Idaho Legislature Sends Bill Outlawing Public Funds For Trans Health Care To Governor

[Carolyn Marie]

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/22/idaho-gender-affirming-care-bill-public-funds-ban/

 

 

This law, and similar laws in other states, must be struck down by the courts.  There is NO legitimate reason for this law.  None.  It's like the government saying, "We don't like diabetic people, so we aren't going to spend a dime of public money treating them."  No one would stand for that.

 

Carolyn Marie

[Susan R]

1 hour ago, Carolyn Marie said:

There is NO legitimate reason for this law.

I agree completely. I read about it this morning and couldn’t believe it. For me, it’s hard to believe the growing differences between the politics in Washington State and our neighbor…Idaho. I have no desire to step foot in that state again with these controls in place.

[KatieSC]

We live in some crazy times. The mere fact is that the Rs have latched on to us and will not give up. They are so much better organized, and seem to be following a script. Given these supermajority states, it is hard to stop this stuff. Wyoming's governor just signed the ban on gender affirming care for minors. I believe Florida has or may be debating eliminating use of Medicaid funding to support gender affirming care. It will take some time, but the only thing that will reverse the tide is voting the rascals out of office. This is easier said than done. I could say a lot of other things, but I do not want to violate the TOS. 

 

As for the states supporting this stuff, I avoid them too. I get recruiters emailing me and calling me about jobs. Apparently they are having a hard time recruiting for healthcare providers in these states. Surprise! Right? Sadly, I sometimes tell the recruiters that I am sorry, but as a transgender woman, I have no interest in their state because of these policies. The recruiters do not reply. Their is an old adage, If you permit it, you promote it. 

[Charlize]

I can only hope that in time the courts will strike down these discriminatory laws and the current witch hunt will end.  This current ignorance and politically driven hate will hopefully fade in my lifetime or if not over a longer time.  There have been few times that i know of that we have been so far out in public and with as much welcome support as in see now.  It is a trend that will hopefully find its way to removing the stigma our community has long faced.  Idaho  amongst other states may well move towards acceptance after the political climate looses its hard right slant.

One can hope!

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Cyndee]

When I read stories like this (all too common these days), one song from long long ago, just plays in my head, so I answer with the music

 

 

[Charlize]

Fantastic!

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Ivy]

1 hour ago, Charlize said:

I can only hope that in time the courts will strike down these discriminatory laws and the current witch hunt will end.

Some Goppers claim they are victims of a "witch hunt" while their party is actually engaged in one.  

In my state the GOP nominee for governor has called us "demonic" among other things.  How is that not a witch hunt?

[KatieSC]

Yeah Ivy, the candidates on the R side for governor and secretary of education are certainly different and scary.

[VickySGV]

President Biden comes out on our side, that is all they need to be this way.  It is not us, it is the other party and politicians that they are countering.

[emeraldmountain2]

As a taxpayer, I 100% want my tax dollars going to gender affirming healthcare, so these politicians who take the tax angle on their hate can pound sand. Yes, my federal tax dollars go into the Medicaid program, so I have every right to comment on gender affirming care in Idaho and any other state!

[Ashley0616]

Yikes! Gender dysphoria is classified under DSM-5 and is a medical condition. They need to take their anger on golf instead of bashing us like a red headed step child. 

[awkward-yet-sweet]

I don't want any tax dollars going toward health "care" (control.)  In principle, I oppose feeding the Beast.  

 

That said, I think the usual justification for not funding gender affirming care as opposed to other services is that the General Public doesn't see gender affirming care as important.  It is viewed as being like cosmetic procedures.  They don't understand that its more complicated than that. 

[Ivy]

28 minutes ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

I don't want any tax dollars going toward health "care" (control.)

There are things that I don't want "my" tax dollars going toward.  

But, ya know…  Death and taxes.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

2 hours ago, Ivy said:

But, ya know…  Death and taxes.

 

It continually amazes me that our nation's founders rebelled against taxes that were minimal compared to the burden we have these days.  Tea and stamps?  Please!  Humans have been indoctrinated and pacified into something our ancestors wouldn't even recognize.  I got the "death" part taken care of already via faith, so now we gotta tackle the taxes.  Never has a new republic been so badly needed.

 

I'm also of the opinion that as "conservative" as folks in previous generations supposedly were, I think that overall they'd probably say that trans healthcare and the transition process itself isn't the business of the state or the general public, but only that of the individual.  There's a lot to be said in favor of classical liberalism, instead of the imitation of it that we suffer from today.  Shame on the socialists for creating the medical nanny state, and shame on those who want to apply that system for the benefit of some and the exclusion of others.  Shame, shame, shame.

[emeraldmountain2]

I mean this with all due respect @awkward-yet-sweet because you've been kind to me, but how do you propose poor trans people afford their healthcare? What exactly is wrong with the State providing healthcare to the needy? I am happy to pay my share of taxes to support those in need.

[Ivy]

12 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

It continually amazes me that our nation's founders rebelled against taxes that were minimal…………

I think we have to recognize that the world has changed a lot since 1776.  For example, it would be hard to defend the country against a nuclear armed adversary with a militia armed with smoothbore muskets.

 

Having said this, I do still value my personal freedoms, and I am angered at my state's attempts to limit my rights as a trans person.

[KatieSC]

Any one of us could find out fortunes change rapidly. An accident or major illness could wipe you out. Being in healthcare, there is nothing more heart-wrenching than seeing someone with less than nothing, lying there with tears in their eyes, begging for help. Yeah, some folks may lament how this person could have made better life choices, but that is true for all of us at some point in our lives. Condemning them at their moment of greatest need does not do anything to help the situation. I would rather choose to help rather than condemn or ignore. Compassion is one of our greatest gifts in this world. Sometimes in the crush of everyday life, we forget about that. We get caught up in our own dramas, and fail to remember, "There but for the grace of God, go I."

[emeraldmountain2]

Thank you for stating that @KatieSC. I wholeheartedly agree.

[Ivy]

These days I get my healthcare from the VA (including HRT).  It seems a bit like what a national healthcare could maybe be like.  It is far from perfect, but otherwise I would have none.  I suppose it could be said that I earned this, but since I was originally drafted, it wasn't actually a choice on my part.

 

I think that in serving, admittedly under duress, I was fulfilling an obligation to the (national) community.  And now that community is looking out for me.  None of us can really make it alone.l

[Sally Stone]

When my wife and I decided to move west, Idaho was one of the states we visited.  It is quite beautiful which made it alluring but I knew from research (looking at LGBTQ friendly cities and states) it wasn't going to be a state I'd be comfortable living in.  Not moving to Idaho was an easy decision for us.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

7 hours ago, emeraldmountain2 said:

how do you propose poor trans people afford their healthcare? What exactly is wrong with the State providing healthcare to the needy? I am happy to pay my share of taxes to support those in need.

 

There are a number of things wrong with using the power of the State.  The primary reason is that it is coerced.  I certainly don't mind the value of being kind, or being my "brother's keeper."  However, caring is only caring if it is done voluntarily.  Taxation at its core is violence.  And all you have to do to experience that violence is not pay those taxes.  Then the court shows up to take what you have, and if you don't comply they send men with guns.  Personally, I feel uneasy about the idea of benefiting from the fruits of violence. 

 

The next reason is that the high cost of healthcare is artificial.  It hasn't always been this way.  Which would you prefer - to rely on somebody else to pay a high bill, or to have a lower bill that you know you can afford to pay yourself?  Which concept holds more dignity?  Well, things used to cost less.  Granted, it was a long time ago and nearly out of living memory.  My husband's grandfather was a poor carpenter - yet he was able to pay out-of-pocket for needed surgeries for his kids.  No insurance, no government aid, and he didn't go bankrupt doing it.  Go to a hospital now, and you'll be charged thousands for a splint and a couple of BandAids.  Something changed!  And technology and changing times don't account for that.  Government control and corruption does.  Your tax dollars aren't really supporting the needy.  The majority of that money goes to corrupt officials and greedy corporations.  Government officials sometimes throw us a bone and talk about price controls (which didn't work in the USSR), or increasing programs.  But handouts and regulations aren't fixing the core problem of artificially high prices.  

 

Finally, by relying on the State you give up your control to the State.  And that's shown clearly by this Idaho example.  If costs are so high that only taxation can pay for it, you don't get to make your own choices about your life and healthcare.  You are subject to new regulations, new legislation, and your rights and opportunities go away at the stroke of a pen wielded by some dude in a suit you didn't vote for and never met.  In a free country where people could independently afford their care, the worry of it being taken away would be significantly reduced. 

 

Unfortunately, government and drugs have a lot in common.  Our society is addicted to government, and has been addicted to it for a century.  The majority of people feel helpless, and most will tell you with confidence that reducing or eliminating government involvement in various areas of our lives is impossible.  I often wonder - is there a way to rehab an entire society?

 

7 hours ago, Ivy said:

I think we have to recognize that the world has changed a lot since 1776.  For example, it would be hard to defend the country against a nuclear armed adversary with a militia armed with smoothbore muskets.

 

Having said this, I do still value my personal freedoms, and I am angered at my state's attempts to limit my rights as a trans person.

 

The world has changed since 1776, but common sense principles don't have to.  Right now, we're the victims of a century's worth of bad decisions.  And those bad decisions have cost the lives of millions, and defrauded all of us of the opportunities we could have had.  For example, we probably wouldn't have to worry about nuclear armed adversaries if we didn't have a militaristic interventionist foreign policy that got us into two world wars.  And I'd favor total denuclearization (although that's getting way off-topic).

 

We need a change.  I believe that a great portion of the way forward is actually to take values and inspiration from the past.  Our society and our government are not what they should be.  At this point, the change would have to be extreme, including perhaps establishing a couple of new republics.  Dare I say it, it has some similarities to transition.  Radical, painful, costly, but ultimately necessary for mental health, physical well-being, and living authentically according to who we are supposed to be, rather than how we are at present.   

 

6 hours ago, Ivy said:

These days I get my healthcare from the VA (including HRT).  It seems a bit like what a national healthcare could maybe be like.  It is far from perfect, but otherwise I would have none.  I suppose it could be said that I earned this, but since I was originally drafted, it wasn't actually a choice on my part.

 

Interesting.  I'm genuinely curious - would you say that your overall experience with the VA system has been positive or negative?  Have you experienced non-governmental healthcare as well, to make a comparison?  I ask because my husband's mother was a military doctor, and later for the VA.  His father could go to the VA, but actually keeps private insurance and avoids using the government system.  If you had the choice (like if money wasn't a thing), would you have a preference?  Has the VA process of getting HRT been easy or difficult?  And do you feel like your ability to get that service long-term is secure or possibly going to get taken away?

 

 

[Ivy]

58 minutes ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

I'm genuinely curious - would you say that your overall experience with the VA system has been positive or negative?

I would say positive, over all.  There are long waits for appointments for most things.  However when I went to the VA emergency room recently for an episode I'd had.  I was in and treated pretty quickly, including a CAT scan, e-rays blood work, and other stuff I don't even know what it all was.  The staff was nice to me even though I am obviously a trans woman.  (actually had a nice conversation with a nurse about some particular shoes we both like)

I've had hernia surgery twice; once locally - very expensive out of pocket, and it didn't hold up; and at the VA - very well done, and still doing fine.  

I've had cataract surgery on both eyes.  I have a co-pay on meds, but it's not bad at all.  

Worst thing is I'm not eligible for dental.  

 

I am aware of the insane wait times over in the UK especially for trans care.  But it seems like it would be possible to do this if we wanted to bad enough.  I think a big part of the problem here is the insurance industry - which is more concerned with profits than actual healthcare.  

If you have the money (lots of it) you can pretty much get what you want.  But then, that's the way the world works, isn't it.

 

I still say there is no such thing as a truly "self made" billionaire.  The community has always been involved at some level.  But enough of this.  It's getting late, too late, for me to go on what would be perceived as a socialist rant.

[emeraldmountain2]

@awkward-yet-sweet People did go bankrupt from medical illness before healthcare was as expensive as you say it is today. Not all taxation is bad if if the proceeds are used for good. I would say that providing a medical safety net for people is good and I'll say it again: I'm happy and proud to contribute my tax money to a social good.

[emeraldmountain2]

@awkward-yet-sweetPerhaps I missed it, but I didn't see an answer to the question I asked: how do you propose poor people trans people afford medical care? I don't know of any country, past or present, where a poor trans person, or even a middle class trans person, could independently afford quality gender affirming care. It's also not going to happen any time soon that healthcare will become cheap. Furthermore, you're neglecting the people who can not work due to medical and/or physical disability, as well as the people who could still not afford "cheap" healthcare in your hypothetical world.

[emeraldmountain2]

3 minutes ago, emeraldmountain2 said:

I don't know of any country, past or present, where a poor trans person, or even a middle class trans person, could independently afford quality gender affirming care.

Just to clarify, I meant to write that I do not know of any country where such a trans person could easily afford quality and complete gender affirming care.