Trans Resource Navigator

Gender-affirming care in Louisiana

Care for adults
Limited
Care for people under 18
Banned
Louisiana Medicaid (Healthy Louisiana) pays for hormones
Unclear
Louisiana Medicaid (Healthy Louisiana) pays for surgery
Not covered
Private plans must cover care
No state rule

Adults can legally get hormone therapy and other gender-affirming care in Louisiana, but Louisiana Medicaid is reported to exclude it, state law does not stop private plans from excluding it, and there is no Planned Parenthood health center in the state since October 2025. Since January 1, 2024, hormones, puberty blockers, and surgery are banned for anyone under 18; a state-court challenge is headed to trial and the ban remains in effect.

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

The Stop Harming Our Kids Act (Act 466 of 2023, HB 648; La. R.S. 40:1098.1 to 1098.6), in effect since January 1, 2024, bars health care professionals from giving anyone under 18 puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or gender-affirming surgery. Minors cannot consent to these treatments. The grace period for tapering existing patients ended December 31, 2024. Exceptions cover intersex conditions and complications of prohibited treatment.

Penalties: a licensing board that finds a violation must revoke the provider's license for at least two years; people harmed can sue for damages until 12 years after turning 18 (consent is no defense); and the attorney general can sue.

Mental health care and therapy are not banned. Families can travel to states where care is legal; the Campaign for Southern Equality's Trans Youth Emergency Project offers navigation and $500 renewable travel grants.

Litigation: Soe v. Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (19th Judicial District Court, East Baton Rouge) challenges the ban under the Louisiana Constitution. In January 2026 the court denied the state's motion for summary judgment and the case is moving toward trial. The ban has not been blocked.

[1][2][3][4][5]

Rules for adults

There is no state law against gender-affirming care for adults 18 and older, and telehealth prescribing is allowed. The restriction is coverage: Louisiana Medicaid reportedly excludes transgender-related care, and no state law requires private insurers to cover it. Louisiana has no shield law.

If you have no insurance and little money, in rough order of what to try:

  1. Go to a community health center (FQHC). They must see you regardless of ability to pay and charge on a sliding scale. In New Orleans, CrescentCare offers gender-affirming primary care. Find others at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov and on Louisiana Trans Advocates' provider list.
  2. Telehealth: Plume serves Louisiana adults (self-pay, about $99 a month plus labs and medication).
  3. Point of Pride's HRT Access Fund pays for 18 months of telehealth hormone care (applications each May); Genderbands gives small grants.
  4. Generic spironolactone and estradiol are usually cheap with a pharmacy discount coupon; ask the pharmacy for the cash price.
[6][10][12][14][13][17]

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.

Clinics, programs, and funds

Paying for care

Medicaid (Louisiana Medicaid (Healthy Louisiana))[6][8][10]

The Movement Advancement Project reports that Louisiana Medicaid policy explicitly excludes transgender-related health care for people of all ages. We could not confirm the exact policy text or whether hormone prescriptions are denied in practice; some community health centers accept Medicaid for primary care visits. For minors, the 2023 ban also applies. If a claim is denied, CrescentCare Legal Services' Transgender Rights Project handles coverage denials for trans clients.

Louisiana expanded Medicaid, so adults with income up to about 138% of the federal poverty level can qualify. Apply through LDH's Medicaid site.

Apply for coverage

Private insurance[7][16][10]

Louisiana has no state law barring insurers from excluding gender-affirming care, so coverage depends on your plan. Read your plan's exclusions list, ask for a written denial, and appeal. The Trans Health Project has free appeal templates, and CrescentCare Legal Services helps with denials. The Louisiana Department of Insurance takes complaints about state-regulated plans; self-funded employer plans are federally regulated.

The rules in detail

Laws and court cases1 court case, 1 law

Soe v. Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners

The ban is in effect. In January 2026 the court denied the state's motion for summary judgment, so the case goes to trial.[4]

Five trans youth and their families, represented by Lambda Legal and Harvard's Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, argue the minors' care ban violates the Louisiana Constitution (parental rights, right to medical treatment, sex discrimination). Last update 2026-01-31.

Sources

17 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. La. R.S. 40:1098.2, Healthcare professionals; restrictionsLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “The period may not extend beyond December 31, 2024.”
  2. La. R.S. 40:1098.3, Healthcare professionals; disciplinary actionsLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “the board shall revoke any professional or occupational license or certificate held by the healthcare professional for a minimum of two years.”
  3. La. R.S. 40:1098.5, Civil actions; remediesLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “Consent shall not operate as a defense to a petitioner's claim that is filed pursuant to this Section.”
  4. Soe v. Louisiana State Board of Medical ExaminersLambda Legal, Organization. accessed
    “In January 2026, the court denied the state's motion for summary judgment, allowing the case to proceed to trial.”
  5. Resources for Families of Trans Youth in LouisianaCampaign for Southern Equality, Organization. accessed
    “renewable travel grants of $500. Grants can be made to the parent/caregiver of an impacted youth.”
  6. Medicaid coverage of transgender-related health careMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed
    “State Medicaid policy explicitly excludes transgender-related health care for all ages (Louisiana).”
  7. Louisiana equality profileMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed
  8. Louisiana MedicaidLouisiana Department of Health, Official page. accessed
  9. LGBTQ health and wellnessCrescentCare, Organization. accessed
  10. LSU-CrescentCare Sexual Health CenterCrescentCare, Organization. accessed
    “Ask about our sliding-scale fee service. If you are uninsured, please don't hesitate to visit our location for services.”
  11. Find a Health CenterHealth Resources and Services Administration, Official page. accessed
  12. Health Care Providers ListLouisiana Trans Advocates, Organization. accessed
  13. HRT Access FundPoint of Pride, Organization. accessed
  14. GenderbandsOrganization. accessed
  15. Trans Health ProjectAdvocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
  16. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast is no longer operatingPlanned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Organization. accessed
    “September 30, 2025 was PPGC's final day of operations in Louisiana.”