Trans Resource Navigator

Gender-affirming care in Florida

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  • Page changed: PrEP and PEP (2026-10-05) · #124
Care for adults
Limited
Care for people under 18
Banned
Florida Medicaid (Statewide Medicaid Managed Care) pays for hormones
Not covered
Florida Medicaid (Statewide Medicaid Managed Care) pays for surgery
Not covered
Private plans must cover care
No state rule

Florida bans hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgery for anyone under 18. Adults can get care, but only from a physician (not a nurse practitioner or physician assistant), and the first consent must be signed in person with the prescribing physician on a state form. Florida Medicaid and state-funded plans exclude gender-affirming care. Federal lawsuits challenging these rules have been pending on appeal since 2023 and 2024, and the laws are being enforced.

Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

On this page
  1. If you are under 18, or a parent
  2. Rules for adults
  3. Health centers near you
  4. Hormones by telehealth
  5. Clinics, programs, and funds
  6. Paying for care
  7. Laws and court cases
  8. Sources

If you are under 18, or a parent

Section 456.52(1) prohibits puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery for gender transition for anyone under 18. The only exception is for minors who began treatment before May 17, 2023, who may continue under Board of Medicine rules requiring parental consent. A practitioner who willfully participates in a violation commits a third-degree felony. SB 254 also gives Florida courts temporary emergency jurisdiction in custody matters involving this care.

A federal judge declared the ban unconstitutional in June 2024 (Doe v. Ladapo), but the Eleventh Circuit stayed that ruling in August 2024, so the ban is in effect. Families seeking care travel to states without bans; the Campaign for Southern Equality's Trans Youth Emergency Project helps with navigation and costs.

[1][4][14]

Rules for adults

Under SB 254 (2023), codified at section 456.52:

  • Only a physician (MD or DO) may prescribe or administer hormones, blockers, or perform surgery for gender transition. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants cannot, which closed or changed many clinic and telehealth programs.
  • Consent must be voluntary, informed, in writing on a form adopted by the Board of Medicine, and given while the physician is physically in the same room with you. You cannot start care through telehealth alone.
  • Violating the consent or physician rules is a first-degree misdemeanor for the provider.

Hormone therapy for adults is still legal. If you have little money, in rough order:

  1. Look for a community health center or HIV/LGBTQ clinic with a physician who prescribes hormones (for example Hope & Help in the Orlando area; see the city pages). Sliding-scale fees are common. Use findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.
  2. Point of Pride's HRT Access Fund pays for 18 months of telehealth hormone care (applications in May); check first that the partner provider can serve Florida given the in-person rule.
  3. For medications, generic estradiol and spironolactone are inexpensive with discount cards (GoodRx) or Cost Plus Drugs. Testosterone prices vary more.
[1][10][12][13]

Community health centers near you

These federally funded centers must see you whether or not you have insurance, and charge based on income. Many, but not all, prescribe hormone therapy. Call and ask for "gender-affirming care" or "hormone therapy."

Sorting by distance uses your location only on this device. It is never sent anywhere.

Hormones by telehealth

These services prescribe hormones through video visits for people in this state. Point of Pride pays for a year and a half of care with several of them each spring.

  • Plume

    PaidNo Medicaid18+

    Trans-led telehealth service providing informed-consent hormone therapy, lab orders, prescriptions, and letters for surgery and documents, by app and video visit. Self-pay only since January 2026. A Point of Pride HRT Access Fund partner.

    About $99 per month ($90 in NY and NJ), which includes visits, messaging, prescriptions, and document letters. Labs and medications are billed separately and are often cheap with GoodRx or at a community pharmacy. Free for 18 months if you win a Point of Pride HRT Access Fund grant.

  • FOLX Health

    InsuranceTakes insuranceNo Medicaid18+

    LGBTQ-focused telehealth offering hormone therapy, PrEP, primary care, and mental health visits. Accepts major commercial insurance (Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare) but not Medicaid or Medicare. A Point of Pride HRT Access Fund partner.

    In-network with many commercial plans; self-pay membership about $69 to $98 per month all-inclusive.

  • QueerDoc

    Sliding scale

    Small telehealth practice offering informed-consent hormone therapy with transparent sliding-scale pricing. Does not bill insurance for visits, but labs and prescriptions can go through your insurance. A Point of Pride HRT Access Fund partner.

    Sliding scale by income; check the current pricing page.

  • Planned Parenthood

    Sliding scaleTakes insurance

    Many Planned Parenthood affiliates provide informed-consent gender-affirming hormone therapy alongside sexual and reproductive health care, on a sliding scale and with Medicaid. Most affiliates see adults 18 and older; a few see 16- and 17-year-olds with parental consent and a readiness letter. Many start hormone care by telehealth. Self-pay initial consults typically run about $120 to $250 before sliding-scale discounts.

Clinics, programs, and funds

  • Hope & Help[10]

    Central Florida clinic offering gender-affirming hormone therapy and trans care, PrEP and PEP, HIV and STI testing, behavioral health, and an on-site discount pharmacy. Sliding scale and insurance.

    • Sliding scale
    • Sees uninsured patients

    Serves: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties

    407-645-2577

  • Florida Health Justice Project[8]

    Nonprofit legal advocacy group for low-income Floridians with Medicaid, KidCare, and coverage denials; serves LGBTQ+ clients. Submit a legal help intake on its website.

    • Free

  • Southern Legal Counsel, Trans Rights Initiative[9]

    Statewide nonprofit law firm that litigates Florida's trans health care and Medicaid restrictions and takes intake from low-income Floridians.

    • Free
    352-271-8890

  • Florida Department of Health, PrEP and PEP[11]

    State page with a PrEP provider finder and information on paying for PrEP; free HIV testing locations and at-home test kits at knowyourhivstatus.com.

    • Cost varies

  • HRSA Find a Health Center[12]

    Federal locator for community health centers, which charge on a sliding scale regardless of insurance. Call ahead to ask whether a physician there prescribes hormones.

    • Sliding scale
    • Sees uninsured patients

  • Point of Pride[13]

    National fund paying for hormone therapy (HRT Access Fund, applications in May), surgery, and other gender-affirming needs.

    • Free

  • Campaign for Southern Equality, Trans Youth Emergency Project[14]

    Helps families of trans youth in Southern states with bans find out-of-state care, with navigation and travel grants.

    • Free
    • Community reported

  • GenderBands[15]

    National nonprofit offering grants toward gender-affirming care costs.

    • Free
    • Unverified

Paying for care

Medicaid (Florida Medicaid (Statewide Medicaid Managed Care))[3][2][6][7][8]

AHCA Rule 59G-1.050(7) (effective August 21, 2022) says Florida Medicaid does not cover puberty blockers, hormones and hormone antagonists, sex reassignment surgeries, or any other procedures that alter sex characteristics for the treatment of gender dysphoria, and declares them not medically necessary. Section 286.311 (SB 254) also bars Medicaid managed care plans, the state employee health plan, and other public entities from spending state funds on this care.

A federal court struck down the rule in June 2023 (Dekker v. Weida), but the state appealed and the case is still pending; the state continues to apply the exclusion. Medicaid still covers other care (primary care, labs, mental health) for eligible people. Florida has not expanded Medicaid, so most adults without children or a disability do not qualify. If you are denied a gender-affirming service, the Florida Health Justice Project may be able to help.

Apply for coverage

Private insurance[2][16][17]

Florida law does not prohibit private health plans from excluding gender-affirming care. Plans bought on HealthCare.gov and employer plans vary: read the exclusions list in your plan documents. The state employee plan and other state-funded plans may not pay for this care (section 286.311). If a plan denies a claim, appeal with the plan first; unresolved problems with state-regulated insurers can be reported to the Department of Financial Services. Self-funded employer plans are federally regulated.

File an insurance complaint

The rules in detail

Laws and court cases2 court cases, 4 laws

Doe v. Ladapo

The law is fully in effect. Minors cannot start care in Florida, and adults must follow the physician-only, in-person consent rules.[4][5]

Challenge to SB 254's ban on care for minors and its adult restrictions. On June 11, 2024 the district court held both unconstitutional and enjoined them. In August 2024 a 2-1 Eleventh Circuit panel stayed that ruling pending appeal. Oral argument was held January 15, 2025; the parties then briefed the effect of the Supreme Court's June 2025 decision in United States v. Skrmetti. Last update 2025-01-15.

Dekker v. Weida

Florida Medicaid continues to deny coverage for hormones and surgery for gender dysphoria while the appeal is pending.[6][7]

Challenge to Florida's Medicaid exclusion (Rule 59G-1.050(7)) and the state-funds ban in section 286.311. The district court held the exclusion unlawful in June 2023; Florida appealed, and supplemental briefs on the Skrmetti decision were filed in July 2025. Last update 2025-07-14.

Sources

17 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Fla. Stat. § 456.52The Florida Senate, Law. accessed
    “Sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures may not be prescribed, administered, or performed except by a physician”
  2. Fla. Stat. § 286.311The Florida Senate, Law. accessed
    “may not expend state funds as described in s. 215.31 for sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures”
  3. Rule 59G-1.050, General Medicaid Policy (effective 8/21/2022)Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Regulation. accessed
    “Florida Medicaid does not cover the following services for the treatment of gender dysphoria: 1. Puberty blockers; 2. Hormones and hormone antagonists; 3. Sex reassignment surgeries”
  4. Doe v. LadapoNational Center for Lesbian Rights, Organization. accessed
  5. Appeals court hears case challenging Florida's trans healthcare banWashington Blade, News. accessed
  6. Dekker v. WeidaLambda Legal, Organization. accessed
  7. Supreme Court fuels arguments in Florida transgender case about blocking Medicaid coverageWUSF, News. accessed
  8. Florida Health Justice ProjectOrganization. accessed
  9. Southern Legal CounselOrganization. accessed
  10. Hope & HelpOrganization. accessed
  11. PrEP and PEPFlorida Department of Health, Official page. accessed
  12. Find a Health CenterHealth Resources and Services Administration, Official page. accessed
  13. Point of PrideOrganization. accessed
  14. Trans Youth Emergency ProjectCampaign for Southern Equality, Organization. accessed
  15. GenderBandsOrganization. accessed
  16. Need Our Help? Consumer AssistanceFlorida Department of Financial Services, Official page. accessed
  17. Healthcare laws and policiesMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed