US: Rep. Maloney introduces bill to ban taxpayer funding of 'conversion therapy'

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., a co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, on Thursday introduced a bill that would ban the use of Medicaid funding for conversion therapy by cracking down on "misleading billing tactics."

Maloney, who is gay, introduced the Prohibition of Medicaid Funding for Conversion Therapy Act with 63 co-sponsors.

"Conversion practices are discredited, harmful and not therapy," he said. "Fundamentally, conversion tactics are based on the idea that a person's gender identity or sexual orientation are diseases to be cured — they have no legitimate medical application and should not be used anywhere. Until we can just ban conversion therapy altogether, we must ensure taxpayer dollars aren't funding a fraudulent practice that has been roundly discredited by the medical community. That's exactly what my bill would do."

According to a press release from Maloney's office, "States currently decide which services Medicaid can cover and most have failed to ban the use of funding for conversion 'therapy.' Because CMS codes do not mention the model of therapy being applied, even illegitimate practices can be performed and billed." Read more via NBC