>> THIS IS NEWS 6 AT 9 GETTING RESULTS. >> CANDACE: IN THE PAST WEEK,
THE DESANTIS ADMINISTRATION
TOOK ANOTHER STEP FORWARD WITH
ITS PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE
MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR
TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS. BOTH
NATIONAL AND STATE LGBTQ+
ADVOCACY GROUPS HAVE PLEDGED
TO FIGHT AGAINST THE PROPOSAL.
INVESTIGATOR LOUIS BOLDEN
JOINS US NOW WITH REACTION
FROM THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY
AND THE GROUP THAT SEES
FIRSTHAND THE IMPACT THAT
PROPOSAL COULD HAVE A LITTLE
BIT MORE. LADIES PEOPLE WE
SPOKE TO SAY IT IS A STEP
BACKWARDS FOR THE STATE. THEY
BELIEVE REPUBLICANS ARE
TARGETING TRANS PEOPLE.
>> MEANTIME, A LOCAL PROGRAM
THAT HAS CHANGED THE LIVES OF
MORE THAN 150 TRANS PEOPLE IN
CENTRAL FLORIDA IS GEARING UP
FOR ITS NEXT CLASS. 32
YEAR-OLD CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS
WEARS MANY HATS. I AM A
WRITER, POET SALESMAN, FATHER.
>> AND IN JUNE, HE SAYS A
FRIEND INTRODUCED HIM TO THE
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM THROUGH
BLISS CARES A NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION AFFILIATED WITH
THE MEDICAL CLINIC, BLISS
HEALTH. WHEN I FIRST STARTED I
WAS DOING RESEARCH BASICALLY
ONLINE. BLISS IS
TRANSFORMATION. PROGRAM IS A 7
TO 8 WEEK COURSE THAT HELPS
TRANSGENDER PEOPLE NAVIGATE
THEIR TRANSITION, INCLUDING
HOW TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS THAT
MAY ARISE AT WORK AND HOW TO
LEGALLY CHANGE THEIR NAME SEND
WAS CHRISTOPHER’S NAME BEFORE
HIS TRANSITION. IF YOU DON’T
HAVE ANY BACKGROUND AND LEGAL
DOCUMENTATION THE WHOLE PACKET
IS JUST EXTREMELY CONFUSING,
BUT IS MORE TRANS FOR INDIANS,
FIND A RESOURCE IN BLISS.
OTHER RESOURCES ARE BEING
THREATENED. AND GOVERNOR RON
DESANTIS IS URGING LAST WEEK
FLORIDA’S AGENCY FOR HEALTH
CARE ADMINISTRATION PUBLISHED
A NOTICE FOR PROPOSED RULE
CHANGE FOR THE GENERAL
MEDICAID POLICY. THE RULE
DECLARES GENDER DYSPHORIA DOES
NOT MEET THE DEFINITION OF
MEDICAL NECESSITY, WHICH MEANS
MEDICAID WOULD NO LONGER COVER
TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS
INCLUDING PUBERTY, BLOCKERS
HORMONES AND REASSIGNMENT
SURGERIES. THAT’S PRETTY
BARBARIC. I DAVIS IS THE
PROGRAM MANAGER AT BLISS CARES
AND RUNS THE TRANSFORMATION
PROGRAM. I JUST CAN THINK BACK
ON HOW IMPACTFUL ALL OF THE
>> TRANS REALLY SERVICES HAVE
BEEN TO ME FROM HORMONES ALL
THE WAY UP TO SURGERIES AND TO
NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE.
>> IS PRETTY DEVASTATING
EQUALITY, FLORIDA, THE STATE’S
LARGEST ORGANIZATION DEDICATED
TO ENDING DISCRIMINATION BASED
ON ORIENTATION AND GENDER
IDENTITY ESTIMATES. THE RULE
CHANGE COULD IMPACT ABOUT
9,000 TRANS PEOPLE INSURED
WITH MEDICAID. IF IT’S AN ACT,
IT WAS LIKE A BLACK CLOUD ALL
TIME. THAT’S HOW CHLOE HILTON
WELL ARE DESCRIBED HER LIFE
BEFORE SHE DISCOVERED. BLISS
CARES. BLISS HELPED ME WITH
EVERYTHING MEDICATION THERE
BLISS CARES IS A 3.40, B
ORGANIZATION WHICH IS A
FEDERAL PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS
THEM TO PAY A REDUCED COST FOR
MEDICATIONS, INCLUDING
HORMONES FOR TRANS PATIENTS
AND HIV TREATMENT AND
PREVENTION. MANY INSURED AND
UNINSURED PATIENTS ARE ABLE TO
RECEIVE THESE MEDICATIONS AT
NO COST THROUGH BLISS. THE
ORGANIZATION ALSO HELPS PEOPLE
SICK. YOU ARE TRANS INCLUSIVE
HEALTH INSURANCE. SO IT’S
CREATED A SPACE FOR A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO SURGERY
THAT THEY OTHERWISE WOULDN’T
HAVE ACCESS TO. OH, MY GOD,
IT’S IT’S AMAZING WAS AN
AMAZING AND JUST GET TO BE MY
TRUE SELF. IT’S SO INSPIRING
AND SO BEAUTIFUL. JUST TO BE
YOURSELF.
>> WELL, BLISS STARTED THE
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM IN
2017. THEY ME ONCE A WEEK FOR
ABOUT 3 HOURS, WHICH INCLUDES
DINNER, THE ORGANIZATION PAYS
FOR NAME CHANGES FOR EVERYONE
WHO COMPLETES THE COURSE WHICH
CAN COST ABOUT $500 EACH. THEY
PLAN TO HAVE THE NEXT CLASS IN
MID AUGUST. AND I HAVE TO TELL
YOU THAT CHLOE’S SOUND BITE
WAS MY FAVORITE SOUND BITE OF
THAT PIECE WHERE SHE SAID IT
IS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL JUST TO
BE YOURSELF. AND THAT’S WHAT
EVERY TRANS PERSON WANTS.
THAT’S WHAT
>> ANYONE WANTS. YEAH. JUST TO
BE THE BEST VERSION OF
YOURSELF AND WHAT AN AMAZING
ORGANIZATION HELPING MAKE THAT
HAPPEN. YEAH, THEY’RE DOING.
THEY HAVE SO MANY RESOURCES
THAT THEY THAT THEY WITH THE
COMMUNITY. THEY PUT MONEY BACK
INTO THE COMMUNITY. SO THERE
ARE A LOT OF RESOURCES OUT
THERE FOR TRANS PEOPLE THAT A
LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW
ABOUT. SO THAT’S WHY WE WANTED
TO HIGHLIGHT THIS PROGRAM AND
WAS THE NEXT STEP FOR THE
MEDICAID RULE CHANGE. IT IS
MOVING ALONG AND IT IS MOVING
ALONG PRETTY QUICKLY. THE
AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE
ADMINISTRATION HAS A HEARING
SET FOR JULY 8TH. WE’RE GOING
TO INCLUDE A LINK TO THE
PROPOSAL WITH THIS STORY ON
CLICKORLANDO DOT COM AND DOES
HAVE A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN
SUBMIT COMMENTS ONLINE AT THE
BOTTOM OF THE PESO. IF PEOPLE
WANT TO DO THAT, THEY CAN.
THEY CAN DO IT RIGHT THROUGH
THAT. LIKE I’M SO GLAD THAT
YOU ALSO INCLUDED THAT SCREEN
SHOT FROM BLISS IS WEBSITE
ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS
THAT THEY COVER AND HELPLESS
BECAUSE IT ALSO INCLUDES JUST
REGULAR DOCTOR’S VISITS AND
THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, TRANS
PEOPLE WHO ARE DEALING WITH SO
MUCH THE NUMBER OF COPAYS, THE
NUMBER OF VISITS. THIS IS A
BASIC NEED. YOU KNOW, IT IS
CERTAINLY DURING PRIDE MONTH.
I DID NOT WANT TO COME OUT
HERE AND DO A STORY ABOUT
WHAT’S BEING TAKEN AWAY
WITHOUT HIGHLIGHTING A PROGRAM
THAT IS OFFERING A NUMBER OF
RESOURCES TO THE TRANS
COMMUNITY BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED