On April 30, 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance (DOI) issued a “Notice Regarding Nondiscrimination” directed at health insurance companies doing business in the Commonwealth. The DOI Notice forbids health insurance companies from selling policies that “discriminate” on the basis of gender identity. Insurers may not sell policies that exclude “gender transition,” including the administration of hormones and “sex reassignment” surgery.
Many religious individuals and organizations believe that it is wrong to reject one’s biological sex and attempt to live as a member of the opposite sex. Some further believe that it would be morally unacceptable for them to pay for and otherwise facilitate medical interventions towards that end, especially with respect to their own employees.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) encourages schools to examine their employee health plans and determine whether those plans cover any drugs, devices, procedures, or other items they might find morally objectionable, including gender transition services like sex reassignment surgery.
ADF believes that the Department of Insurance exceeded its legal authority in requiring health plans to cover sex reassignment services, and is contemplating legal steps designed to restore the freedom of employers to offer health plans consistent with their religious convictions.
If you are interested in speaking with ADF about this issue, please contact attorney Greg Baylor at gbaylor@ADFlegal.org.
A Network for PA Christian Schools advocating Christian Education in Pennsylvania