SB 923, the TGI Inclusive Care Act, ensures trans, gender diverse, & intersex (TGI) patients receive the affirming health care they deserve.
SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 923, the TGI Inclusive Care Act was signed into law by Governor Newsom late Thursday afternoon. This first-in-the-nation bill will begin to set quality standards for transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGI) patients and ensure curriculum is relevant to TGI patients’ health needs. By March 1, 2023, the bill requires the California Health and Human Services Agency to convene a working group charged with establishing quality standards for patient experience to measure cultural competency related to TGI communities and recommend related training curriculum.
Specifically, SB 923 requires:
- That the Health and Human Services Agency issue enforceable quality standards for treating TGI patients and recommend curriculum working collaboratively with Departments and TGI-serving organizations,
- That health insurance companies provide TGI cultural competency training for their staff and delegated entities who are in direct contact with patients,
- That health insurance companies, in their network directories, include a list of in-network providers who offer gender-affirming services, so that TGI people know where to go for care,
- That the relevant oversight agencies track and monitor complaints relating to TGI-inclusive care and publicly post findings in their annual reports or website,
- That physician Continuing Medical Education (CME) include evidence-based culturally competent curriculum to help physicians provide inclusive care for TGI people.
Many TGI Californians encounter discrimination and difficulty accessing the health care they need. TGI Californians report discrimination including being refused treatment, verbally harassed, physically or sexually assaulted, or having to teach the provider about transgender people in order to receive appropriate care. By signing SB 923 into law, California has prioritized creating protections to support the lives of TGI people and sets an example for the rest of the nation to follow.
“Senate Bill 923 will alleviate a lot of the trauma, anxiety, and depression that many TGI individuals experience when seeing a medical provider,” said Dannie Cesena, CA LGBTQ HHS Network Director. “Now in a medical setting, providers can’t just turn us away, treat us with disrespect or say ‘we don’t treat people like you.’ This bill isn’t just about access to health care, but it’s access to mental health too and knowing that TGI individuals shouldn’t have to experience any type of discrimination when seeking care.”
All TGI Californians deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by health care providers. SB 923 is an important stepping stone to ensure TGI people are able to live healthy and sustainable lives.
SB 923 is co-sponsored by Break The Binary LLC, California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, California TRANScends, Equality California, Gender Justice LA, National Health Law Program, Orange County TransLatinas, Queer Works, Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives, The TransPower Project, TransCanWork, Trans Community Project, Trans Family Support Services, Transgender Health and Wellness Center, Tranz of Anarchii INC, Unique Woman’s Coalition (UWC), Unity Hope, and Western Center on Law & Poverty.
