Bill > H0576

This bill establishes the Affirming Health Care Trust Fund, to be managed by the State Treasurer, to provide financial assistance for gender-affirming health care services. Gender-affirming health care services are broadly defined to include medical, behavioral, mental health, surgical, psychiatric, therapeutic, diagnostic, preventative, rehabilitative, or supportive care, including medication, that supports an individual's gender identity, but it specifically excludes conversion therapy and certain surgical interventions on minors with variations in sex characteristics who haven't initiated the treatment themselves. The fund can provide monetary awards to healthcare providers and nonprofit organizations in Vermont to cover costs associated with providing and receiving these services, including supporting providers, covering uncompensated care, addressing patient support needs, reducing access disparities, funding capital costs for clinics, and paying for medical malpractice and general liability insurance. Crucially, the bill mandates that no patient-identifiable data will be collected or retained, and information about providers or recipients will be kept confidential to prevent its disclosure to federal or other state governments or for purposes of abusive litigation. The fund will be overseen by a nine-member Affirming Health Care Trust Fund Board, which will establish policies for allocating funds, considering factors like need and coordinating with similar programs in other states.

Health and Social Services

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.576