Summary:
a previously good bill for improving healthcare access– and hijacked it with language to ban access to critical care for transgender Georgians, including youth and those covered by the State Employee Health Benefit Plan.
Link: General Assembly
Details:
Because of this unprecedented backdoor maneuver, Georgians were not given any opportunity to review the amendment language or to provide testimony.
The Georgia State Health Benefit Plan currently covers over half a million Georgians, including state employees, public school educators and staff, and retirees. This amendment is not restricted by age, meaning it would force dedicated public servants to choose between their jobs and their health or the health of their family. The government shouldn’t be able to overrule a person’s decision to seek health care for themselves and their families– whether they are transgender or not. HB 54 as amended would open the door for politicians to meddle in anyone’s private medical decisions, establishing a dangerous precedent.