I Am At A Hearing This Afternoon.

There is a hearing on the bill to do away with insurance coverage for Gender Confirming Surgery (GCS). The bill is HB 5193, An Act Concerning Health Insurance Coverage for Gender Reassignment Surgery that was introduced by Rep. Rob Sampson (R 80th).

The bill reads,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That title 38a of the general statutes be amended to specify that health insurance policies delivered, issued for delivery, renewed, amended or continued in this state shall not be required to provide coverage for gender reassignment surgery or related surgical expenses.
Statement of Purpose:
To specify that health insurance policies delivered, issued for delivery, renewed, amended or continued in this state shall not be required to provide coverage for gender reassignment surgery or related surgical expenses.

I will try to update this post from the LOB as the hearing proceeds.

Update 3:15
Sen Beth Bye and the CHRO spoke against the bill and was crossed examined by Rep Sampson. They are taking testimony for other bills.

Update 2/25/14 8:30AM
There was no one who spoke in favor of the bill and there were five people speaking against the bill including a psychologist, a lawyer, a therapist and a nurse

The quote of the hearing was "we all know that being an adolescent sucks"

There was also an article in the CT Post about the hearing,

Advocates: Gender-reassignment surgery should be covered
Bill Cummings
February 24, 2015

State Rep. Robert Sampson, R-Wolcott and sponsor of the bill, said his intention is to correct a "mandate" by the State Insurance Department directing insurance companies to cover the procedure.

Sampson said such decisions should be vetted by the Legislature.

"Are we certain moving ahead with medical coverage for a procedure that is not widely supported in the medical community is the wisest choice?" Sampson asked the committee.

"Many respected medical professionals claim this procedure is barbaric and that the established treatment is not surgery but rather counseling and mental health treatment," he said.

State Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, said the insurance department issued a bulletin saying gender-reassignment surgery is recognized by the medical community and should be covered by insurance.

"I have a friend who underwent this surgery and her life changed dramatically. She can now be the person she is inside," said Bye, who in 2008, along with her wife, became the first gay married couple in the state.

"What would it be like if I really felt like a man and walked around in the body of a female?" Bye said. "It would be very hard. Let's let the medical professionals make the determination."

Update 2/25/14 10:30PM
The testimony for the hearing can be found here.