This is our opportunity to have a say!!! Time is running out.

[suzifrommd]

The U.S. Government is considering a standard requiring all Gender Reassignment Surgeries to be covered under Medicare.

We have only 30 days from December 3 to comment on their proposal. Anyone can comment by visiting this page:

https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-tracking-sheet.aspx?DocID=282&DocType=nca&DocName=Gender+Dysphoria+and+Gender+Reassignment+Surgery&NCAId=282&bc=AAAAAAAAAAEAAA%3d%3d&

Just click on the orange comment button near the top of the page.

For details on the policy, follow the link in this news posting: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,200326.0.html

This is our ONE CHANCE to make our voices heard.

[AnonyMs]

Given that there's only 30 days and its scheduled at the end of the year over the Christmas/New Year breaks I think I can guess what answer the government intends to hear.

[sparrow]

Ugh.  These requests for public commentary are typically pretty ineffectual.  From the website:

We are particularly interested in comments that include scientific evidence and that address the breadth of the request.

The majority of their attention is spent reading the opinion of "experts," who tend to be moneyed lobby groups and interested businesspeople out to make a buck.  Lots of those businesspeople might be doctors & health clinics in this case, so that could be a good thing.  If anybody knows psychologists and surgeons personally, please send this along to them.

[suzifrommd]

Given that there's only 30 days and its scheduled at the end of the year over the Christmas/New Year breaks I think I can guess what answer the government intends to hear.

Ugh.  These requests for public commentary are typically pretty ineffectual.

This is our chance to be heard. If you don't want to comment, don't comment. But please don't discourage people who actually do want to help our community by helping our collective voice be heard.

Here is what I sent in:

It should be the right of every human being to be whole.

If a cisgender person damaged his/her genitals, there would be no question whether that should be covered under any health care policy.

Transgender people should be allowed the same access. Due to an accident of birth, our body shape is not consistent with our gender. Making our body whole for someone of our gender should be covered in the same way it would be if anyone else were injured in a way that required their genitals to be repaired to be made whole.

[sparrow]

This is our chance to be heard. If you don't want to comment, don't comment. But please don't discourage people who actually do want to help our community by helping our collective voice be heard.

I believe that I suggested a more effective way to help our cause, as a result of reading the page you linked to and having some familiarity with how the federal government works.  The government's actuaries need data before they can budget for these surgeries.  That's what they're asking for.

[Cindy]

I am going to state an opinion. OK I'm not American so changes there will have little or no effect on transgender people in Australia and Asia.

But I am an activist.

I fight every inch. I write letters, I fill in forms, I meet politicians and my voice will be heard. Yes my voice is often ignored. Politicians (at least here) can put obstacles in your way. But you find ways around them.

You change tactics, find lobbyists that are LGBTIGA friendly, you get advice and you keep fighting.

I know WPATH is putting in submissions, I know individual therapists putting in submissions. I know how frustrated the professional groups get by the negativity of the community. It is understood but it is still frustrating.

No nothing will change next week, no maybe not in my life time, but I shall keep fighting for my unborn brothers and sisters.

Sparrow you are a highly intelligent person. The beautiful prose comment was beneath you.

I am wealthy enough and secure enough that none of these issues affect me. But I fight for those who are not in my position. Maybe that is something we should all contemplate?

[Tessa James]

Thank you for the heads up Suzi.  I submitted comments relative to the medical necessity and equity of care. 

[V M]

I think it would be great to have GRS coverage and it is important for us to make our voices heard 

Don't really know much about politics or lobbying and such, but it seems like it would be a good idea to get the various professionals such as our psychs, endos and G.P.s involved as well

At least inform them of the proposal and hopefully they'll see the benefit to everyone including themselves and feel prompted to take action 

[traci_k]

Thanks Suzi - comments on the necessity of care made.

[sparrow]

Sparrow, the beautiful prose comment was beneath you.

Indeed it was.  I've removed it.  My apologies.  I would like to to amend and clarify the comment.

These comment forms are, by and large, used by big players to put in their commentary in the form of detailed, polished reports -- and aught else affects policy.  Taking that as a given, how do we harness letter-writers who have no data but can write beautiful prose?  In speaking to each other and encouraging one another, it is good for people like me to read the writing of people like suzi -- I'm analytical and cynical, so I need some inspiration.

The problem in my mind is who is going to see the letters.  If we direct our attention and our letter-writing talent to the care providers who have data, I think that we have a better shot at making an impact.  I would like to start a discussion here.  Can we make a list of care providers who deal with a high volume of transgender people?  Can we get something bigger done in the next 25 days?  Can we put together a polished, data-laden report in 25 days?  I'll be honest, I'm daunted.  But there are many of us here.  We might have a shot.

[frances_larina]

Would it not be useful - given the conversation in this thread, perhaps more useful - to implore our doctors, endocrinologists and surgeons to write letters to/for those national level advocacy organizations? In addition to us "little people" making our voices heard on the public comments website, of course...