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# Puerto Rico Medicaid programme now includes trans healthcare
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/puerto-rico-medicaid-programme-now-includes-trans-healthcare/
- Published: 2020-10-31T10:10:31.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-31T08:16:50.000Z
- Description: Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program, which assists those who are not able to afford healthcare, will now cover transition related care.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: Health, News, LGBTQ, Michellyn Ramos Vargas, Puerto Rico, Trans healthcare, Trans Rights, Transgender

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/puerto-rico-gay-lgbt-1-1.jpg)

**Puerto Rico’s** Medicaid programme, which assists those who are not able to afford healthcare, will now cover transition-related care, including hormone medication, for the country’s trans community. The Puerto Rican governors advisory council for LGBTQ+ issues told the **[Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/2020/10/15/puerto-rico-medicaid-program-now-covers-transition-related-health-care/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)** it took over a year to consolidate the new policies, which began in July, but were not publicly announced until October as local pharmacies and health centres needed time to update their systems.

**Johanne Velez**, the president of the LGBTQ+ advisory council, said: *“The LGBTQ+ Advisory Board identified, during these years of work, several important health needs for the LGBTQ+ community. These high-profile needs included ensuring that the trans community, within their holistic transition management plan (social, psychological, spiritual and physical), had access to quality hormone treatment. After more than a year of continuous work, direct collaboration with the relevant agencies, and the strong support of the governor of Puerto Rico, Hon. *Wanda Vázquez Garced*, we achieved this approval for the next fiscal year.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/wanda-puerto-rico-1.jpg)

Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced

Velez continued: “*We feel a great sense of satisfaction with this step that will result in better access and quality of health services for our trans community.”* Despite improvements for trans health care, 2020 has been a deadly year for the Puerto Rican trans community with six people being killed and many more experiencing discrimination and violence. The most recent murder was that of 35-year-old **[Michellyn Ramos Vargas](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/trans-woman-killed-in-puerto-rico/)**. **Pedro Julio Serrano**, LGBTQ+ rights activist and executive director of the community organisation **Puerto Rico Para Tod@s**, said: *“They are murdering us while Wanda Vázquez and her government look the other way.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/transrights600.png)