ORLANDO, Fla. — The Agency for Health Care Administration will wait longer to decide whether or not to stop funding gender reaffirming care treatments under Medicaid.
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AHCA has been discussing the issue for hours Friday and heard from dozens of speakers on both sides.
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The decision would block Medicaid coverage for several transgender treatments, including hormone therapy, gender-reaffirming surgery and puberty-blocking medication, which stop the progression of puberty in young transgender people.
The agency responsible for Medicaid in Florida defines those treatments as experimental.
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With a lengthy public comment time Friday, the decision is pushed to next week.
This is after the state just wrapped up an investigation into gender reaffirming care last month.
The investigation calls the evidence behind being a treatment for gender dysphoria weak, but advocates worry what will happen when the about 10,000 people it impacts will no longer have coverage.
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Researchers found that studies supporting hormone replacement therapy, puberty blockers and sex reassignment surgery for treating gender dysphoria are weak to very weak. And the use of puberty blockers does not improve mental health.
See more in the video above.
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