Washington secures court victory protecting gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act

Washington secures court victory protecting gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug 17 2026 atgSamBlobaum Mon, 08/17/2026 - 14:50 Attorney General Nick Brown and a multistate coalition secured a major victory on Friday protecting gender-affirming care from federal overreach. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down a key provision of a Trump administration final rule that would have excluded coverage of certain types of gender-affirming care as essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Essential health benefits are subject to the ACA’s financial protections, including limits on out-of-pocket costs. “The federal government tried to illegally deny promised health coverage that Washingtonians rely on,” said Brown. “As this administration tries to make health care more expensive and difficult to access, we will fight to keep it as affordable and accessible as possible in Washington.” The final rule at issue — the “Marketplace Integrity and Affordability” rule — was proposed by the Trump administration in March 2025 to curb alleged ACA enrollment fraud and reduce federal spending on subsidies that h