Iowa judge overturns state’s ban on Medicaid covering transgender medical procedures

An Iowa judge has overturned the state’s ban on allowing Medicaid to cover the costs of surgical procedures for transgender people. In his ruling Thursday, Chief District Judge Arthur Gamble ordered the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) to immediately approve Medicaid coverage for the two petitioners, Carol Ann Beal and EerieAnna Good.

Both Beal and Good had already changed all of their documentation to reflect their identities, but were denied coverage for medically nec...