Medicare is asking opinions on covering grs

[Heather]

I just found this on the advocate and thought it was interesting.http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2013/03/29/medicare-wants-your-opinion-covering-gender-reassignment-surgery

[peky]

More agravation for the "you know who types" LOL

[Heather]

More agravation for the "you know who types" LOL

Yeah It is!

[Alainaluvsu]

They'll never approve it. I sent a long comment anyways

[Alainaluvsu]

You mean the people who don't like Neil Diamond?

Medicare? I guess if you're pushing SRS off until retirement then it sounds hunky dory?

I'm on Medicare. I'm legally below the poverty line, like many of us in the USA are...

[Heather]

They'll never approve it. I sent a long comment anyways

Yeah they probably won't but it doesn't hurt try.

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

I also placed a comment.  I am unemployed.  How do I get on Medicare?

[Alainaluvsu]

This isn't directed at you, it's just that I'm confused, I thought everyone who couldn't afford health insurance in the U.S. was uninsured?

Does Medicare cover all your healthcare expenses, or is it just for emergency care, etc.?

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 expands Medicare to those who are 133% the federal poverty line on January 1, 2014. However, states can choose to extend the benefits sooner than that, with federal support, to those who will be eligible. Apparently Louisiana (or maybe just the Greater New Orleans area) has done so already, because they gave me a card and I've been using it ever sense.

Medicare so far has covered my doctor visits and labs, but I've had to buy all of my medication. I haven't gotten one bill for DR or lab visits since using medicare. THE ONLY THING I HAVE EVER SEEN THE DOCTOR FOR SINCE BEING ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE HAS BEEN GENDER IDENTITY! However, I use a sliding scale clinic in the GNOCHC (Greater New Orleans Community Health Connection). I'm not sure how it works community to community, however.

Here are the guidelines as to whether you can be eligible for medicare (if you can make sense of it):
http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/2012/02/02/2011-poverty-guidelines-issued-poverty-levels-affect-eligibility-for-many-federal-public-benefit-programs/

[Flan]

Any link to where comments can be placed? The link to CMS at Advocate is broken.

edit: my other question is a little less obvious since I can't comment at CMS: how much would be covered costs wise? I see a catch 22 happening as result of Medicre coverage where the surgery is technically covered but no doctor in their right mind would accept the amount CMS reimburses for the cost of the surgery and care (I've heard $500 thrown around).

[Joanna Dark]

It's all over The Drudge Report. In fact, he has had a trans issue up pretty much three times a week since the VAWA controversy. Here is a link to the article: http://washingtonexaminer.com/in-shift-medicare-would-pay-for-sex-change-operations/article/2525782

PS: reading the comments on said article is disturbing and I will say nothing and everyone can draw their own conclusions.

[Alainaluvsu]

"Acting on a new request, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it is starting a new analysis that could lift the spending ban for sex-change operations with a goal of making a decision two days after Christmas and on the eve of Obamacare kicking in Jan. 1."

IDK... this may go through unless congress passes a specific law not letting it happen. If they do, it comes down to the president to veto it. President Obama is the person in charge of the executive branch and the executive branch is in charge of the HHS. This might actually go through. But it could be short lived if a conservative comes in behind him.

This could be world changing for transsexuals....

[ZoeM]

...Annd just like that, HotAir's reporting the page has been scrubbed.

"The Health and Human Services Department said early Friday that it would accept public comments on whether to reexamine its decision not to cover sex changes.

    But a spokesperson said Friday evening that the proposal has been withdrawn. HHS pulled information from its website Friday after various news media outlets reported on the issue. ...

    An HHS spokesman said HHS' Departmental Appeals Board is weighing a challenge to the department's ruling that sex-change procedures are experimental and should not be covered by Medicare and Medicaid. While that challenge works its way through the system, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has withdrawn its proposal to reconsider the coverage policy on its own."

[Alainaluvsu]

Should've known that would happen. The hill we have to climb for public acceptance is really high. Still, I wish this would've dragged out longer. We need the publicity.

[Joanna Dark]

Wouldn't a balanced budget amendment hurt not help the chances of SRS? But that doesn't really matter, what matters is if you have insurance, it should pay for medical procedures. But it seems like the insurance sector exists to siphon money out of people's wallets while at the same time trying every trick in the playbook to deny every procedure at the starting line. I doubt anything will change anytime soon and this is why I try to stay as far away from watching political news as possible. Though I can be a masochist and I read online comments and this is really really unhelpful since it distorts my worldview and makes people seem worse than they really are since mainly extremists comment on comment boards about politics. On both sides I might add.

[Heather]

I've begun to stay away from online comment sections... they bring out the worst in most people it appears.

Me to the funny thing is if these people seen one of us in person they would not say a thing. But give them a place where they think no one can find out who they are. They just start spewing out crap.