Alaska
Alaska House approves cut in draft budget for gender dysphoria treatments, but impacts remain unclear
JUNEAU — The Alaska House this week amended its draft budget to cut Medicaid funding for so-called optional treatments for gender dysphoria.
Multiple lawmakers said if the proposed cut is ultimately approved by the Legislature, it would likely not cut health care for transgender Alaskans. But that remains unclear.
Additionally, the Legislature’s attorneys warned the proposed cut to gender dysphoria care could be unconstitutional and unenforceable.
Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, noted that the Alaska State Medical Board urged the Legislature in March to ban hormonal and surgical treatments for minors seeking to transition from one gender to another.
She said the cut would ensure taxpayer-funded coverage for gender dysphoria treatments are limited to only what is “medically necessary” and required by the courts.
In 2021, the state settled a class-action lawsuit that challenged the legality of excluding transgender Alaskans from health coverage related to their gender transitions. Now, that coverage through Medicaid is required.
Jennifer Martinez, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, said the organization believed that the proposed cut would likely not result in reduced Medicaid coverage for transgender Alaskans.
But if the cut is ultimately approved by the Legislature, Martinez said that Alaska’s Medicaid office would determine which treatments to cover. That could impact what she called “edge” treatments, such as follow-up surgeries for transgender Alaskans, Martinez said, but it remained unclear.
The intended cut to gender dysphoria treatments was approved on a 21-19 vote. Two Republican members of the Democrat-dominated majority — Reps. Chuck Kopp and Louise Stutes — joined the 19-member, all-Republican minority to approve the cut in the draft budget. All other members of the majority voted no.
Kopp amended the bill to state that optional psychiatric coverage would still be funded for children under age 18 who are experiencing gender dysphoria. He said those services could help “interdict” a child before they made “a life-altering, permanent medical decision.”
Anchorage independent Rep. Alyse Galvin, the mother of a transgender daughter, called the vote largely “political.” She said it would make transgender Alaskans feel “othered and hated.”
The amendment prompted passionate debate on the House floor.
Anchorage Democratic Rep. Andrew Gray, the first openly gay man to serve in the Alaska Legislature, opposed cutting Medicaid funding for transgender Alaskans, who he said are “one of the most marginalized, powerless minorities in our country.”
“I know what it was like to be a 16-year-old whose mother told you that you were wrong, that you were a mistake,” he added.
In response, Vance said the cut was about reducing the deficit. She told the House that it was not intended to suggest transgender children are “broken.”
“God doesn’t make mistakes,” Vance said on the House floor.
In 2021, the state estimated it would cost $28,000 per year to extend Medicaid coverage in Alaska for gender dysphoria treatments, Alaska Public Media reported.
Vance asserted on the House floor that gender dysphoria coverage through Medicaid costs the state $338,000 per year. But she didn’t know how much the state spends on treatments that are required by court order.
That dollar figure was shared with Vance’s office from the Alaska Division of Health Care Services. It represents Medicaid claims since July last year with a primary diagnosis indicating gender dysphoria, Vance’s staff said. But the $338,000 in Medicaid coverage includes funding from both federal and state sources, Vance’s staff added.
Ruth Botstein, the ACLU of Alaska’s legal director, opposed the amendment. She said medical decisions should be made by doctors, patients, and parents in cases involving minor children — not the Alaska Legislature.
”The American Medical Association, together with all other major medical organizations in the United States, supports gender-affirming care because it is medically necessary, evidence-based health care that is crucial to the health and well-being of people suffering from gender dysphoria and gender incongruence,” she said.
Rose O’Hara-Jolley, Alaska state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, said the organization is “deeply disappointed” that the House approved “a harmful, performative amendment attacking gender affirming health care.”
“This amendment is rooted in bad faith. It aims to stir confusion, spread misinformation, and fuel fear within Alaska’s LGBTQ+ community,” O’Hara-Jolley said in a prepared statement. “We urge lawmakers to reject this amendment in the final version of the budget. All Alaskans — no matter their income or gender identity — deserve dignity, respect, and access to the care they need.”
Last year, the prior Republican-led majority spent days debating a transgender sports ban bill. But the measure was rejected by the Senate. In 2023, the Alaska School Activities Association banned transgender girls from competing on girls’ teams in high school sports.
Minority House Republicans separately tried to cut Medicaid funding in Alaska for abortions. But the minority’s proposal was rejected on a 20-20 vote. Stutes joined her colleagues in the Democrat-dominated majority to block the proposed cut.
Monday’s vote was the latest in a yearslong series of attempts by Alaska legislators to cancel public funding for abortion services. Prior votes have had little effect.
The Alaska Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the right to an abortion is protected by the state’s constitutional right to privacy. Additionally, the court ruled in 2001 that the state would violate the constitution’s equal protection clause and discriminate against poor women if it denied abortion services under Medicaid.
Budget amendment debates continued in the House on Tuesday. Once it is approved by the House, the operating budget next heads to the Senate for its consideration.
Veteran musher Jessie Holmes (bib # 7 ), of Brushkana, Alaska was the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint at 8:03 p.m. today with 16 dogs in harness, winning the Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award.
First presented in 2019 and given to the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint, this award is presented by Lead Dog partner, Alaska Air Transit. First introduced in 2019, this award honors the first musher to arrive at the McGrath Checkpoint. The McGrath community shares deep ties to the Iditarod, and the award reflects that connection, featuring beaver fur mushers mitts with Athabaskan beadwork on moose hide, handcrafted by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath, along with a beaver fur hat made by Rosalie Egrass of McGrath. The award was presented to Holmes by Jessica Beans-Vaeao, Charter Coordinator for Alaska Air Transit
“Our team is excited to present this Spirit of Iditarod award in McGrath again this year. The Beaded Moose Hide and Beaver Mitts were made by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath, and the hand sewn Beaver Hat was made by Rosalie Egrass of McGrath. Rosalie Egrass was able to fly home on our plane that took our crew and the award to McGrath, which made for a pretty special trip! We are proud to be providing service to McGrath, and feel that all local Air Carriers represent the spirit of Iditarod throughout Alaska on a daily basis. It is great to be a part of the air carriers that service the state with essential supplies and transportation, and to be a part of the Iditarod in a meaningful way,” said Josie Owen, owner of Alaska Air Transit.
This is Alaska Air Transit’s eighth year sponsoring the Iditarod and seventh year presenting the Spirit of Iditarod Award. Alaska Air Transit offers crucial flight support statewide via air charter and provides scheduled service to the Upper Kuskokwim communities of Nikolai, McGrath, Takotna and Tatalina as well as the Prince William Sound communities of Tatitlek and Chenega.
The 2026 Alaska high school girls basketball state championships begin this week, and High School On SI has brackets for all four classifications.
The brackets will be updated with scores and matchups throughout the week.
All four classifications will play their state championship games at Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
The 1A and 2A championships run March 11-14. Classes 3A and 4A play the following week, March 18-21.
Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 State Championship Brackets, Matchups, Schedule – March 10
3/11 – Shaktoolik (1) vs. Arlicaq (16)
3/11 – Kake (8) vs. Tri-Valley (9)
3/11 – Fort Yukon (4) vs. Andreafski (13)
3/11 – Sand Point (5) vs. Napaaqutgmiut (12)
3/11 – Scammon Bay (2) vs. Nunamiut (15)
3/11 – Akiuk Memorial (7) vs. Newhalen (10)
3/11 – Davis-Romoth (3) vs. Cook Inlet Academy (14)
3/11 – Hoonah (6) vs. Shishmaref (11)
3/12 – Seward (1) vs. Chevak (8)
3/12 – Metlakatla (4) vs. Cordova (5)
3/12 – Craig (2) vs. Susitna Valley (7)
3/12 – Glennallen (3) vs. Degnan (6)
3/18 – Barrow (1) vs. Kotzebue (8)
3/18 – Grace Christian (4) vs. Galena (5)
3/18 – Monroe Catholic (2) vs. Delta (7)
3/18 – Mt. Edgecumbe (3) vs. Kenai Central (6)
3/18 – Mountain City Christian Academy (1) vs. North Pole (8)
3/18 – Colony (4) vs. West (5)
3/18 – Bartlett (2) vs. Juneau-Douglas (7)
3/18 – Wasilla (3) vs. Service (6)
More Coverage from High School On SI
This is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.
The Alaska Wall Tent comes in an array of sizes and versions, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your individual use-case. They’re all individually made in Alaska, and perhaps even more importantly, they’re all tested extensively to be able to handle local conditions.
This is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.
History Speedrun: The Alaska Gear Company
The Alaska Gear Company was formerly known as Airframes Alaska, it’s an aviation and outdoor equipment supplier and manufacturer headquartered in Palmer, Alaska. The company is led by majority owner Sean McLaughlin, who bought the original bush airplane parts business when it had just two employees and $100,000 in annual revenue. McLaughlin has since grown it to approximately 100 employees and $20 million in annual sales.
The company can trace its early roots to a licensed maker of Piper PA-18 Super Cub fuselages at Birchwood Airport. Through a series of acquisitions, including Reeve Air Motive (an aircraft parts retailer operating out of Anchorage’s Merrill Field since 1950, Alaska Tent & Tarp, and Northern Sled Works, the company grew well beyond aviation into outdoor recreation and cold-weather gear.
That diversification ultimately drove the rebrand from Airframes Alaska to Alaska Gear Company in late 2023, as the old name no longer conveyed the full scope of what the company produces and sells.
The Alaska Gear Company now operates out of three locations – a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Palmer, a production facility in Fairbanks, and a retail store with an in-house sewing workshop at Merrill Field in Anchorage.
Its product lines span two major categories. On the aviation side, the company is best known for its hand-built Alaskan Bushwheel tundra tires, FAA-approved titanium landing gear, Super Cub fuselage modifications, and a wide range of bush plane parts. On the outdoor side, it manufactures Arctic Oven hot tents, canvas wall tents, custom freight and pulk sleds, and a modernized version of the iconic military bunny boot designed for extreme cold weather conditions.
More recently in 2024, the Alaska Gear Company was named “Made in Alaska Manufacturer of the Year” by the Alaska Department of Commerce.
The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company
The Alaska Canvas Wall Tent is a handmade-in-Alaska canvas tent made from 13oz Sunforger DLX double-filled, preshrunk, marine-grade cotton canvas that’s treated to resist fire, water, and mildew while still remaining breathable.
It comes in four sizes, including 8×10, 10×12, 12×14, and 14×16 feet, all with 5-foot wall heights, and it’s available either unframed (starting at $1,295) or with a frame (starting at $2,300). The unframed version can be constructed in the field using lengths of wood sourced from the area, reducing the initial pack weight – this is crucial for trips into the wilderness by bush plane where every pound of weight is critical.
It comes in four sizes, including 8×10, 10×12, 12×14, and 14×16 feet, all with 5-foot wall heights, and it’s available either unframed (starting at $1,295) or with a frame (starting at $2,300). The unframed version can be constructed in the field using lengths of wood sourced from the area, reducing the initial pack weight – this is crucial for trips into the wilderness by bush plane where every pound of weight is critical.
All tents include a 4.5 inch oval stove jack for use with wood or propane stoves, as well as a 56 inch triangular rear window with insect screening, an 18oz vinyl sod cloth around the base to block drafts and moisture, ridgepole openings at both ends, rope-reinforced eaves, brass grommets, overlapping door flaps with ties, a heavy-duty zippered door, and 100 feet of sisal rope for tie-downs.
The tents are now available to buy direct from the Alaska Gear Company here, and at the time of writing they have stock ready to ship out immediately.
Images courtesy of the Alaska Gear Company
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
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