Thu Oct 13, 2022 – 4:32 pm EDT
TALLAHASSEE (LifeSiteNews) – A federal judge has rejected a left-wing request to block new Florida regulations denying Medicaid funds to cover chemical and surgical “transition” procedures, in the latest win for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In June, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) issued a report determining that Florida’s $36 billion Medicaid program should not include coverage for practices such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or “sex-change” surgeries, on the grounds that they have not been proven safe or effective to treat gender dysphoria, a disorder that involves feelings of distress about one’s sex, and do not meet generally accepted professional medical standards (GAPMS), a requirement for Medicaid eligibility.
The agency announced at the time that it would “initiate the rulemaking process regarding the Medicaid program’s coverage treatments for gender dysphoria,” and instituted the new rules on August 21.
Opponents of the policy sued, and on Wednesday, Judge Robert Hinkle rejected their request for preliminary injunction, Fox News reports.
“The kind of ‘extraordinary’ and ‘drastic’ relief that Plaintiffs seek is simply not warranted here,” Hinkle wrote. “The State of Florida has made a measured decision to
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