There’s no denying that the scope of medical services covered by Medicaid is severely lacking. Life-altering operations such as breast reconstruction following mastectomies, dental repair and embryo implantation remain absent from the repertoire of services covered by the insurance service.
Beginning this month, Oregon will join California, Massachusetts and Vermont on the short list of states that cover transgender medical care. This coverage includes hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery and mental health support for those suffering from gender dysphoria.
With trans* health coverage gaining momentum, we believe Medicaid finally got something right. It is time for other states to begin adding transgender health coverage to their insurance programs to kickstart national recognition for members of the trans* community.
The trans* community in the U.S. has seen breakthroughs in the struggle for acceptance, but they have been few and far between. In most states, as it was in Oregon, being a transgender individual is classified as a disorder associated with pedophila and fetishism. It is a common misconception that gender dysphoria develops as a result of “lifestyle choice” rather than being a legitimate mental disorder requiring medical attention.
In the U.S., it is legal for school systems to tell a trans* student that they cannot dress for their internal gender identity because of their outward appearance.
Some parents also discourage children embracing their true gender identities and place their children in conversion therapy. Often, these practices lead to individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, a disorder that occurs when a person does not feel connected to the gender that they are assigned at birth.
Gender dysphoria plagues the trans* community, leading to the highest suicide rate of any other members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Most recently, the suicide of Leelah Alcorn, a teenage transgender female from Ohio, made national news. Unfortunately, this suicide was not a rare occurrence for the trans* community, where the average life expectancy is 30-32 years.
For transgender individuals, providing health services that assist in altering their outward appearance and combatting their gender dysphoria will aid in decreasing anxiety and depression.
Transgender individuals who received treatment for their gender dysphoria showed a decrease in levels of anxiety and depression from being significantly higher than the national average to being comparable to those average levels, as reported by NPR.
Adding health care coverage for trans* individuals is the first in a series of changes that we as a country need to make. Subsequent steps would include — but not be limited to — legal gender change with matching identification cards, the recognition of a “neutral” third gender option for members of the agender community, gender-neutral bathrooms and stronger hate crime legislation with greater repercussions for lax enforcement thereof.
It is time for the U.S. government to acknowledge and provide coverage for the health issues of an ostracized and misunderstood community. Trans* healthcare coverage is a step in the right direction down the long and winding path to national equality.
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