Pennsylvania CHIP Reauthorization Bill (HB 1388)

HB 1388 would reauthorize the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health insurance to uninsured children and teens who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance.

Limitation of Coverage

An amendment was added to the bill which would prohibit insurance coverage from covering any transition-related services, such as counseling, hormones, or surgery.

Specifically, the bill prohibits the program from including:

“[…]reimbursement for gender or sex reassignment surgery or gender or sex transition services, including, but not limited to, physician’s services, inpatient and outpatient hospital services, prescribed drugs or counseling services related to such surgery or services.”

If passed in this form, low-income transgender youth in Pennsylvania would be denied access to essential health-care services.

STATUS

Passed the house on June 6, 2017, by a 194-0 vote.

The amendment prohibiting coverage for transgender youth was introduced in the senate on October 18, 2017.

UPDATE #1

The language prohibiting coverage for transition services, including, but not limited to, physician’s services, inpatient and outpatient hospital services, prescribed drugs or counseling services related to such surgery or services, was removed from the bill by the house.

The bill would still prohibit coverage for gender or sex reassignment surgery.

Passed the house on November 20, 2017, by a 194-0 vote.

Passed the senate on December 11, 2017, by a 43-6 vote.

Signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf (D) on December 15, 2017.

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