Gov. Reynolds stands by signing bill with Medicaid coverage ban on transgender surgery
DES MOINES, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds on Tuesday cited previous state policy defending her decision to approve a bill that would, in part, ban publicly-funded insurance from covering transgender surgery.
Reynolds signed the health and human services budget totaling $1.9 billion on Friday. In it were two last-minute policy additions pushed by GOP lawmakers in the Iowa legislature, which would not require local governments use taxpayer-funded insurance like Medicaid to cover sex reassignment surgery for transgender Iowans and would strip Planned Parenthood from getting federal grants for sex education programs.
The governor has the power to line-item veto provisions in budget bills, including the two related to transgender surgery coverage and Planned Parenthood funding.
Reynolds told reporters Tuesday that the policy to curb Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgeries has been "the state's position for a long time."
"This takes it back to the way it's always been," Reynolds said. "This has been the state's position for decades."
Administrative rules from the Iowa Department of Human Services that govern Iowa's Medicaid program prohibited coverage for such surgeries, but those were overruled by a March Iowa Supreme Court decision, which found that that banning Medicaid payments for such surgeries violated gender-identity provisions of the Iowa Civil Right's Act.
Republican lawmakers who backed the policy at the statehouse argued that the language comes in direct response to the ruling. The ACLU of Iowa released a statement following the governor signing the bill into law hinting a lawsuit challenging it could be forthcoming.
"This law is an intentional and plain violation of the right to equal protection that is afforded to all Iowans. But we have transgender Iowan's back on this," said Mark Stringer, executive director of the ACLU of Iowa. "We never forecast litigation plans, but we can say that we will make an announcement soon on next steps."
Reynolds acknowledged the Supreme Court decision Tuesday but declined to weigh in on future lawsuits.
"The Supreme Court in their decision pointed out the statute. That gives the legislature... to go back and address it. They did that," said Reynolds, who noted she signed the bill "quickly" because it including supplemental funding for Medicaid.
"We'll see what happens," said Reynolds, when asked about possible litigation.
LGBTQ advocates condemned the approval of the bill, saying that by signing the measure, Reynolds "tarnished Iowa’s reputation as a state that stands for fairness and equality.”
"By signing this cruel legislation into law, Gov. Reynolds has told every transgender Iowan that they are second-hand citizens and unwelcome in our state," said Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel, executive director for One Iowa, an LGBTQ advocacy group. "Make no mistake, this law threatens people’s lives."
