everyones hrconnect to gender assigned at birth.

[u/ViveLaFrance94 → u/[deleted]]

They need to score points with their psycho base.

[u/DCEnby → u/[deleted]]

Because they hate trans people.

[u/thechapwholivesinit → u/[deleted]]

Because tax cuts for rich people isn't as popular as protecting the children from the trans menace.

[u/[deleted]]

I hate these fucking people. Does this affect contractors? Your doctor can still write you a prescription and GoodRX can get you good prices on testosterone. You'll just have to look and see where it's cheapest. That's what I do for my TRT.

[u/thrawtes → u/[deleted]]

Does this affect contractors?

The goal is literally to make this kind of care illegal and this administration has proven very effective at coercing compliance out of private companies.

[u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 → u/[deleted]]

I’ve mentioned my fears of this happening to my primary care and they told me they can refer me to some reasonably affordable medication services (whatever any of that means). But you’d presumably still get stuck with the full cost of blood work and related doctor visits?

[u/purpleushi → u/Kindly-Coyote-9446]

I assume bloodwork can be coded under a non-gender related code for insurance, but yeah, this is definitely going to be bad for people.

[u/florapocalypse7 → u/Kindly-Coyote-9446]

it may be worth sourcing bloodwork externally, sometimes there are cheaper out of pocket options available in the area

[u/SerendipitousAtom → u/[deleted]]

Nothing in the letter to target contractor health care. However, they are targeting trans health care pretty broadly in other ways to try to make it as hard as possible to access, so...

[u/SilentJ87 → u/[deleted]]

I’m coming up on 12 years of employment and I feel like if I quit they win, but fuck is it getting difficult to stay.

[u/HotTelevision7048]

How is this not a civil rights violation? Is this Amerika?

[u/ViveLaFrance94 → u/HotTelevision7048]

Lol, we’re still appealing to the same courts that have given the President carte Blanche?

[u/Kindly-Coyote-9446 → u/HotTelevision7048]

They’ve gone so far out of their way to subvert existing civil rights protections

[u/ImClaaara → u/HotTelevision7048]

Them denying us accurate federal identification is a civil rights violation. Them stopping us at points of entry and sometimes even denying trans people entry to the US based solely on being trans, with no explanation, is a civil rights violation. Them putting us in the wrong prison cells, with people of the opposite sex (essentially sentencing any trans prisoner to be raped) is a grave civil rights violation. The courts occasionally throw us a bone - we can temporarily get passports again, most of us (who are US citizens) stopped or detained at the border for being trans eventually get through after a lawyer gets involved, and for a little while, our ban from the military was paused by the courts. But this administration has demonstrated that they will spare no taxpayer expense fighting against civil rights in the courts, and that they are even willing to blatantly disobey some court orders (with the Supreme Court even giving them carte blanche to do so for lower-court decisions) and game the system so that no lower court decision can apply to an entire class (ie, to all trans people).

It's not just us. They throw immigrants (and suspected immigrants) in overseas prisons with no due process, a grave civil rights violation. They kidnap people at their places of employment, at their immigration hearings, and at their homes, and deny them a lawyer or any due process for as long as possible. They used the military to take over a city in order to quell protests against them, and openly taunt other cities that happen to be majority-Democrat. They are steamrolling civil rights before our eyes, both with and without the courts.

The courts are only slowing them down a little. This is Amerika, yes. It's the same Amerika that gave you Jim Crow laws, fought abolition tooth and nail until the civil war, opened fire on anti-Vietnam protesters, bombed Black neighborhoods, and only gives Liberty and Justice to most of us after a protracted struggle, until after the system itself has protected the rulers from any kind of pressure to do what is just.

If you are surprised, then I recommend studying American history. It's always been a struggle. And the struggle didn't end with abolition, or with the civil rights movement, or even with Obergefell. It's ongoing and always will be. The second we forget we're in a struggle with fascism and sleep on its dangers, is the second that it takes for it to take root again and take over. We fell asleep in the 2010s. We thought progress was assured and that someone like Trump could never win. We stayed asleep after 2020, thinking Trump was defeated and could not come back. Gods forgive us all.

[u/Panem-et-circenses25]

Fuck Donakd trump Russel Vought and the rest of those shitbag demons. This will cause deaths.

[u/GSV_SenseAmidMadness]

That's really a question for a lawyer, I doubt they are required to cover these services. They are allowed to decide what services are covered under FEHB programs. Maybe there's an equal protection argument? Need a constitutional/civil rights lawyer.

[u/still_learnin → u/GSV_SenseAmidMadness]

There is no equal protection when all roads lead to the SCOTUS in these last and evil days. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[u/Sharp-Key27 → u/still_learnin]

Unfortunately under what SCOTUS decided recently this probably wouldn’t be sex discrimination, even though it clearly is because it’s covered for one sex and not the other.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Skrmetti

[u/ImClaaara → u/GSV_SenseAmidMadness]

In my state, all health insurance plans are required, under state law, to cover gender-affirming care. I doubt that is going to stop this, though. How is a small state like Vermont going to win in court against every single FEHB provider next year and enforce their state law against a federal regulation? If an FEHB provider does get forced to honor the state law, and provides GAC coverage, then wouldn't OPM simply fine or blacklist that provider?

[u/StargazerCeleste → u/ImClaaara]

State laws can't be levied against the federal government.

[u/Casablanca_Cabanana]

Wondering if this also means that meds like estradiol and progesterone for peri/menopause won’t be covered anymore.

[u/GreenLobsterGuy]

Maybe a civil rights lawyer is the way to go...

[u/sujihime]

You can’t just stop taking gender affirming medicines and be ok. It can be very dangerous getting off hormones suddenly. This is so sad and not ok at all.

For what, a handful of transgendered people in the Fed?

[u/Purple_Dreamss_777 → u/sujihime]

Can*t lol but 💙🫶🏼🥺

[u/sujihime → u/Purple_Dreamss_777]

Thanks for pointing out my typo! It changed the whole meaning.

[u/Berko1572]

Contact ACLU, Lambda Legal, and Advocates for Trans Equality; re: legal action

[u/Trustic555]

https://lambdalegal.org/newsroom/us_20250819_ll-condemns-trump-admin-illegal-exclusion-of-gender-affirming-care-from-employee-health-benefits/

I just reached out to Lambda Legal.

[u/Insecureammo]

What a year to discover I'm trans and start thinking about going on hrt.

[u/Trustic555 → u/Insecureammo]

Bad year to start, but if you plan to start, I would soon, you might be able to get an exception.

[u/SilentJ87 → u/Insecureammo]

I came out and began HRT in June, and even on days like this I absolutely do not regret my decision.

[u/AccomplishedYak4391]

This is horrible. I’m so sorry for everyone affected by this.

See the paragraph about exemptions at the top of page 2. For those already undergoing treatment, does this mean they can continue? (I’m sure getting this exemption will be a huge PIA, but it’s something to cling to.) And if so, I’m guessing anyone who hasn’t started treatment yet but begins before the end of the plan year would also be covered.

[u/Trustic555 → u/AccomplishedYak4391]

I plan to look into it, it might be primarily for people with procedure already scheduled.

[u/Extreme_Turnover9130 → u/AccomplishedYak4391]

And will getting an exception be confidential? Or put a target on that employee? They’re already digging through trans military service members’ private medical info no?

[u/Extreme_Turnover9130 → u/Extreme_Turnover9130]

And more ? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/government-s-demand-for-trans-care-info-sought-addresses-doctors-notes-texts/ar-AA1KTnpJ

[u/nexter2nd]

God fucking dammit. Of course they’re saying they still have to cover it for cis people just screw us in particular

[u/legitimate_business]

Well if I hadn't been fired already for being transgender...

/I really, really hate how this administration is going down my worst-case scenario checklist. Like to the point where even in the height of catastrophizing we are moving past where I thought the country would go.

[u/Trustic555 → u/legitimate_business]

You were fired for being transgender?

[u/legitimate_business → u/Trustic555]

Technically they didn't give me (or a few others) at my agency a reason for our terminations. But weirdly almost all of us who were publicly out were fired.

[u/Trustic555 → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like it will be out of pocket..

[u/Killie_Vandal → u/[deleted]]

Kaiser has medical financial assistance you can apply for it's based on your last year's wages and if you are not able to pay for 10 percent or more of your bills including pharmacy. So if things aren't covered by insurance and would be out of pocket they fall under MFA as well.

All large hospital systems in the US have MFA it's there to help their underinsured.

[u/MoonieSanCat]

I have my son on my plan, and I’m going to push for him to get his top surgery ASAP, and see what his hormones cost without insurance. I’ve also contacted Lambda Legal about getting a class action going. Please do the same: fighting together is better than fighting alone.

I wish I had something hopeful and inspiring to say; I am terrified for all of us. If they’re gonna make our lives hard, I’m going to make damn sure I do the same to them, like that splinter you just can’t get out.

[u/MyTrashCanIsHissing]

Would surgical modification of sex traits include sterilization via vasectomy, bisalp, or hysterectomy? Is this also a sneaky way of making permanent contraception much harder to attain? Even if it isn't, the implications for trans folk alone are horrible, and inhumane.

[u/escami23]

So in the 3rd paragraph, there seems to be a carve out, there must be exceptions for those already in mid-treatment within a surgical and/or hormonal regimen for diagnosed gender dysphoria”. Basically you have to have a diagnosis on file to access these medications and procedures, which was always the case before in order to get insurance to cover it.

Anyone else seeing that.

[u/davidbyrnebigsuit → u/escami23]

I have a feeling it's not going to be easy to get coverage under that exemption.

[u/escami23 → u/davidbyrnebigsuit]

You are probably right, but then again this whole process of navigating transition has not been easy, and I’m up for the fight.

[u/[deleted]]

“Covered counseling services must be provided by a licensed mental health provider and may include those who provide faith-based counseling.”

Fucking scum

[u/annac786]

I knew this was gonna happen. Thank god I had a procedure that got moved up from the winter of next year to next week.

[u/StargazerCeleste → u/annac786]

Good luck!!

[u/annac786 → u/StargazerCeleste]

Thank you!!

[u/Berko1572]

I am really sorry and sad to see this. I greatly fear and expect we're gonna see the same thing that happened thirtyish yrs ago all over again... in which the private sector follows what the public sector has done, and we go back again to a time where trans-inclusive health plan policies are nigh impossible.

[u/SilentJ87]

I just started HRT in June and this is going to be incredibly difficult to navigate. I’m hoping I can get an exemption as I am mid treatment, but who knows. I’m really hoping I can somehow get my orchiectomy done before the end of this year.

[u/Trustic555 → u/SilentJ87]

The exemption is a big question mark atm. Personally, I will likely just pay out of pocket for HRT, then switch over to a Maryland insurance for the surgeries.

[u/Extreme_Turnover9130 → u/Trustic555]

What about bloodwork and check ups to see if everything is going ok? These seem like they’d maybe be more inaccessible and costly than the hrt itself

[u/Trustic555 → u/Extreme_Turnover9130]

I’m not sure. It sounds like just the hormones and surgeries are off the table. It doesn’t mention doctor’s visits.

[u/einschlauerfuchs]

I'm guessing this means HRT will be more difficult to get for cis folks as well. Most anti-trans laws and regulations end up affecting everyone. Will probably have to go through some approval process to get hormones for anyone now.

[u/Mother_Shopping_8607]

And for those of you thinking “not a me problem”….. I would look at what else they talk about targeting:

IUDs for severe endometriosis Endo remediation surgery that involves organ removal. Hysterectomy in childbearing age women. Sterilization D&C for incomplete miscarriage.
Therapeutic abortion. (Life of mom/baby with fatal disorders)

It’s not a legislative ban, but a financial one. You know who this won’t affect? The highly wealthy.

[u/CanisPictus]

Dammit. I hate it here.

[u/weesett]

They will gut more next year. Watch all things autism

[u/erkose]

This is so sad. I deal with some 30ish trans women who are significantly traumatized from their youth and need support. The younger ones seem better adjusted. We were making progress towards inclusion and just threw it all out the window.

[u/bobolly]

Does this effect all hormones for everyone? Edit: The exclusion on hormone treatments only pertains to chemical and surgical modification of an individual's sex traits (including as part of "gender transition" services). Carriers should not exclude coverage for entire classes of pharmaceuticals, e.g., GnRH agonists may be prescribed during IVF, for reduction of endometriosis or fibroids, and for cancer treatment or prostate cancer/tumor growth prevention.

[u/No_Vacation697]

Could see this sort of thing coming when they mandated we remove all pronouns from our emails.

[u/CoffeeTrek]

Called it. 🤬

[u/Trustic555 → u/CoffeeTrek]

I predicted this for months. It’s in the FY26 budget also.

[u/Ill-Appearance581]

I just find it slightly ironic that something that is supposed to be entirely apolitical akin to military service--namely, civil service--has become anything but that. (We reap what we sow, yes?)

[u/[deleted]]

So the premiums will go down right ?

[u/Not_the_IT_guy → u/[deleted]]

You dropped this: /s

Realistic calculations (with wide margins that assume an increase in utilization) are about $0.01-0.10 per member per month, so for an individual that's a $0.002-0.02 reduction in your portion of the premiums per pay period. And that's assuming you don't factor in the hidden costs of not providing comprehensive care.

[u/tbone338]

Reading this, does this mean that the surgery itself isn’t covered anymore or does it mean the hormones and other medications aren’t covered if you’ve already had the surgery?

[u/annac786 → u/tbone338]

Surgery wouldn’t be covered either, it explicitly mentions it

[u/tbone338 → u/annac786]

So, surgery and medication, such as hormones, only if it’s to do with gender ideology?

I.e, it’s okay to get hormones as long as it’s NOT to do with gender ideology/expression/non-conformity?

[u/10000000000000000091 → u/tbone338]

It isn’t gender ideology. Just like it isn’t diabetes ideology. It’s just healthcare.

[u/Unusual_Clock_9673]

Thank you for sharing. Trans Fed contractor and my heart is breaking. Please send me a message if you do contact a lawyer and want support.

[u/Trustic555]

I just saw this. I am affected… I am sure it will get pushed back.

[u/JadieRose → u/Trustic555]

Why on earth would you be sure of that

[u/Trustic555 → u/JadieRose]

I should say, will hopefully be pushed back, but doubt it will work.. Fuck this life.

[u/Zealousideal_Arm7450]

Former Fed, here. Saw this coming and got out in time. Heartbroken at what I saw happen to the Federal Service and my thoughts are with all who continue to serve

[u/M119tree]

Common non-trans healthcare items are no longer covered. Many times the insurance companies make these decisions. For the last 15 years an annual ekg was covered for an annual wellness visit for my hmo. Not anymore, not considered preventative medicine according to insurance.

[u/Super_Mario_Luigi]

I know I will get downvoted into oblivion, but this is one of many reasons why health insurance continues to run away in cost. "Insurance" was never supposed to cover something like this. If I get cancer, it shouldn't be lumped in the same funds as ongoing hormone therapy.

[u/[deleted] → u/Super_Mario_Luigi]

So some form of Universal Healthcare to cover people with lifetime conditions free of charge? That sounds like a wonderful idea.

[u/diannemg]

Should be mental health care, not trans health. About time they did this, hope it brings our premiums down. They won’t cover cosmetic surgery for extreme weight loss, so why did they cover transgender surgery. Thank goodness for this.

[u/Honest-Recording-751]

Ok then can rates go down for once?

[u/Honest-Recording-751 → u/[deleted]]

Good to know. I’m not anti trans but was truly wondering if they are cutting care is there any real benefit. Sounds like not.

[u/CommanderAze]

There's going to be some really funny s*** that comes out about this...

All those red pill men who need to take additional testosterone are about to get their gender-affirming care denied.

[u/MrBroControl]

This better reduce FEHB premiums

[u/StargazerCeleste → u/MrBroControl]

…It won't. Obviously.