masondoggy: masondoggy: So let me see if I have this right. Now I can march into my local Catholic hospital and demand a sex change operation and they can’t refuse me? Good golly I hope I’m reading this wrong.

The law prevents discrimination against people who have already had the surgery. The line is “who they are”.

“This announcement affirms that all patients in federally funded health care settings must be treated equally and may not be denied care simply because of who they are,” Rupert said. “We are grateful to HHS for clarifying this important policy and providing transgender people with the security of knowing they are included in the administration’s commitment to the health and well-being of all Americans.”

Up to this point any health care provider could deny any treatment to a transgendered person only because they were transgendered-something you kind of have to tell your physician. Such a person could go into an ER because of an accident or sudden illness and a physician could refuse to treat them because of their personal beliefs about those people who have had that type of surgery.