Great news from our client Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF)! TLDEF announces the launch of a new initiative designed to combat the systematic and pervasive health insurance discrimination facing transgender people across the nation…
“An overwhelming number of transgender people are denied insurance coverage for life-saving care. Blanket exclusions are all too common, from employer-sponsored insurance to Medicaid, to state plans,” said TLDEF Executive Director Andy Marra. “Without access to medically necessary care, transgender people are more likely to experience social stigma, discrimination, and poverty. TLDEF’s new Trans Health Project seeks to remove barriers to health care and help transgender people lead safer and healthier lives.”
TLDEF has retained attorney Noah Lewis to serve as Director of the Trans Health Project. Lewis will build on the work he began at Transcend Legal, which he founded in 2016. Transcend Legal, which will wind down its work, piloted approaches the Trans Health Project will now bring to scale at TLDEF. Lewis rejoins TLDEF full-time after previously serving as its Staff Attorney for five years.
“Currently there is no systematic approach to eliminating transgender health exclusions and TLDEF will serve as a critical resource for this work,” said Lewis. “There is an urgent need to ensure our victories translate into real change on the ground on a broad scale for so many who need care. Ultimately, the Trans Health Project will ensure that our progress is both meaningful and preserved by increasing the number of advocates who can both advance and enforce legal protections that opponents are now attempting to roll back.”
Read the full release here.
