A lawsuit settlement over hormone treatment coverage means Alaska Medicaid cannot deny gender-affirming care.
The initial class-action lawsuit came from a transgender woman who sued the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services for not covering her hormone treatment in 2019, according to KDLL. Alaska was one of 10 states that has a Medicaid policy barring coverage for gender-affirming treatment.
The settlement decision was attributed to foundations laid by the ACA and Bostock v. Clayton County.
The changes to Alaska's Medicaid policies go into effect July 25. It's estimated to cost the state $28,000 annually due to the small number of transgender, Medicaid-elegible Alaskans.