S 7985: Establishes a gender affirming care program in the department of health to ensure the continuity of gender affirming care services in the state.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7985 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE May 15, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GONZALEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing for continuity of gender affirming care The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 2 27-FF to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 27-FF 4 CONTINUITY OF GENDER AFFIRMING CARE 5 Section 2790. Continuity of gender affirming care. 6 § 2790. Continuity of gender affirming care. 1. As used in this 7 section, "gender affirming care" means care and services encompassing 8 the range of social, psychological, behavioral, medical, and surgical 9 interventions, including hormonal treatments and prescription drugs, 10 designed to support and affirm an individual's gender identity when it 11 is incongruent with the individual's sex assigned at birth, provided 12 that surgical interventions on minors with variations in their sex char- 13 acteristics that are not sought and initiated by the individual patient 14 are not gender affirming care. 15 2. There is hereby established in the department a gender affirming 16 care program to ensure the continuity of gender affirming care services 17 in the state. Such program shall identify and/or provide funding and 18 other resources to providers that meet program requirements to facili- 19 tate access to gender affirming care services for individuals who are 20 eligible for gender affirming care services. 21 3. The department shall promulgate all necessary rules and regulations 22 to implement the provisions of this section, including regulations 23 establishing requirements for the program. The department shall consult 24 with experts in the field of providing gender affirming care to ensure 25 that the program and expenditures to providers are reflective of the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11894-01-5 
 S. 7985 2 1 needs of providers and patients receiving and seeking gender affirming 2 care. 3 4. Funding used to support gender affirming care services under the 4 program shall be pursuant to funds appropriated by the legislature for 5 such purposes and shall be, at a minimum, equal to the amount appropri- 6 ated for such funds appropriated before April first, two thousand twen- 7 ty-five for similar gender-affirming care services. Such funds shall 8 increase each year by the same rate as the consumer price index. The 9 department may use a portion of such funding for administering the 10 program. 11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.