--- title: Obamacare: Transgender Discrimination Banned description: The Obama administration has finalized a new rule in the affordable care act that bans discrimination against transgender people canonical: https://time.com/4329609/transgender-discrimination-obamacare-healthcare/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-13T18:10:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T17:32:33.112Z article:section: Politics og:title: Discrimination Against Transgender Patients Is Now Banned Under Obamacare og:description: "[It's] a key step toward realizing equity within our health care system" og:url: https://time.com/4329609/transgender-discrimination-obamacare-healthcare/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6eba5d92d270dad5/69889317428a9e8066cd29e1/gettyimages-462710288.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: HHS Secretary Burwell og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Discrimination Against Transgender Patients Is Now Banned Under Obamacare twitter:description: "[It's] a key step toward realizing equity within our health care system" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6eba5d92d270dad5/69889317428a9e8066cd29e1/gettyimages-462710288.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obamacare Rule Bans Discrimination Against Transgender Patients by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan May 13, 2016 6:10 PM UTC  Barack Obama pauses as Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell looks on during a meeting with citizens who wrote letters to him about Affordable Care Act at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 3, 2015. Barack Obama pauses as Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell looks on during a meeting with citizens who wrote letters to him about Affordable Care Act at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 3, 2015.Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan May 13, 2016 6:10 PM UTC The Obama administration has [finalized a new rule that bans discrimination against transgender](http://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2016/05/13/hhs-finalizes-rule-to-improve-health-equity-under-affordable-care-act.html#) people and all discrimination on the basis of sex within health programs that receive federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday the finalization of the Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities rule, a part of the Affordable Care Act’s Section 1557\. The rule forbids health care providers who take funding from the HHS from denying health care based on gender identity or denying patients treatment for sex-specific ailments like ovarian or prostate cancer simply because an individual identifies as a different sex. “A central goal of the Affordable Care Act is to help all Americans access quality, affordable health care. Today’s announcement is a key step toward realizing equity within our health care system and reaffirms this Administration’s commitment to giving every American access to the health care they deserve,” said [Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia M. Burwell in a statemen](http://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2016/05/13/hhs-finalizes-rule-to-improve-health-equity-under-affordable-care-act.html#)t. A [2010 national survey ](http://www.thetaskforce.org/static%5Fhtml/downloads/reports/reports/ntds%5Freport%5Fon%5Fhealth.pdf)found that 19% of trans men and women were refused services because of their gender identity, 28% said they had been harassed in medical settings, and half said they had to teach their health care provider about caring for transgender people. Though the rule will not eliminate all discrimination, it will make it easier for those who feel they have been wronged to file complaints and take legal action. The new rule, which also clarifies protections for people with disabilities and non English speakers, comes as Obama administration has taken several steps to protect transgender individuals this week. On Friday, the administration wrote a guidance letter to U.S. public schools directing them to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Friday called the letter “advice” to school administrators. “What the Department of Education has issued today is specific, tangible, real world advice and suggestions to school administrators across the country,” Earnest said. 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