Trans Resource Navigator

Gender-affirming care in Kentucky

Care for adults
Limited
Care for people under 18
Banned
Kentucky Medicaid pays for hormones
Not covered
Kentucky Medicaid pays for surgery
Not covered
Private plans must cover care
No state rule

Adults can legally get gender-affirming care in Kentucky, but since June 2025 Kentucky Medicaid may not pay for hormones or surgery for gender dysphoria, and state prisons may not provide them. Care for anyone under 18 (puberty blockers, hormones, surgery) has been banned since June 2023. There is no shield law.

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

KRS 311.372 (from SB 150, effective June 29, 2023) bars health care providers from giving anyone under 18, for the purpose of affirming a gender different from their sex at birth: puberty blockers; testosterone, estrogen, or progesterone above normal levels; sterilizing surgeries; genital surgeries; or removal of healthy body parts.

  • Exceptions: minors with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development, and treatment of complications caused by prohibited care.
  • Tapering: a provider who had already started a minor on blockers or hormones may wind them down gradually if stopping abruptly would cause harm, and must document this.
  • Penalties: the provider's licensing board must revoke their license. A patient can sue until age 30, or within 3 years of discovering the injury, whichever is later.

Mental health care and social support are not banned. Families often travel to states where care is legal (Illinois is the nearest). Kentucky has no shield law protecting patients or providers.

[1][2]

Rules for adults

There is no ban on care for adults 18 and older, and private clinics, Planned Parenthood, and telehealth providers prescribe hormones in Kentucky, many on an informed-consent basis (no therapist letter). But two 2025 laws limit who can get it paid for or provided:

  • Medicaid: KRS 205.5365 (HB 495) bars Kentucky Medicaid and its managed care plans from spending Medicaid funds on cross-sex hormones prescribed primarily or solely for gender dysphoria, and on gender reassignment surgery, unless federal law requires it.
  • Prisons: SB 2 (2025) prohibits hormone treatment or elective gender reassignment surgery for people in state prison. A class-action challenge (Marcum v. Crews) lost its bid for a preliminary injunction in September 2025.

If you are on Medicaid or uninsured, realistic options are: paying cash at a sliding-scale clinic or Planned Parenthood; telehealth services (Plume and FOLX are subscription-based; generic estradiol and spironolactone are inexpensive with discount cards); and grants from the Kentucky Health Justice Network or Point of Pride. Medicaid still covers primary care, labs, and mental health care in general.

[3][4][6][7][11][12]

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.

  • 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

Paying for care

Medicaid (Kentucky Medicaid)[3][4][5][8]

Since June 27, 2025, KRS 205.5365 prohibits the Department for Medicaid Services and its managed care organizations from spending Medicaid funds on (1) cross-sex hormones "when prescribed or administered primarily or solely for the treatment of gender dysphoria" and (2) gender reassignment surgery. Governor Beshear vetoed HB 495; the legislature overrode the veto. The same law also voided Executive Order 2024-632 (the governor's order restricting conversion therapy).

Medicaid still covers other care: primary care, lab work, mental health, PrEP, and hormones prescribed for other conditions. Adults with income up to about 138% of the federal poverty level qualify. Apply at kynect.ky.gov or through the Department for Medicaid Services.

Apply for coverage

Private insurance[10][12]

Kentucky has no state law requiring private health plans to cover gender-affirming care or barring exclusions. Coverage depends on your plan: many large employer plans cover it, while some individual and small-group plans exclude it. If a claim is denied, appeal with the plan first; for fully insured plans you can file a complaint with the Kentucky Department of Insurance (800-595-6053). Self-funded employer plans are federally regulated. KHJN's Trans Health Program helps with insurance navigation.

File an insurance complaint

The rules in detail

Laws and court cases1 court case, 3 laws

Marcum v. Crews

The court denied a preliminary injunction on September 12, 2025, and ACLU of Kentucky lists the case as dismissed. The prison ban is in effect.[7]

Class action by people in Kentucky Department of Corrections custody challenging SB 2's ban on gender-affirming hormone therapy in prisons. Last update 2025-09-12.

  • KRS 311.372: Ban on puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery for minors (SB 150, 2023)
  • KRS 205.5365: No Medicaid funds for cross-sex hormones for gender dysphoria or gender reassignment surgery (HB 495, 2025)
  • SB 2 (2025), 2025 Ky. Acts ch. 99: Prohibits hormone treatment or elective gender reassignment surgery for prisoners

Sources

16 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. KRS 311.372, Prohibition on treatments to a minor for purpose of attempting to alter the appearance or perception of the minor's sexKentucky Legislative Research Commission, Law. accessed
    “If a licensing or certifying agency for health care providers finds ... that a health care provider ... has violated subsection (2) of this section, the agency shall revoke the health care provider's licensure or certification.”
  2. SB 150 (2023 Regular Session)Kentucky General Assembly, Law. accessed
  3. KRS 205.5365, Prohibition on expenditure of Medicaid funds for cross-sex hormones or gender reassignment surgeryKentucky Legislative Research Commission, Law. accessed
    “the Department for Medicaid Services and any managed care organization ... are hereby prohibited from expending any Medicaid funds on ... Cross-sex hormones when prescribed or administered primarily or solely for the treatment of gender dysphoria; and ... Gender reassignment surgery”
  4. HB 495 (2025 Regular Session), AN ACT relating to healthcare servicesKentucky General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “Vetoed March 24, 2025; veto overridden by House and Senate March 27, 2025; Acts Chapter 107.”
  5. HB 501 (2025 Regular Session), AN ACT relating to pharmaceutical drugsKentucky General Assembly, Law. accessed
  6. SB 2 (2025 Regular Session), AN ACT relating to correctional facilitiesKentucky General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “prohibits hormone treatment or elective surgery for gender reassignment for prisoners”
  7. Marcum v. CrewsACLU of Kentucky, Organization. accessed
  8. Apply for MedicaidKentucky Department for Medicaid Services, Official page. accessed
  9. kynectCommonwealth of Kentucky, Official page. accessed
  10. File a complaintKentucky Department of Insurance, Official page. accessed
  11. Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, KentuckyOrganization. accessed
    “gender-affirming hormone care at all our health centers and via telehealth”
  12. Trans Health ProgramKentucky Health Justice Network, Organization. accessed
    “This initiative provides financial support for trans folks who face barriers accessing gender-affirming care.”
  13. Point of PrideOrganization. accessed
  14. Find a Health CenterHealth Resources and Services Administration, Official page. accessed
  15. Health Outreach and PreventionVolunteers of America Mid-States, Organization. accessed
  16. Trans LifelineOrganization. accessed