Study: Paying for transgender health care cost-effective

[stephaniec]

Study: Paying for transgender health care cost-effective

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/jhub-spf112415.php

Eurekalert/Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health  11/24/20015

"A new analysis led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that while most U.S. health insurance plans deny benefits to transgender men and women for medical care necessary to transition to the opposite sex, paying for sex reassignment surgery and hormones is actually cost-effective.

The researchers, reporting online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, say that the cost of surgery and hormones is not significantly higher than the cost of treatment for depression, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS, all of which are highly prevalent in those who are transgender but are not in a position to medically transition to the opposite sex. In 2014, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services began paying for sex reassignment surgery and other transitional care, after a 33-year-ban on covering those costs was lifted."

[SarahJ]

Now if the big insurance companies would just follow suit!

[Shana-chan]

"In 2014, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services began paying for sex reassignment surgery and other transitional care, after a 33-year-ban on covering those costs was lifted."

This is the first I've heard of this! Everyone I've ever spoken too has told me no one covers any of it!

"Estimates vary widely but it is believed that between 3,000 and 9,000 Americans undergo sex reassignment surgery each year."

Now THAT is too high a number. There is no way that so many of us can afford SRS, but it is true there's certainly a LOT of transgender people out there, far greater than anyone ever knew until more recently.

"Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system."

Yeah, no joke! There's no way this article is accurate in what I've quoted from it and bolded. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, I'd really love to be wrong in this case.

[suzifrommd]

Great article, Stephanie. Thanks for posting this.

[RobynD]

Great post. It stands to reason that if you treat such a significant and underlying issue, then the person's general health will improve. In the long run it will cost less money.