A little more on the potential impact of the rule change. Under the ACA, the prohibition against sex discrimination has been interpreted as also prohibiting discrimination based on gender or gender identity. Thus, insurers and medical providers could not arbitrarily deny coverage or treatment for counseling, HRT, transition assistance, or gender-related surgical procedures.
from the NY Times article:
"Under the existing rule, health insurers cannot place arbitrary limits or restrictions on health services that help a person transition from one gender to another. These services may include counseling, psychotherapy, hormone therapy and a variety of surgical treatments.
"In the past, many insurers, as they denied coverage for such treatments, cited what they called the cosmetic or experimental nature of the procedures. The Obama administration said that view was 'outdated and not based on current standards of care.'"
Thus the potential outcome of the current administration's plan to revise the rule is that many of the medical, surgical, and/or therapeutic services that have been recognized over the past several years as covered by health insurance may once again be excluded from coverage.
