Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Insurance, Or The Lack Of


I have written many times about the discrimination with insurance, about the denial of coverage for trans-people. Insurance should cover all medically necessary treatments. If you have health problem, it should be covered no matter your gender.
Jessiah MacDonald says surgery should be covered by provincial medical plan
CBC News
Posted: Apr 23, 2012

A transgender man in Nova Scotia has filed a human rights complaint after he was handed a $3,400 bill for a hysterectomy that he claims was medically necessary.
[…]
"I felt it was wrong because despite my gender, I still have pieces of my body and if a piece of my body gets sick, I expect it to be treated as any other piece."

Handed $3,400 surgery bill

Born Jessica MacDonald, Jessiah always felt different growing up. At 18, he told his family he wanted to be a man and started taking testosterone pills.

Medical problems began. MacDonald went to a gynecologist after experiencing abdominal pain.

"The gynecologist had mentioned during the consult that I had a small uterus and she could feel multiple polyps during the internal exam, and that was sufficient enough for her to suggest a hysterectomy. But there was no mention then that it was only if I was female. There was no mention in the nine months between that and the surgery date."

Insurance should cover the person, not the gender. If a doctor says it is medically necessary, insurance should cover it and if the insurance company says they want a second opinion fine. But don’t deny coverage because of one’s gender.

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