Judge William Conley of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled that Medicaid must cover gender transition surgery. The publicly funded Medicaid system now forces all taxpayers to pay for these surgeries. This essentially states that it is someone’s right to physically change their bodies using publicly funded health care.
Judge Conley, an Obama appointee, said that the Wisconsin exclusion of transgender treatments and surgeries violated federal law. Transgender right are majorly debated in American politics, and taxpayers should not be required to bear the responsibility for these procedures. In addition to the questionability of this ruling, there is evidence that transition surgery may result in greater risk of suicide or suicide attempts among patients.
Transgender Surgery was one of the most popular crowdfunding source in recent history. Over 26,000 individuals maintained pages on GoFundMe in an attempt to have “top surgery.” The number of people seeking this surgery is growing, but Medicaid should not be responsible for the financial burden of elective surgery. It is not fair to taxpayers, and this ruling ignores the public welfare system.
Americans United for Values stands up for the traditional rights of US citizens. This type of ruling goes against the welfare system put in place for those in need. Elective medical care of any kind should not be funded by Medicaid.