State attorneys general and lawmakers across the U.S. have responded to the disturbing revelations from Daily Wire host Matt Walsh’s undercover investigation into trans health providers.
One attorney general said he stands “ready to ensure the law is followed,” while a representative who chairs the House Healthcare and Financial Services Committee called the findings “utterly disgusting.”
Walsh revealed Wednesday in a Twitter thread that two of the largest transgender health care providers in the country, Plume and Folx, appear to be rubber-stamping approvals for life-altering sex-change operations so insurance companies will cover the medical expenses. Walsh’s producer Gregg Re was approved for an orchiectomy — a procedure to remove testicles — after just a 22-minute virtual appointment with Plume.
The two health care providers assist patients in nearly every state, with Plume operating in 41 states and Folx holding a presence in 47 states. Walsh asked if medical insurance companies were aware that the transgender medical providers were sending letters of recommendation “based on obviously false information.” The Daily Wire reached out to attorneys general and lawmakers across the country to inform them of the troubling practices uncovered by Walsh and his team and give them an opportunity to provide comments on how their offices will address the issue.
“Medical insurance fraud in any form is a very serious crime. But even more troubling are reports of physicians committing such illegal acts in blatant disregard for the law and the long-term health of many vulnerable patients,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes told The Daily Wire. “In Utah, we prioritize investigating and prosecuting these types of unethical and fraudulent cases.”
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti responded to Walsh’s investigation, saying his office wants to know if “any health care providers are cutting corners.”
“There is no political exception to health care fraud. If any health care providers are cutting corners at the expense of patients and state funds, whether it’s in pursuit of profit or ideology, we want to know about it,” Skrmetti said in a statement.
Tim Griffin, the attorney general of Arkansas said, “Telehealth providers operating in Arkansas must, of course, follow our laws, and I stand ready to ensure the law is followed.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
Plume and Folx both operate in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Utah.
State- and federal-level lawmakers also responded to Walsh’s investigation. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Daily Wire, “It is incomprehensible that some health care providers are potentially breaking the law to mislead vulnerable patients and fast-track irreversible procedures. This isn’t health care — it’s forcing an ideological agenda.”
House Healthcare and Financial Services Committee Chair Lisa McClain (R-MI) said, “Only in a country that’s lost its soul can major sex-change surgeries be expedited like buying a fast-pass at a theme park. This is utterly disgusting, and we cannot continue down this path of insanity. It’s time America wakes up to reality and casts away progressive ideology that is literally putting people’s lives at risk.”
Tennessee state Sen. Jack Johnson (R) and House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R), who both led the charge to pass a law banning sex-change procedures on minors in Tennessee, said they were disgusted by what Walsh found.
“These tactics make a mockery of the health care profession at the expense of vulnerable patients who are in serious need of mental health treatment,” Lamberth said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “If any provider is making deceptive claims for the purpose of defrauding an insurance company, that should be investigated.”
“Another disgusting attempt to label the mutilation of children as ‘healthcare.’ I appreciate [Matt Walsh] for exposing this deranged behavior. This is a real battle, and it is a battle we will win,” Johnson tweeted.
Oregon Republican state Rep. Ed Diehl, who sits on the Oregon House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee, warned of what the implications of Walsh’s investigation mean for his state if it passes a radical abortion and transgender health care bill.
“Under Oregon’s House Bill 2002B, doctors following these same practices, ignoring gatekeeping and quickly affirming life altering meds and surgeries, would be protected. The bill mandates that doctors can’t lose their malpractice insurance or medical license for performing ‘gender-affirming care.’ And, these surgeries are paid for by your tax dollars and insurance premiums,” Diehl tweeted. “Our standards of care are not rigorous, and we are harming children and young adults.”