Trans Resource Navigator

Gender-affirming care in Maryland

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  • Page changed: Maryland Health Connection (2026-10-05) · #138
Care for adults
Allowed
Care for people under 18
Allowed
Maryland Medicaid (Maryland Medical Assistance Program / HealthChoice) pays for hormones
Covered
Maryland Medicaid (Maryland Medical Assistance Program / HealthChoice) pays for surgery
Covered
Private plans must cover care
Yes, by law

Gender-affirming care is legal for adults and minors in Maryland. Maryland Medicaid must cover medically necessary gender-affirming treatment, including hormones and surgery, under the Trans Health Equity Act, and a 2024 shield law protects patients and providers from other states' investigations. Planned Parenthood of Maryland offers informed-consent hormone therapy at every health center and by telehealth, and accepts Medicaid.

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

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

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

  • Planned Parenthood of Maryland, gender-affirming care[10][11]

    Informed-consent hormone therapy (estrogen, testosterone blockers, progestins, testosterone, and low-dose options) at all Maryland health centers (Annapolis, Baltimore, Easton, Frederick, Owings Mills, Towson, Waldorf) and by telehealth. Ages 16 and up; parent or guardian consent required under 18. Self-pay $200 first visit, $160 follow-ups; accepts Maryland Medicaid and most private insurance. Trans care navigator reachable at 410-576-1414.

    • Insurance
    • Telehealth
    • Accepts Medicaid
    • Sees uninsured patients
    410-576-1414

  • Whitman-Walker Health (Washington, DC)[12]

    DC community health center near the Maryland suburbs with a transgender care program (hormone therapy, care navigation, behavioral health, gender-affirming assessments) and free legal services for DC, Maryland, and Virginia residents. Trans health line 202-797-4457. Confirm that it accepts your Maryland insurance before booking.

    • Cost varies

    Serves: DC and the Maryland suburbs (Montgomery and Prince George's counties)

    202-797-44571525 14th St NW, Washington, DC

  • Chase Brexton Health Care[13]

    Community health center with a long history in LGBTQ care, with sites in Baltimore (1111 N. Charles St.), Columbia, Easton, Glen Burnie, and Security Square. Sliding fee scale, a walk-in sexual health clinic with PrEP and PEP, and mental health care. Call 410-837-2050 and ask whether gender-affirming hormone therapy is available at your site.

    • Sliding scale
    • Sees uninsured patients
    410-837-2050

  • Trans Maryland, gender-affirming care referrals[14]

    Trans-led organization that lists providers it trusts, including the Gender Affirming Letter Access Project (GALAP), which connects people to Maryland mental health providers who write surgery letters in 1 to 2 sessions and offer free letters if you are uninsured. Also runs weekly T4T digital support groups.

    • Free

  • Point of Pride, HRT Access Fund[15]

    National fund that pays for a period of telehealth hormone care for trans people who cannot afford it. Applications open once a year.

    • Free
    • Unverified

  • Maryland Health Connection (Medicaid and marketplace enrollment)[9]

    The state's official site to apply for Maryland Medicaid or a subsidized private plan. Free local navigators can help you enroll.

    • Free

  • Maryland Insurance Administration, consumer complaints[7]

    File a complaint if a state-regulated health plan denies gender-affirming care. Online portal or 1-800-492-6116.

    • Free
    1-800-492-6116

  • HRSA Find a Health Center[16]

    Federal search tool for community health centers that charge on a sliding scale by income, whether or not you have insurance.

    • Sliding scale
    • Sees uninsured patients

Paying for care

Medicaid (Maryland Medicaid (Maryland Medical Assistance Program / HealthChoice))[1][2][9]

Since January 1, 2024, the Trans Health Equity Act (Health-General § 15-151) requires Maryland Medicaid to cover medically necessary gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner, consistent with current clinical standards (WPATH). Covered care listed in the law includes hormone therapy and puberty blockers; hair removal; voice therapy; chest, abdomen, face, neck, genital, and gonadal procedures; fertility preservation; and revisions. Medicaid may not call this care cosmetic, may not have categorical exclusions, and may not deny it unless a provider experienced in gender-affirming care has reviewed the denial. Managed care organizations must list which in-network providers offer gender-affirming care in their directories.

Apply online at Maryland Health Connection, by phone, or through your local department of social services.

Apply for coverage

Private insurance[5][6][7][8]

Maryland's insurance law bars unfair discrimination in health insurance benefits (Insurance Article § 27-208(b)), and the Maryland Insurance Administration has said this prohibits carriers from discriminating based on gender identity (Bulletin 14-02). If a state-regulated plan denies gender-affirming care, file a grievance with the plan, then a complaint with the MIA online or at 1-800-492-6116; allow about 90 days for a decision. Self-funded employer plans are federally regulated and may not be covered by state rules; the Trans Health Project has appeal help for those.

File an insurance complaint

The rules in detail

Rules for adultsNo state restriction. Many providers prescribe hormones on an informed consent basis, with no therapist letter required.

No state restriction. Many providers prescribe hormones on an informed consent basis, with no therapist letter required. Telehealth prescribing is legal.

If you have no insurance and little money, in rough order:

  1. Apply for Maryland Medicaid through Maryland Health Connection. Adults with income up to about 138% of the federal poverty level qualify, and Medicaid must cover hormones, labs, and surgery.
  2. Planned Parenthood of Maryland offers informed-consent hormone therapy at all its health centers and by telehealth: $200 first visit and $160 follow-ups if you pay yourself, and it takes Medicaid.
  3. Community health centers (FQHCs) charge on a sliding scale. Find one at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.
  4. Point of Pride's HRT Access Fund pays for telehealth hormone care; applications open once a year.
  5. Generic spironolactone and estradiol tablets are inexpensive with a pharmacy discount coupon; ask for the cash price.
[10][1][9][16]
Rules for under 18Legal. Maryland has no ban on gender-affirming care for minors; bills to restrict it (HB 722 in 2024, HB 679 in 2026) received hearings but did not…

Legal. Maryland has no ban on gender-affirming care for minors; bills to restrict it (HB 722 in 2024, HB 679 in 2026) received hearings but did not advance. Since October 1, 2024, Maryland's shield law (SB 119, Ch. 863) treats gender-affirming treatment as "legally protected health care": it limits cooperation with out-of-state investigations and subpoenas, extradition, and license discipline based on providing that care. Maryland Medicaid's coverage duty covers recipients of all ages, including puberty blockers. Parental consent is required. Planned Parenthood of Maryland treats patients 16 and older with a parent's or guardian's consent. Federal actions in 2025 and 2026 have led some hospital programs nationally to pause care for minors; call ahead.

[3][1][10][4]
Laws and court cases4 laws

Sources

16 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Health-General Article § 15-151Maryland General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “The Program shall provide coverage for medically necessary gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner.”
  2. HB 283 (2023), Trans Health Equity Act, Chapter 253Maryland General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “Requiring, beginning on January 1, 2024, the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner.”
  3. SB 119 (2024), Legally Protected Health Care - Gender-Affirming Treatment, Chapter 863Maryland General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “Altering the definition of "legally protected health care" to include certain gender-affirming treatment, including medications and supplies.”
  4. HB 679 (2026), Health Occupations - Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy for MinorsMaryland General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “In the House - Hearing 2/18 at 1:30 p.m.”
  5. Insurance Article § 27-208Maryland General Assembly, Law. accessed
  6. Bulletin 14-02, Clarification of Coverage for Transgender Individuals (January 27, 2014)Maryland Insurance Administration, Official page. accessed
    “Read together, these provisions prohibit a carrier from discriminating among insureds under a health benefit plan on the basis of the insured's actual or perceived gender identity.”
  7. File a ComplaintMaryland Insurance Administration, Official page. accessed
    “You should allow 90 days for a decision on your complaint.”
  8. Healthcare laws and policiesMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed
    “Bans insurance exclusions of transgender health care”
  9. Maryland Health ConnectionState of Maryland, Official page. accessed
  10. Gender Affirming CarePlanned Parenthood of Maryland, Organization. accessed
    “We follow the Informed Consent Model so you do not need a mental health referral to receive hormone therapy.”
  11. Planned Parenthood of Maryland health centersPlanned Parenthood of Maryland, Organization. accessed
  12. Transgender Healthcare Services at Whitman-WalkerWhitman-Walker Health, Organization. accessed
    “Whitman-Walker Health provides hormone therapy to patients after engagement in healthcare services and with necessary consents to treat.”
  13. Chase Brexton Health CareOrganization. accessed
  14. Gender Affirming CareTrans Maryland, Organization. accessed
  15. Point of PrideOrganization. accessed
  16. Find a Health CenterHealth Resources and Services Administration, Official page. accessed