NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6377

Senate Bill S6377

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care regardless of federal funding, and prohibits discriminatory practices by health care entities

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 12, 2025	referred to health

2025-S6377 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6596
Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Social Services Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §365-a, Soc Serv L; add §296-e, Exec L

2025-S6377 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care regardless of federal funding; prohibits discriminatory practices by health care entities including hospitals, certain professionals, and insurers.

2025-S6377 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6377

SPONSOR: HOYLMAN-SIGAL
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring Medi-
caid to cover gender-affirming care regardless of federal funding; and
to amend the executive law, in relation to prohibiting discriminatory
practices by health care entities

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation will ensure Medicaid covers the cost of gender-affirm-
ing care in the absence of federal funding and provides individuals
seeking gender-affirming care with protections against discrimination.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one amends subdivision 2 of section 365-a of the social services
law by adding a new paragraph (nn).

Section two amends the executive law by adding a new section 296-e.

Section three establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Access to gender-affirming care is crucial for the health and well-being
of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals.  However, recent
executive orders by the Trump administration have sought to decimate
access to care by ending federal funding to healthcare facilities that
provide such care to patients 19 years of age and younger.

Gender-affirming care extends far beyond surgery and includes ordinary
care like hormone replacement therapy, mental health counseling and
voice therapy. This type of care has routinely been covered by Medicaid
but is now vulnerable to changes given the new federal administration.
Medical providers have long relied on federal funding to provide care to
the millions of New Yorkers on Medicaid, but threats of losing funding
for providing certain types of care creates a precarious situation where
essential healthcare can be jeopardized by shifting political land-
scapes.

Given that transgender and gender non-conforming people continue to face
discrimination in accessing care based on their gender identity, this
bill will also bar discrimination in healthcare settings on the basis of
a person's status as a member of a protected class. These protections
will ensure no person is denied care based on their gender identity,
sexual orientation, disability or status as a member of any other
protected class.

This legislation is essential to protecting the health, well-being and
civil rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals in New
York State. By addressing gaps in current law and increasing protections
against discrimination, New York State can ensure that all people,
regardless of gender identity or expression, will continue to have
access to the healthcare they need.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Undetermined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
90 days.

2025-S6377 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6377
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 12, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring  Medi-
   caid to cover gender-affirming care regardless of federal funding; and
   to  amend the executive law, in relation to prohibiting discriminatory
   practices by health care entities
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision 2 of section 365-a of the social services law
 is amended by adding a new paragraph (nn) to read as follows:
   (NN) ALL  MEDICALLY  NECESSARY  GENDER-AFFIRMING  CARE  REGARDLESS  OF
 WHETHER ANY FEDERAL FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SUCH COVERAGE.
   §  2.  The  executive  law is amended by adding a new section 296-e to
 read as follows:
   § 296-E. UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES IN RELATION TO HEALTH CARE.
 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS  SECTION,  THE  TERM  "HEALTH  CARE  ENTITY"
 MEANS:
   (A)  A HOSPITAL OR PROVIDER AS DEFINED BY SECTION TWENTY-EIGHT HUNDRED
 ONE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW;
   (B) A PROFESSIONAL LICENSED UNDER ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE,  ONE
 HUNDRED  THIRTY-ONE-B, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE-C, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO,
 ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-THREE, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR, ONE  HUNDRED  THIRTY-
 SIX,  ONE  HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN-A, ONE HUNDRED
 THIRTY-NINE, ONE HUNDRED  FORTY,  ONE  HUNDRED  FORTY-ONE,  ONE  HUNDRED
 FORTY-THREE,  ONE  HUNDRED  FORTY-FOUR,  ONE  HUNDRED  FIFTY-THREE,  ONE
 HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN, ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE, ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR, OR
 ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN OF THE EDUCATION LAW; OR
   (C) AN ISSUER OR PROVIDER OF COVERAGE FOR HEALTH INSURANCE, AS DEFINED
 BY SECTION SEVEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED FIVE OF THE INSURANCE LAW.
   2. IT SHALL BE AN UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE FOR ANY HEALTH CARE
 ENTITY TO REFUSE SERVICES  OR  TO  OTHERWISE  DISCRIMINATE  AGAINST  ANY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09201-02-5

 S. 6377                             2
 
 PERSON  ON  THE BASIS OF SUCH PERSON'S AGE, RACE, CREED, COLOR, NATIONAL
 ORIGIN, CITIZENSHIP OR IMMIGRATION STATUS,  SEXUAL  ORIENTATION,  GENDER
 IDENTITY  OR  EXPRESSION, MILITARY STATUS, SEX, DISABILITY, PREDISPOSING
 GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS, FAMILIAL STATUS, MARITAL STATUS, OR STATUS AS A
 VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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