A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Trump administration’s Office of Personnel Management, challenging a prohibition on gender-affirming healthcare coverage within federal employee insurance plans. The suit, filed by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and law firm Correia & Puth, argues the ban violates Title VII protections against sex discrimination.
The federal insurance plans affected cover approximately 8.3 million individuals, including employees, retirees, and their families members. Gender-affirming care coverage was eliminated starting in January, with limited exceptions for mental health counseling and those described as being in “mid-treatment”—though the definition of qualifying treatments remained unspecified. A subsequent notice in March eliminated even the mid-treatment exception beginning in 2027. According to estimates from the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, at least 39,400 enrollees will be impacted by the coverage prohibition.
Plaintiffs in the case describe substantial financial consequences from the policy. Federal workers report receiving bills for hundreds of dollars for routine services including annual examinations, bloodwork, and hormone replacement therapy, while surgical procedures deemed medically necessary by physicians cost thousands of dollars. Some employees have reportedly left their positions, while others have forgone needed care entirely due to cost. One plaintiff previously had surgery covered under the former policy but now faces uncovered post-surgical care.
Criticism of the ban centers on its financial impact and medical implications. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue the coverage prohibition functions as a de facto denial of care for those unable to pay out-of-pocket costs. Major medical organizations have characterized gender-affirming care as medically necessary, and supporters of the lawsuit compare the coverage ban to denying coverage for other ongoing treatments like insulin for diabetes. Legal representatives for the plaintiffs characterize the vague language governing exceptions as creating confusion among insurers and patients regarding what remains covered.
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