The Tennessee House Insurance Subcommittee last week advanced Republican backed legislation to prevent taxpayer money from being used for transgender surgeries in Tennessee.
House Bill 1215 would prohibit a managed care organization (MCO) contracted with TennCare from covering any medical procedures performed for the purpose of changing a person’s sex.
“This bill does not deny access to the transgender community or any community to health care,” said bill co-sponsor State Rep. Timm Rudd, R-Murfreesboro. “This bill does not discriminate and it also does not outlaw the surgery. This simply states that Tennessee tax dollars are not to be used for it.”
If approved, any MCO that is in violation of the bill and contracted with TennCare would have 90 days to come into compliance. House Bill 1215 is scheduled to be heard in the Insurance Committee on Feb. 21.
