Rep. Diana Harshbarger bill would require insurers to cover detransition
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Riley Gaines sits down with Chloe Cole, one of the most prominent detransition advocates in the country, to discuss her experiences with puberty blockers, testosterone, underage surgery, and the detransition decision. Chloe shares why she believes children cannot give informed consent to life-changing medical interventions, what happened when she sought help from the doctors who treated her, and why she is now taking legal action against Kaiser Permanente. Riley and Chloe also discuss Planned Parenthood’s role in gender medicine, the state of free speech on campus, the backlash women who speak out about biological reality face, and Chloe’s evolving Christian faith. This conversation covers detransition, gender ideology, medical ethics, parental rights, faith, and the cultural struggle over truth, childhood, and womanhood.
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Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., a lawmaker with a pharmacy background, is introducing a bill that would require health insurance companies that provide transgender procedures to also pay for transition times and adverse effects.
Harshbarger fears that under most current plans, transitioning people considering reversing gender reassignment procedures are effectively stuck in a financial one-way door.
“It is outrageous that a health plan can cover gender rejection procedures but refuses to cover the restorative care patients need to repair the harm they have caused. This is not a fair deal for patients who want to restore healthy body functions,” Harshbarger said.
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UNITED STATES – MAY 19: Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., speaks at the Republican Study Committee news conference to introduce the “Bill of Rights for Women” outside the Capitol on Thursday, May 19, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Although unlikely to become law due to opposition from Democrats in the Senate, the bill, titled the TRUTH in Coverage Act, highlights the growing number of patients regretting gender reassignment procedures and lawmakers’ concerns about the barriers to addressing their effects.
This would require insurers that cover “gender rejection procedures” to also cover products and services needed to address complications or adverse effects resulting from them. The bill would enact the requirement without regard to any state or local law mandating such procedures.
If the bill becomes law, it will enter into force on January 1, 2027. The bill has 12 co-sponsors; among them Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., former chairman of the Health Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce. There is also.
Harshbarger’s bill, in its current form, would amend three federal statutes governing private health insurance coverage: the Public Health Services Act, employer-sponsored health plans, and group health plans to create a uniform federal coverage requirement. The bill would also prevent insurance companies from adjusting copayments, deductibles or imposing treatment limits.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a similar bill last year addressing a similar concern at the local level.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott arrives during a press conference on behalf of Eli Lilly and Company on September 23, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Antranik Tavityan/Reuters)
Senate Bill 1257, sponsored by Texas Senator Bryan Hughes, filed a statement with the Texas Senate Investigative Committee defending the need for the bill.
“Many of these individuals require comprehensive medical care to manage or reverse the effects of prior treatments, but they often lack insurance coverage, resulting in insurmountable out-of-pocket expenses. Without this coverage, patients face significant health risks, including hormone imbalances, surgical complications, and psychological distress,” Hughes said. he wrote.
According to the National Library of Medicine, hard to determine exactly how many detransitions there are, or at what point someone would be considered a detransition. Stopping hormones, reversing surgeries, or changing legal documents can trigger what it means to begin the transition process, the researchers noted.
By casting a wide net and including negative impacts, Harshbarger’s bill would overcome these technicalities.
“Patients should never be abandoned after undergoing life-altering, harmful medical interventions once the truth is revealed,” Harshbarger said.
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Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., speaks at a news conference Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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“As a pharmacist, I’ve seen insurance companies come up with every excuse in the book to avoid paying for the care patients truly need. My Covered Truth restores fairness, promotes transparency, and ensures patients don’t have to pay for care their insurance should cover.”
It’s unclear when or if Harshbarger’s bill will reach the House for a vote.
