April 22, 2010, 2:29 pm
Answers About Transgender Issues, Part 2
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/answers-about-transgender-issues-part-2/Following is the second set of responses from Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, who is working on "Trans Bodies, Trans Selves," a resource guide for transgender and other gender-variant people, covering health, legal issues, cultural and social questions, history and theory.
Question:
My questions deal with medical issues. It's problematic enough finding health care professionals who can deal with ordinary and trans-related medical care, but one vexing issue is medical insurance. Insurance companies get really confused over things like prostate exams for women, or gynecological exams for men. It's either that or they'll classify the insured as the wrong sex, and then not deal with HRT. Some insurers deny payment for ordinary treatment even if it is not related to a trans care exclusion. Is there anything in the recent health insurance reform that addresses insurance discrimination against trans people?
