Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A bill that prohibits TennCare from providing reimbursement for Trans “gender affirming” procedures, not just for minors but for all Tennesseans covered under the state’s Medicaid program, passed on the House floor mostly along party lines in a 73 to 14 vote on Thursday with two Democrats joining the Republican majority.
Sponsored by Representative Kip Capley (R-Summertown-District 71), House Bill 2498 (HB2498) closes a “loop hole” in current law which already outlaws such procedures for minors.
The Senate companion bill (SB2118) sponsored by Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun-District 1), is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday, March 18th, 2026.
The purpose of the legislation is to prohibit TennCare from providing coverage for certain procedures, including puberty blockers, if the purpose is solely to enable an individual “to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the individual’s sex” or if the procedure treats “purported discomfort or distress from a discordance between the individual’s sex and asserted identity.”
Treatment for congenital defects, precocious puberty, disease, or physical injury would continue to be exempt.
Contact information for members of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee may be found below.
Senate Health and Welfare Committee – SB2118 to be heard March 17
SB2118 prohibits TennCare from providing reimbursement for Trans “gender affirming” procedures for all Tennesseans covered under the state’s Medicaid program.
Sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov; sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov; sen.bobby.harshbarger@capitol.tn.gov; sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov; sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov; sen.becky.massey@capitol.tn.gov; sen.shane.reeves@capitol.tn.gov; sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov; sen.jeff.yarbro@capitol.tn.gov
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
