Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Transgender Surgery Demand Spikes Amid Growing Support From Medical Community
The Wall Street Journal: With Insurers On Board, More Hospitals Offer Transgender Surgery
Surgery is becoming more available for transgender people as a growing number of academic centers and hospitals offer the procedure and insurance companies provide coverage. Stacey Parsons, a 45-year-old from Kent, Ohio, had genital surgery in August at Cleveland Clinic, which last year launched a transgender-surgery-and-medicine program. For years the procedure was unattainable for Ms. Parsons because it costs upward of $20,000 and was rarely covered by insurance. (Reddy, 9/26)
However, in Ohio, a woman is going to court because her insurer refused to cover the procedure —
Cleveland Plain-Dealer: Cincinnati Transgender Woman Sues Insurer, Public Employer For Not Covering Sex-Reassignment Surgery
A Cincinnati woman today sued the Cincinnati public library and the corporate parent of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield for refusing to cover her sex-reassignment surgery. The insurer's refusal violates the Affordable Care Act's guarantee of coverage for medically necessary treatment, and the employer's requirement under federal law to treat employees equally, regardless of gender, says Rachel Dovel's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. If the case proceeds, it could be the first establishing or denying an insurer's requirement to cover transgender surgery under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. (Koff, 9/26)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Transgender Library Insurance Dispute Goes To Court
Public library employee Rachel Dovel sued her employer Monday after repeated pleas for the library to cover transgender transition surgery failed. ... She is asking the court to order the library to cover the cost of her gender reassignment surgery; prohibit Anthem from selling insurance plans that exclude coverage for transition-related care; and prohibit the library from carrying insurance that excludes coverage for transition-related care. And she is asking for damages. (Coolidge, 9/26)
