President Donald Trump's administration is being sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James over a rule change she said makes it easier for health care providers to discriminate against LGBTQ people and non-English speakers.
The suit announced Monday by James's office is part of a 23-state coalition against the implementation of the rule.
At issue is the rollback of an Obama administration-era regulation that barred insurance companies and health care providers from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and non-conformity as well as pregnancy status.
The move tied funds under the federal Affordable Care Act to adhering to the regulation. The Trump administration is moving to end the express protections created by the 2016 rule.
“Despite failing to repeal the ACA again and again, President Trump and his administration continue to unlawfully chip away at health care for Americans,” James said in a statement.
“By rolling back rules that ensure the ACA protects all Americans, the president is unlawfully giving health care providers and insurers license to deny care to LGBTQ+ individuals, those who do not speak English, and women. It is never acceptable to deny health care to Americans who need it, but it is especially egregious to do so in the middle of a pandemic. For more than a decade, the ACA has provided tens of millions of Americans with quality, affordable health coverage, which is why we will use every tool at our disposal to stop the Trump Administration from taking us backwards.”