TennCare Prohibited from Covering Gender Transition Procedures
Tennessee Today

As of July 1, TennCare will no longer be allowed to provide coverage for gender transition procedures. This legislation was signed into law earlier this month by Governor Bill Lee and is yet another move by the Tennessee legislature towards banning gender transitions. In 2023, Tennessee banned gender transition procedures for minors. The bill further limits sex reassignment procedures in the state by ensuring that taxpayer dollars cannot be used for any of these procedures, no matter the age of the individual. 

Tennessee has been at the forefront of the debate around transgenderism. In 2022, following the “Rally to End Child Mutilation,” which was held in response to allegations against Vanderbilt’s pediatric transgender care clinic, Tennessee lawmakers vowed to take action to stop sex reassignment surgeries from being performed on children. At the rally, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) pledged, “one of the very first bills that’s going to be filed for the upcoming General Assembly is a bill to end the practice. We will get it done. You have our word.” 

In 2023, Tennessee lawmakers followed through, successfully banning gender altering care for minors. This law faced legal scrutiny, but was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in a ruling last summer. Tennessee also banned the use of state funds for sex reassignment surgeries of people who are in prison in 2024.

This new legislation, sponsored by Rep. Kip Capley (R-Summertown) and Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun), applies to gender transition procedures broadly, without regard to age, although it is more narrowly applicable to procedures covered by TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicare program. When the law goes into effect, TennCare will cover neither surgeries nor hormones for the purpose of gender transition, although there are exceptions for congenital defects, precocious puberty, and physical injuries. Additionally, through March 31, 2027, previously covered treatment will be allowed to continue if stopping poses a risk to the individual.

These changes will be in effect on July 1, 2026.