AHCA

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Tampa, came after AHCA Secretary Simone Marstiller submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking numerous records about importation proposals by Florida and other states.

Attorneys representing individuals and groups say they plan to file a federal lawsuit challenging the rule, which went into effect Sunday.

Under the rule, which goes into effect Aug. 21, Medicaid would not cover puberty-blocking meds, hormones and hormone “antagonists,” gender-affirmation surgeries and “other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”

Seven out-of-state scientists and a Yale law professor say the proposal ignores “established science” and relies on "biased and discredited sources, stereotyping and purported ‘expert’ reports that carry no scientific weight.”

The governor's order requires state agencies to review contracts with pharmacy benefit managers to ensure that costs are justified. He also expressed disappointment over the FDA's delay in approving Canadian drug imports.

If the rule is approved, Medicaid would not pay for gender-affirming treatments in Florida. That includes puberty blockers, hormones and sex-assignment surgeries for both youth and adults.

AHCA, which runs most of the Medicaid program, published a proposed rule and set a July 8 hearing on the issue. National and state legal and LGBTQ-advocacy groups have vowed to fight the proposal.

Dr. Michael Haller, UF's chief of pediatric endocrinology, says his team provides gender-affirming treatment to about 200 patients, and two-thirds are covered by Medicaid.

AHCA will start a rule-making process related to treatments for gender dysphoria, including sex-reassignment surgery, saying they are “not consistent with generally accepted professional medical standards and are experimental.”

Hospitals must submit a record of how much they are spending to treat people in the country illegally to curb the numbers transported to Florida from the southern U.S. border by the federal government.