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Transgender Teens File Lawsuit Over Arizona Ban On AHCCCS-Funded Surgery

A lawsuit involving a pair of Arizona transgender teens has drawn national attention.

The two — a 15-year-old known as D.H. and a 17-year-old going by John Doe — wanted to get male chest reconstruction surgery, but the state bans its Medicaid system, AHCCCS, from paying for it.

The teens have filed a suit alleging the state ban violates the Medicaid Act, the Affordable Care Act and the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

The Show spoke with Catherine McKee, a senior attorney with the National Health Law Program, about the significance of the case. The National Health Law Program is a co-counsel in this case, along with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, King & Spalding LLP, and Perkins Coie LLP.

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Steve Goldstein was a host at KJZZ from 1997 to 2022.