'Medically necessary' gender-related surgeries for kids will be covered by insurance in Nevada, thanks in part to Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo

A bill requiring all health insurance companies in Nevada, including Medicaid, to cover "medically necessary" surgeries related to gender dysphoria for both adults and children has now been signed by Republican Governor Joe Lombardo.

On Monday, Lombardo signed S.B. 163, which requires "coverage for the medically necessary treatment of conditions relating to gender dysphoria and gender incongruence." The bill had already passed the state Assembly and Senate, both controlled by Democrats, along party lines.

Some leftists are celebrating Lombardo's decision to sign the bill. "At a time when states across the country are passing Draconian laws to restrict trans and nonbinary people’s rights to exist, Nevada is doing the opposite," said Sen. Melanie Scheible (D-Las Vegas), who sponsored the bill. "Home can mean Nevada for people of all genders as a direct result of the hard work of transgender and civil rights organizers."

"Nevada has for a very long time been a live-and-let-live type of state," added Brooke Maylath of Transgender Allies Group which in 2021 also worked for the state Department of Health and Human Services. "And I’m glad to see that this governor has not been hijacked by the divisiveness that we’ve seen in other states."

Indeed, in signing the bill, Lombardo, who just assumed office in January, diverged considerably from many Republican governors who have lately voted to ban or at least severely restrict such procedures for minors in their respective states. Nevada RNC Committeewoman Sigal Chattah, who made an unsuccessful bid for attorney general last year, slammed Lombardo in a series of tweets.

"While other states protect children from genital mutilation- Nevada just served them up," she tweeted on Tuesday.

"Nevada’s 'GOP' Governor is becoming a laughingstock across the nation," she added in a separate tweet.

Despite the rancor from other Republicans, Lombardo encouraged everyone to read the bill for themselves before passing judgment. "I implore people to read the bill in its entirety," he said to reporters on Tuesday. "And you will see it's not as draconian or detrimental or immoral as people are portraying it to be."

Lombardo also recently signed another bill which offers additional mental health care to Nevada prisoners who consider themselves transgender or gender-nonconforming. However, he vetoed a bill which would have protected medical professionals who provide gender-related treatment from losing their license. In his veto message, Lombardo claimed the measure would have prevented his office from ensuring "that all gender-affirming care related to minors comports with State law."

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