House passes bill to bar TennCare coverage of certain gender‑affirming procedures
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Summary
On third reading the Tennessee House passed HB 24‑98, which prohibits TennCare from providing coverage or reimbursement for medical procedures described as intended to enable an individual to identify with or live as a purported identity or to treat distress from identity discordance; the measure drew questions about existing regulations before adoption.
Representative Caplan moved passage of House Bill 24‑98 on third and final consideration. Caplan described the bill as prohibiting TennCare from covering or reimbursing a medical procedure performed ‘‘for the purpose of enabling the individual to identify with, live as a purported identity inconsistent with the individual…or treat purported discomfort or distress from a discordance….’’
Representative Johnson questioned the need for the law, saying regulations already prevent such coverage and asking ‘‘what problem is this bill solving?’’ Caplan responded that the bill makes the prohibition statutory and addresses reimbursement language that he said was not currently codified in law. After debate, Representative Powers moved the previous question and the House proceeded to a recorded vote. The clerk announced the tally recorded in the House journal.
The transcript records the floor discussion and a roll‑call outcome for HB 24‑98; the legislative text as read on the floor describes the scope as a statutory prohibition on TennCare reimbursement for procedures performed for the purposes described above. The transcript does not include subsequent actions outside the floor vote (such as gubernatorial action).
