Finance Dems accuse Republican AGs of abusing authority to get records of transgender minors
Republican attorneys general in at least four states have abused their oversight authorities to demand the private medical records of transgender minors and adults as part of a broader effort to restrict access to gender-affirming health care nationwide, according to a Senate Finance Committee report released Tuesday.
Investigations launched by Attorneys General Ken Paxton of Texas, Todd Rokita of Indiana, Jonathan Skrmetti of Tennessee and Andrew Bailey of Missouri into seekers and providers of transition-related care “demand a host of invasive items” such as lists of individuals referred for care and unredacted physical and mental health records, according to a report by the committee’s majority Democratic staff.
“Framed as civil investigations seeking to determine if there has been misuse of Medicaid funds (Tennessee) or violations of consumer protection laws (Indiana and Missouri), these campaigns investigate medical providers on their provision of transgender medical care,” the report states, adding that the investigations are motivated by “ideological and political goals.”
The Hill has reached out to the GOP attorney general offices for comment.
The office for the Tennessee attorney general said its investigation targeted health care providers, not patients.
"Our Civil Medicaid Fraud Unit began investigating after watching a video in which a VUMC doctor described how she manipulated billing codes to avoid insurance coverage limitations," wrote Tennessee AG spokesperson Amy Lannom Wilhite. "There is no political exception to our fraud laws, and we will continue to investigate as the evidence demands, regardless of a doctor's ideology."
Gender-affirming health care for transgender minors is already banned in Texas, Indiana, Tennessee and Missouri under a slate of laws passed in 2023 that restrict access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery. Twenty other states have also heavily restricted or banned the treatments for minors and certain adults.
Tuesday’s report argues that the four attorneys general “have gone even further” than banning care statewide by “using their oversight authorities to investigate transgender medical care across the United States.”
In February, PFLAG National, a nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy group, sued Paxton after his office demanded the organization hand over information related to its support of transgender children receiving gender-affirming medical care. Paxton’s office said the request pertained to allegations of “misrepresentations” of transgender health care in violation of a state law protecting against false or misleading business practices.
Paxton is facing a similar lawsuit from Seattle Children’s Hospital, which sued the attorney general’s office in December after it was sent a subpoena demanding patient records of Texas residents who had received gender-affirming care. Paxton in November issued a similar demand to QueerMed, a telemedicine clinic based in Georgia.
The attorneys general of Missouri and Indiana have similarly cited consumer protection laws to justify investigations into transgender clinics. A short-lived emergency rule issued by Bailey, the Missouri attorney general, last year claimed gender-affirming treatments were already banned in the state under an existing law governing “unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable business practices.”
In Tennessee, the attorney general's office has sent at least three civil investigative demands to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s transgender health clinic over allegations of Medicaid fraud. TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program, explicitly excludes gender-affirming health care.
“Attorneys General are weaponizing their oversight authorities for their own political gain, at the expense of LGBTQIA+ people and their families,” Tuesday’s report states. “Further, by implicating the Medicaid program, a cornerstone public insurance program for low-income Americans, these efforts undermine the integrity of public health care.”
Including Tennessee, at least 13 states prohibit the use of Medicaid for gender-affirming care.
In a statement, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said the four attorneys general in the report are “misusing their authority to terrorize transgender teens.”
“It’s shameful that law-enforcement officials are choosing to persecute teens trying to live their lives, just to score points with far-right activists,” he said. Wyden also criticized Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s decision to hand over patient records to the attorney general, calling the move an “utter betrayal.”
After issuing the report, Wyden and other Democrats in a letter to health care industry trade groups called on hospitals and health care providers to protect patients’ private medical records from “abusive legal demands by state attorneys general.”
Date: |
Filter
-
Barclays accused of greenwashing over financing for Italian oil company
Exclusive: Environmental groups say bank is misleading public over ‘sustainable’ financing for Eni as company vastly expands fossil fuel production. Barclays is being accused by environmental groups of greenwashing after helping to arrange €4bn ...The Guardian - World -
U.S. reviewing whether to restrict military aid to IDF unit accused of human rights abuses
The Biden administration is reviewing whether to restrict aid to an Israeli military battalion after determining that it was one of three battalions credibly implicated in gross human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West ...NBC News - Politics -
Texas AG sues Biden administration over Title IX rules that expand transgender student protections
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Monday sued the Biden administration over new federal nondiscrimination protections for transgender students. The Education Department this month finalized a set of sweeping changes to Title IX, the federal ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Baltimore teacher accused of using AI to create fake, racist recording of principal
Dazhon Darien arrested over fake recording of principal complaining about students and faculty members. A high school athletics director suspected of using artificial intelligence to create a fake, racist recording of a principal in Baltimore has ...The Guardian - World -
India politician accused of recording thousands of sex assault videos
Indian parliamentarian Prajwal Revanna, whose party is allied with the prime minister, is accused of recording thousands of videos of sexual assault.CBS News - Top stories - India -
Middle East Crisis: U.S. Won’t Suspend Aid, for Now, to Israeli Unit Accused of Abuses
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the United States is working with Israel to address charges against the unit, which has been accused of human rights violations in the West Bank.The New York Times - World - Israel -
U.S. reviewing whether to restrict military aid to IDF unit accused of human rights abuses
The Biden administration is reviewing whether to restrict aid to an Israeli military battalion after determining that it was one of three battalions credibly implicated in gross human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West ...NBC News - Top stories -
Hong Kong trans activist gets ID card reflecting gender change after legal battle
A Hong Kong transgender activist has received a new ID card reflecting his gender change, after a yearslong legal battle to change the document, and he vowed to continue working for equality for the LGBTQ+ communityABC News - World - Hong Kong -
Hong Kong transgender activist gets ID card reflecting gender change after yearslong legal battle
Hong Kong transgender activist Henry Tse received a new ID card reflecting his gender change, after a yearslong legal battle to change the document.NBC News - Top stories - Hong Kong -
Five Republican-led states sue over Biden’s new Title IX transgender protections
Five Republican-led states have sued the Biden administration over its new rules expanding Title IX to protect transgender students.NBC News - Top stories - Joe Biden
More from The Hill
-
Riot police drag away protesters at University of Texas as Gaza tensions flare
State troopers in riot gear moved on Monday afternoon to clear out students attempting to occupy a quad at the University of Texas at Austin. Dozens of protesters were arrested on site, escalating tensions that began on Wednesday when the ...The Hill - Politics -
Jill Stein accuses police of assaulting her at protest
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on Sunday alleged police assaulted her and other demonstrators shortly before being arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. “Basically, the police ...The Hill - Politics -
US finds Israeli military units violated human rights
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story US finds Israeli military units violated human rights The State Department has determined that at least five Israeli ...The Hill - Politics - Israel -
Evening Report — Protests continue to spread on college campuses
A quick recap of the day and what to look forward to tomorrow {beacon} Evening Report © AP Pro-Palestinian protests escalate on college campuses Hundreds of students have been arrested on college campuses across the country as ...The Hill - Politics -
FCC fines wireless carriers
Presented by Microsoft — {beacon} Technology Technology PRESENTED BY The Big Story FCC fines major mobile carriers $200M The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a fine totaling $200 million to the nation’s four largest mobile ...The Hill - Politics