Sylvia Rivera Law Project

New York State has proposed a new regulation that would remove a long-standing exclusion on coverage for transgender-related healthcare under Medicaid.

Today, the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, the Legal Aid Society, and Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP filed a federal class action lawsuit against the New York State Department of Health on behalf of two transgender women who have been denied access to medically necessary healthcare under a discriminatory Medicaid regulation.

New York Health Commissioner Nirav Shah recently called the state a "leader in promoting transgender issues," yet states like California, as well as the District of Columbia, have surpassed New York in providing trans and gender non-conforming people with access to necessary healthcare.