Trans

They need the insurance companies to pay for their surgeries so they can transition.

Hmmm....

Really?

They "need", huh?

And, this is an insurance companies issue?

YOu have said it twice, at least....

My wife used to work with developmentally challenged children, and the state cut the funding...

She was all up in arms about it because "who would take care of these kids"?

Its a state charity, the state didnt make anyone have the babies, why are they responsible?

Same with transgender folks, I cant say I completely understand the deal, as I am a straight male, but why does the insurance company owe anyone that?

Maybe I am missing something, and am just stirring up a hornets nest....

But, After a long, indepth conversation with ren long ago... We are not all equal...

Jestor, being transgender is, at least in the US, a recognized condition that can be diagnosed. The only accepted standard of care is gender affirming surgery. For many transgender people, the emotional pain of being in the wrong body is so great they cannot live that way and are driven to suicide. If you don't have surgery, you can't have your gender marker legally changed. This makes it easy for employers and schools to see who is trans and who isn't because their gender presentation is different from their gender marker. This leads to more discrimination. Many people don't pass well as their correct gender until after they have surgery, so they can be targeted for harassment and violence. There have been cases where someone hadn't been able to afford surgery, and when they needed medical care and had their clothes removed to receive care it was discovered they were transgender. In some of these cases, they were then refused medical care. I read one story about a woman who had a 90% chance of survival if she had received proper medical care, but she died because the emergency responders found out she was trans and refused to help her.

It is an insurance company issue because insurance companies have specific exclusionary policies discriminating against trans people. If I do anything that could alert them to the fact that I am transgender they would stop paying for my hormones, even though they pay for HRT for other people. They would also most likely refuse me a hysterectomy even if I needed one if they found out I was transgender, even though hysterectomies is something they pay for. They cover viagra, HRT for men who just have low testosterone levels, hysterectomies as birth control methods, estrogen for women who feel they look too masculine because of slightly higher testosterone levels, birth control as a weight control method rather than as an actual birth control method, and a number of other things that are not needed. Yet they specifically will not cover anything related to gender reassignment surgery even though it is the only accepted standard of care and even though it could potentially save lives.

When it comes to “rights” and how we should be treated/treat each other, I believe we are equal. When it comes to physical abilities and mental abilities it is our differences that make us unique.

I may not be a pro athlete, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I think that the primary reason insurance companies don’t want to pay for it is that it costs money. They are in the business of making money and they do this by insuring people. Often times what we think of as important they will not see the same. I am not saying its right, just offering an explanation.

A lot of the stuff covered by medical insurance is a joke in my opinion. And that is part of the reason it is becoming so hard to afford it for the average person. In my opinion, medical insurance should be limited to what is needed to sustain a healthy life and prevent illness. Elective surgeries and performance boosting drugs should not be covered. If I want cosmetic surgery to change the way something looks, then I can pay for it. If I want a pill that will cause my significant other to run for cover, I should pay for it.

I think there should be an option to acquire cosmetic surgeries and other things if someone wants it, but the brunt of the people shouldn’t bare the weight of the cost. Which is how insurances work.

When it comes to how we should be treated, we are certainly equal. However, that is not always the reality. Sex reassignment surgeries are largely not done for cosmetic purposes. They are done so that people can live full and happy lives without fear of rape, murder, discrimination, or crippling depression.

Maybe insurance companies cover more than they should, but the fact is that they do cover other things that have no real purpose, so they should absolutely cover sex reassignment surgeries that are potentially life saving. And they absolutely should not have such exclusions that if I get my gender marker changed and then need a hysterectomy for cancer down the road I should still be able to get that covered. Under the current system I can't.

Abhaya Budhil wrote: Maybe insurance companies cover more than they should, but the fact is that they do cover other things that have no real purpose, so they should absolutely cover sex reassignment surgeries that are potentially life saving. And they absolutely should not have such exclusions that if I get my gender marker changed and then need a hysterectomy for cancer down the road I should still be able to get that covered. Under the current system I can't.

I am by no means suggesting that the current system is without flaws. Nor am I saying that all people are treated the way they should be.

There is a condition (I can't remember the name) that occurs and often times, when this condition occures, the infant is assigned the wrong gender at birth. I would think that this would be a medical oopsy and insurance would cover it. By that same line of reason, who is to say that just because I have certain body parts I have to identify with a particular gender?

If this is the case, who is to say that you have to because of this. Personally... I am sick and tired of people telling others what they have to do! Or what they can't do. And why anyone should feel they need a surgery to fit in is beyond me. I just don't relate to it. Like when people say, "I know what you're going through." that's probably a bunch of hogwash and I won't insult people like that. I don't know. But I would think that the first step in anyones life is to love who they are...not how others see them.

You're thinking of intersex condition with regards to children being assigned a binary sex that turns out not to be their dominant gender. It occurs when a child is born with ambiguous sex and doctors try to correct it by choosing one. As far as I know, their transition is not covered. Also they often cannot get married in many places no matter what the marriage laws are.

Sex reassignment surgery isn't really about fitting in. It's actual dysphoria related to the sexed parts of the body. So even if I passed as a male 100% of the time and fit in completely, I would still need surgery because I have pretty bad dysphoria regarding the sexed parts of my body. Some people (a lot of people) have dysphoria worse than mine, while others have dysphoria that doesn't really affect them, and they often choose not to medically transition. For me, transition has nothing to do with fitting in.

I don't understand why people have such a need to identify with one gender or the other. Besides, why should insurance companies cover reassignment surgery? I don't even think they should pay for breast implants for breast cancer sufferers.

It is not a simple matter of identity. There is extreme dysphoria. I'm talking about not being able to get out of bed in the morning, showering as little as possible because you don't want to have to interact with your own body, not being able to change your clothes in front of a significant other, much less do anything intimate. I'm talking about people getting dangerous surgeries for little money in foreign countries because they cannot afford it in the US and they desperately need it. I'm talking about three and four year olds trying to cut off their genitals because they don't yet understand why they feel the way they do.

SRS is needed for two main reasons. The first is that it is the only accepted standard of care for sex dysphoria. The accepted standard of care for depression and anxiety is therapy and medication, covered by insurance companies. The accepted standard of care for cancer is some sort of combination of radiation therapy, chemo therapy, and surgery, covered by insurance. The accepted standard of care for scoliosis is a back brace and possibly surgery, covered by insurance. Yet the only accepted standard of care for sex dysphoria is not covered by the vast majority of insurance companies. No amount of medication or therapy can cure sex dysphoria or even make someone with dysphoria feel any better about themselves. SRS is the only option.

The second reason it is needed is that people who do not have SRS do not usually pass well. This targets them for harassment, attacks, rape, and murder. They also cannot have their gender marker changed on their legal documents, which makes it immediately obvious to an employer when someone is transgender. This makes it extremely difficult for trans people to get a job, more-so in some areas than in others. A disproportionate number of sex workers and homeless people are transgender because those who do not have SRS are easily spotted and discriminated against. Trans people are often harassed and attacked in public restrooms, no matter which restroom they choose to use. Many would rather have constant bladder infections and UTIs from waiting too long to use the restroom than put themselves in the type of danger they face in restrooms. Many transmen wear heavy clothes all year round to hide their chests. This causes them to become too hot in the summer, and they often pass out. However, if they did not cover their chests and were spotted, they would most likely face harassment or violence.

I understand that it is absolutely impossible to imagine what it feels like to be transgender, so I don't expect anyone who isn't to ever fully realize the magnitude of the problem. There isn't anything I can think of to compare it to. However, it is a big problem that affects a lot of people in their day to day lives in a way that having a size C breast rather than a size D breast just does not affect people. SRS is not a cosmetic surgery. It is the only way to combat sex dysphoria, and it is more often than not a lifesaving procedure.

There are plenty of ridiculous things we pay for through the healthcare system. Why not advocate for getting rid of some of those things in favor of paying for SRS and giving transpeople access to their only option for happiness?

Like I said, I get that you all have no idea what it feels like to be in the wrong body, and there is no way for you to imagine it. It doesn't seem like a big deal to people whose gender and sex align. But for those of us who are trans, it is living hell every day and SRS is the way to fix it.

Im afraid I have to agree with the idea that while anyone has the right to surgically alter their body for whatever reason they want, if it is not medically necessary, then it is an elective procedure. A choice. Why should someone else have to pay for that choice while other peoples choices are denied?

While I understand that SRS is a much more complex issue than simply poor body image, and I am by no means dimishing the way it may affect you, the treatment option that a person takes is still their choice. Why should someone else take the responsibility for your choice?

Admittedly, my opinion on cosmetic surgery is certainly not a popular one, in fact its quite harsh. If the size of your nose or your breasts or the appearance of any other part of your body is such a massively negative influence on your life that you need surgery, then the boobs and nose are not your problem, and the issue will resurface once the novelty of the surgery has worn off. On the whole I tend to tell women to put on their big girl pants and sort their issues out.

I dont mean to pick on you as Im using it simply as an example, but if SRS should be paid for by insurance, or the state, then shouldnt all treatment plans that encompasses elective surgery for any kind of issue also be paid for in the same way. You also cant call anything "rediculous". While others many not understand the issue you face, you have no way of understanding the issues they face. Having a C cup might be a life or death issue for someone with body dysmorphia. Where do you draw the line? And if its being done to prevent harrasement, rape and murder, then there is still a much bigger issue to deal with. One that cannot be resolved with surgery.

Im sure I was going somewhere with this... I am to an extent playing devils advocate here because I live in a place that has very good state paid healthcare and no one here actually needs insurance. But elective surgery and cosmetic procedures are not a right, they are a choice.

Yeah well insurance companies don't cover men's manboobs and don't pay for implants for men with small penises. Why? because it's not a disease or the result of an accident, no matter how poorly or inadequate they feel about the situation.

I don't understand why people can't just get a grip, accept what they are and get on with their lives. You can claim all you want to be a MAN trapped in a woman's body, no amount of insurance money or surgery is going to change that. You don't choose your parents, you physiology, the planet you were born on or the era you were born in. That's just how it is. Ways of the Force and all. I blame society for making people feel inadequate, but at the same time I believe it's up to them to get themselves together. some men feel they'd be better off being women, some women feel they'd be better off being men. Big deal. Concerns for one's own gender seem rather petty to me.

edit:(sorry for mistake)