Jan 1 (Reuters) – A group of federal government employees on Thursday filed a class-action lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration over a new policy that would eliminate coverage of gender-affirming services in federal health insurance programs.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation filed a “complaint” against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on behalf of federal employees as the new policy took effect at the start of the new year.
In an August letter, OPM said that in 2026, “chemical and surgical modification of human sexual characteristics through medical interventions” will no longer be covered by health insurance programs for federal employees and U.S. postal workers.
OPM officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The complaint alleges that the policy discriminates on the basis of gender. He is asking for the policy to be canceled and is seeking economic damages and other relief.
If the issue is not resolved with OPM, the fund said the plaintiffs will file class-action lawsuits with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and possibly file a class-action lawsuit in federal court.
A group of Democratic state attorneys general sued the Trump administration last month to block proposed rules limiting children's access to gender-affirming care. It's the latest legal battle over Trump's efforts to eliminate legal protections for transgender people.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed rules that would bar hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children from participating in the Medicaid and Medicare programs and would also prohibit the Children's Health Insurance Program from paying for it.
(Reporting by Karen Brettel in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Nick Zieminski)
