Florida bill would force companies to pay for transgender ‘detransition’

A Republican state senator in Florida has proposed a bill that would require businesses covering gender-affirming care to also cover the costs of someone who chooses to detransition. The bill would make companies responsible for detransition care even if the person no longer works there. Florida state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Tallahassee, called the bill the “Reverse Woke Act” and said it would protect people from being used as “political pawns to advance a leftist agenda for the governor of California.” This is likely a reference to a California bill that made the state a sanctuary for families seeking gender-affirming care for trans youth.

Trans activist Alejandra Caraballo criticized the bill on Twitter, calling it a “blatant attempt to eliminate ALL coverage of gender-affirming care.” Caraballo noted that coverage for detransition under a broader gender dysphoria diagnosis should be covered but warned that the bill makes coverage liability unquantifiable for employers and insurance companies. Caraballo called it a “troll bill” designed to encourage companies to stop covering gender-affirming care.

The bill’s provision also lacks precedent in law, according to trans activist Erin Reed. Reed noted that no employer is liable for a surgical procedure a decade later simply because the company’s health insurance covered the surgery. Reed also warned that the bill might conflict with a federal law that limits the role states can play in private health plans.

While the number of people who detransition is small, the bill’s potential impact on gender-affirming care is significant. A 2015 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality found that only about 8 percent of those who transition reported detransitioning, with most saying the detransition was temporary. The most common reason for detransitioning was parental pressure, not regret.

A 2022 study from the Netherlands found that an overwhelming majority of trans people who begin gender-affirming medical treatments as teenagers continue those treatments as young adults. Despite this, the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine recently voted to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth.

The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all rejected claims that gender-affirming care is harmful to transgender children or adults. If the “Reverse Woke Act” passes, it could become just as difficult for adults to obtain gender-affirming care.