Unpacking Colorado’s New Guidance on Transgender Health

Under federal and state law, insurers must cover gender-affirming care — including medically necessary mental health care, hormone therapy, and surgical treatments — for transgender people. But many transgender people continue to face discriminatory barriers accessing this care. In Colorado, state officials requested — and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved — a change to the state’s essential health benefits (EHB) benchmark marketplace plan to affirm and clarify insurer coverage of gender-affirming care. Plans must comply beginning in 2023. This blog post reviews the status of insurer coverage for gender-affirming care, improvements made in transgender health under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Colorado’s announcement.

Read the blog post here.