On March 10, in a first-of-its-kind ruling, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals escalated attacks on transgender individuals by upholding West Virginia’s restriction on surgical procedures that aid in gender affirmation, setting a precedent for other states to follow suit.
According to Reuters, more than a dozen U.S. states currently prohibit or limit the use of Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care, and the 4th Circuit has become the first federal appeals court to enforce that type of law.
The specific surgeries and procedures the West Virginia law seeks to remove from Medicaid coverage includes physical alterations that align with one’s gender identity such as chest reconstruction and facial procedures.