Healthcare, Or The Lack Of Healthcare

For many of us it is almost impossible to find proper health care, especially if you need to have procedures for transitioning such as an orchiectomy for trans women or breast removal for trans men. Many physicians refuse to remove “healthily organs” other refuse because of biases.

But one of the main reasons is the lack of insurance coverage or the lack of money to have the surgery.

Colorado assault case exposes transgender health issue
9News
By Krystyna Biassou, KUSA
May 22, 2017

KUSA - The transgender woman at the center of a case that's made headlines nationwide blames the system as to why she turned to a "back alley" procedure.

James Pennington, 57, is accused removing a transgender woman's testicles during a botched surgery. The Westminster man, charged with aggravated assault, is now out on $50,000

Denver police say Pennington didn't have a medical license, and performed the surgery at an apartment.

The woman said in a statement that,

Three days prior to writing this I had an unlicensed operation done in my home to remove my testicles. There was a complication during the operation and while the operation was successful in its purpose, I started to bleed heavily afterward and my spouse was forced to call emergency medical services. Shortly thereafter the man who did the operation on me was arrested, and shortly after that his name was released to the press who have now released several stories painting the man as a monster and me as a victim. I am here to verify that I am indeed a victim. However, I am not a victim of 57 year old James Lowell Pennington who is the suspect in this case. I am a victim of a society and healthcare system that focuses on trying to demonize transgender people and prevent us from getting the medical transition we need instead of trying to do what is best for us. Arranging a back-alley surgery was out of pure desperation due to a system that failed me…

The insurance commission said,

The Colorado Division of Insurance says the state doesn't require carriers to cover gender reassignment surgery "primarily because there is no state or federal mandate to do so."

Colorado has a non-discrimination law just like Connecticut and other states and their insurance commissions have found that the non-discrimination laws also cover insurance, that any procedures that are paid for that are non-trans related must be covered for trans people.

Medically necessary breast reductions are covered by insurance for non-trans patients so therefore medically necessary breast reductions for trans men should also be covered. Medically necessary orchiectomy are covered by insurance for non-trans patients so therefore medically necessary orchiectomy for trans women should also be covered.

And if you break down Gender Confirming Surgeries all of the individual surgeries are covered by insurance so they should also be covered for trans people. It they are medically necessary procedures it should be covered for everyone.