May 10, 2021 - LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued the following statement after U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra today restored anti-discrimination protections for gender identity or sexual orientation under the Affordable Care Act. Commissioner Lara and 17 state insurance commissioners signed a letter to the previous administration in support of these vital rules:

“I applaud the Biden Administration and Secretary Becerra for restoring protections forbidding discrimination based upon the gender identity or sexual orientation of a patient, which I and other insurance commissioners strenuously fought to retain under the previous administration. By ensuring equal protection under the law for millions of consumers across our state and country, today’s action reaffirms that there is no place for discrimination in health care.”

Source: CA. Dept. of Insurance