'Reverse Woke Act' proposal in Florida would require companies that cover gender transition to also cover de-transition

A bill proposed in Florida would require employers that provide coverage for gender transition measures to also provide coverage for de-transition-related services as well.

The "Reverse Woke Act" stipulates that employers that offer gender-transition coverage would be on the hook for covering the de-transition process even if the person who wishes to de-transition is no longer a current employee at the company.

"An employer that covers the cost, directly or through benefits, of gender dysphoria treatment for employees must also cover the total costs associated with treatment that reverses the gender dysphoria treatment, regardless of the rate of coverage provided for the initial treatment," the text of the proposal states.

"An employee who received gender dysphoria treatment through coverage provided by an employer is entitled to full coverage by that employer of the total costs associated with treatment that reverses gender dysphoria treatment if the employee later determines that the gender dysphoria treatment was not appropriate for him or her and wants to reverse the treatment, regardless of whether the person is currently employed by that same employer at the time of such determination," the measure reads. "An employer's obligations under this section are not affected by whether the initial treatment is provided in this state, and an employer may not make coverage of subsequent treatment contingent on whether the employee receives such subsequent treatment in this state."

If a company declines to cover the costs related to the de-transitioning process after previously covering transition measures for that person, the worker or former worker could lodge a civil action to recover the costs of the de-transition measures plus any damages resulting from the employer's failure to comply with the requirement to cover those costs.

Florida state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, introduced the measure.

"Woke businesses need to be held accountable when offering to pay for gender affirming surgeries in other states, such as California because they are nothing more than political decisions masquerading as healthcare and human resource decisions," Ingoglia noted in a press release, according to Florida's Voice. "Floridians should not be used as political pawns to advance a leftist agenda for the Governor of California. If these companies truly cared about their employees, this should be a no-brainer for them," he said, according to the outlet.

Ingoglia, who previously served in Florida's House of Representatives, won election to the state Senate during a contest in 2022.

Blaise Ingoglia Republican State Senate, District 11www.youtube.com

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