Aetna agrees to expand gender-affirming surgeries for transgender womenYea but… it took a threat of lawsuit for you to see the light.
Hartford Courant
By Eliza Fawcett
January 26, 2021
Hartford-based health insurer Aetna has agreed to expand its coverage of gender-affirming surgeries to include breast augmentation for qualifying transgender women.
The decision is a result of a collaboration between Aetna, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, a civil rights organization; Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, a national civil rights law firm; and four women who were denied coverage for the surgery, which Aetna previously viewed as cosmetic. The group first contacted Aetna in 2019, hoping to resolve the issue collaboratively, in lieu of filing a lawsuit.
Dr. Jordan Pritzker, senior director of clinical solutions for Aetna, said in written a statement that the company’s decision to revise its policy “is consistent with many changes we have made over the years to better serve the needs of the LGBTQ community.”
Here in Connecticut Aetna and all insurance companies were required to cover us under the 2011 law banning discrimination against us but it still had to be dragged into compliance. The insurance commissioner issued a statement… Bulletin IC-37 and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunity issued a declarative ruling about towns covering our healthcare, “regard to health insurance policies offered by the State of Connecticut and municipalities that preclude coverage for certain treatments related to gender dysphoria.”
So I applaud Aetna for now offering healthcare coverage for us nationwide.
Aetna, I'm Glad I Met Ya!'
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