Transgender Health Care Access Act

119th Congress: H.R. 2487

The Problem 

As of now, 27 states have enacted bans on gender-affirming care, putting more than 120,000 transgender young people—over 40% of all trans youth in the U.S.—at risk of losing access to the care they need to live healthy, authentic lives.

In some states, like Idaho and Tennessee, lawmakers have gone even further by prohibiting the use of state funds to provide gender-affirming care to minors and adults. Others, including Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina, have considered extending their bans to include care for transgender people up to age 26. These are clear, alarming attempts to erase trans adulthood.

Most recently, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti (2025) upheld Tennessee’s ban on this care for minors, which will allow similar state-level bans to go into effect elsewhere as well.

Let us be clear: Gender-affirming care is evidence-based, lifesaving, and supported by every major medical association in the country. 

These medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics has deemed this type of healthcare crucial and safe. In 2023, University of Washington-Seattle researchers found that access to gender-affirming care for youth aged 13 to 20 correlated with a 60% lower rate of depression and a 73% lower rate of self-harm or suicidal ideation when compared with peers lacking access to these medical options. More and more studies have proven how vital this health care is for transgender people’s long-term mental and physical wellness.

Unfortunately, even medical professionals often do not have the tools and knowledge they need to care for their LGBTQ+ patients. A 2018 survey of students at 10 medical schools discovered that 80% of them did not feel they could adequately provide for transgender patients in the future. At a time when transgender youth and adults are struggling with mounting political attacks against their right to exist, it is necessary for the federal government to invest in access to gender-affirming care.

What Does the Transgender Health Care Access Act Do? 

The Transgender Health Care Access Act would make critical investments in the health care workforce to ensure more providers are trained and equipped to deliver evidence-based, gender-affirming care. It would address a significant gap in medical education by funding the development and national dissemination of curricula that teach cultural competency and clinical best practices for treating transgender patients. Through grants to academic institutions, residency programs, and licensing entities, the bill also seeks to expand provider capacity across disciplines—especially in primary care, behavioral health, and community-based settings.

In addition, the bill focuses on increasing access to care in underserved areas by supporting community health centers, rural clinics, and tribal health systems in building infrastructure and training staff to meet the needs of transgender patients. By investing in peer-to-peer provider education networks and emphasizing care in rural and low-access regions, the legislation aims to close health equity gaps that have left transgender individuals—particularly in hostile policy environments—without safe or affirming care. If enacted, this bill would not only improve health outcomes for transgender people but also advance broader goals in public health equity, workforce development, and patient-centered care.

Current Status of the Bill?

TheTransgender Health Care Access Act was introduced on March 31, 2025, in the House of Representatives by Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT). This bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate.

For more information, please contact legislation@hrc.org. Read about other federal legislation pertinent to the LGBTQ community here.