The Virginia House of Delegates on
Tuesday approved a bill that seeks to prohibit discrimination against
transgender patients.
The bill (House Bill 1429) was
introduced by Democratic Delegate Danica Roem, who is openly
transgender.
The measure cleared the House with a
54-41 vote, the
Washington
Blade
reported.
House Democrats said in a tweet that
the bill “will prohibit a health carrier from denying or limiting
coverage on the basis of gender identity, requiring health carriers
to assess medical necessity with nondiscriminatory criteria.”
The proposed legislation is among at
least five LGBT rights bills introduced after Democrats regained
control of the House and Senate for the first time since 1996.