Illinois LGBTQIA+ Resource Hub

Healthcare

We are proud to provide tools and guidance to equip our LGBTQIA+ community to be informed regarding healthcare rights and available resources.

Know Your Healthcare Rights:

While federal law is in flux, it is still illegal for most health plans to discriminate against you because you are transgender. In Illinois, Medicaid currently covers gender affirming care, including youth gender-affirming care. Private health plans, including Affordable Care Act plans and most employer-based plans, may not exclude gender-affirming care or specific gender-affirming care services from coverage simply because it relates to gender transition. Insurance companies cannot refuse to enroll you in a plan, cancel your coverage, or charge you higher rates because you are trans. Insurance companies cannot deny you coverage for care just because the gender listed on your insurance does not match the gender typically associated with a particular service.

In spite of these protections, many trans people continue to face discriminatory denials of coverage. You can challenge this discrimination. If you have experienced a denial of care, you can call our Illinois Pride Connect Legal Hotline at 855-805-9200 (launching August 24, 2025) or see the Resources section for legal referrals.

Please click the materials below for guidance on health care for trans youth, trans adults, privacy, mental health access, Medicaid coverage, and threats to healthcare rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • “What is the Skrmetti decision on gender-affirming care?

    U.S. v. Skrmetti is a Supreme Court case that was decided in June 2025. The case began as a legal challenge by three transgender adolescents, their families, and a medical provider against a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming hormone treatment for trans youth. The Supreme Court ruled that the Tennessee law was allowed to remain in effect in that state.”

  • No. The decision says that Tennessee’s state ban on gender affirming care for youth is legal, but the decision does not outlaw gender affirming care in the US or impact states like Illinois that choose to protect gender affirming care for youth.

  • You can refill your prescriptions as soon as the pharmacy allows and stockpile medication in case of disruptions. Talk with your medical provider or pharmacist to make sure you are using medications safely.

  • There are many reasons why your plan might still have an exclusion for transition-related care in general or for a specific procedure. This does not necessarily mean that your plan will not cover your care. Sometimes plan documents are out of date or the exclusion may not be enforceable. Seek legal assistance for support in getting the exclusion removed.

  • It is not illegal to provide or receive gender affirming care, including gender affirming care for youth, in the state of Illinois. Some hospitals have chosen to stop providing this care to youth under 19 , even though there is no legal ban on providing this care in Illinois. Reasons why hospitals and other providers may choose to stop providing this care include fears of being sued or of losing federal funding.

Illinois’ Shield Laws Protect Certain Healthcare Rights 

In Illinois, we know the value of receiving life-affirming care, and our shield laws reflect and protect this care. Illinois passed state laws that protect our right to receive lawful healthcare against interference from other states; these are called “shield laws.” Illinois shield laws protect healthcare providers and people receiving lawful healthcare from actions taken by other states that do not value this healthcare.

  • Shield laws protect people seeking healthcare from other states that seek to criminalize or create liability for accessing healthcare. In 2023, the state legislature passed shield laws to protect individuals seeking or providing reproductive healthcare (including abortions) and gender-affirming care in Illinois.

  • To learn more about shield laws in Illinois, you can call our Illinois Pride Connect Legal Hotline at 855-805-9200 (launching August 24, 2025).

    To learn about shield laws in other states, visitUCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute website. 

    Your right as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community to have access to life-affirming healthcare matters, and is valued in Illinois. In a time where access to gender-affirming and reproductive care is changing rapidly across the nation, Illinois remains committed to protecting access to this healthcare through its shield laws.  

    If you have any additional legal questions or concerns, we welcome you to reach out to our legal hotline at 855-805-9200 (launching August 24, 2025) or see the Resources section for legal referrals.