Marking Transgender Day of Visibility earlier this week, Congresswoman Becca Balint of Vermont introduced the Transgender Health Care Access Act, “a federal bill designed to expand access to lifesaving, evidence-based gender-affirming care across the country,” according to The Advocate.
“Republicans are obsessed with attacking trans people. It’s dangerous,” Balint said in a public statement. “Over and over again, they use messages designed to get Americans to fear one another and to divide us. As Republicans use their power to take away health care and continue to attack and dehumanize trans folks, I’m not standing down.”
Reports The Advocate:
The bill offers a concrete federal framework to address persistent gaps in transgender health care.
It would allocate $10 million annually to improve gender-affirming care curricula in medical schools and licensing programs. These funds would be used to create, evaluate, and implement model curricula, including medical instruction and cultural competency training focused on treating transgender patients. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that new training models reach academic and clinical environments — including those in rural or underserved areas.
Another $15 million per year would fund a demonstration program to train medical residents, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, counselors, psychologists, and other health professionals in delivering gender-affirming care. The bill specifically encourages training in culturally competent practices and allows for grants to support clinical experiences, research, and faculty development.
Under the bill, community health centers—often lifelines for underserved populations—would receive $15 million annually to build capacity for gender-affirming care. That includes professional development, nondiscrimination training, updates to health records systems, and the creation of local review boards.
Finally, the bill authorizes $5 million annually to establish collaborative networks that connect rural providers to peer education and telehealth-based training in gender-affirming care. Balint said the goal is to bridge the isolation many rural providers face and ensure that trans people living outside urban areas can still access safe, informed care close to home.
“These investments aren’t just theoretical,” she told The Advocate. “They’re about making sure that trans people in small towns — people who may not be out to anyone — can walk into a clinic and get care from someone who understands what they need.”
Read the complete Advocate story here.
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