Oregon Healthcare Coverage

Now if only Connecticut would follow suit and remove the transgender exclusions for its employees and require insurance companies from having discriminatory exclusions for trans-people on the policies that they issue.

Victory for Oregon's Transgender State Workers
by Lambda Legal
January 17, 2013

Oregon has changed its state employees' health care policies to include transition-related health care for transgender people, Lambda Legal announced today.

The change came in response to Lambda Legal's lawsuit on behalf of state employee Alec Esquivel, who was denied insurance coverage for a medically necessary surgery because he is transgender.

Read the entire press release here.

California Insurance Coverage

California insurance companies must end exclusions of medically-necessary care for transgender people...

Ore., Calif., require transgender health coverage
Huffington Post (AP)
JONATHAN J. COOPER
January 11, 2013

SALEM, Ore. — Regulators in Oregon and California have quietly directed some health insurance companies to stop denying coverage for transgender patients because of their gender identity.

The states aren't requiring coverage of specific medical treatments. But they told some private insurance companies they must pay for a transgender person's hormone therapy, breast reduction, cancer screening or any other procedure deemed medically necessary if they cover it for patients who aren't transgender.

The changes apply to companies insuring about a third of Oregonians and about 7 percent of Californians, but not to people on Medicare and Medicaid or to the majority of Californians who are insured through a health management organization, or HMO.

As the article says, this does not require to cover GCS (Gender Conforming Surgery) but only requires the insurance company to cover what they offer other medically necessary treatments. For an example, if insurance pays for medically necessary Orchiectomy, Penectomy, Vaginoplasty, Clitoroplasty or Labiaplasty for non-transgender patients then they must cover trans-patients.

See also our blog post on the Oregon bulletin.

Charter Oak Cultural Center: The Vagina Monologues

The Vagina Monologues, By Eve Ensler
February 1, 2013 7:30 pm February 2, 2013 7:30 pm

$15 general admission | $10 seniors, Charter Oak and Let*s Go Arts! members | $5 students

The VDay tradition continues. Kristin Flyntz returns to direct this year’s production of what has become one of our signature events of the year, now in its tenth year. Proceeds to benefit My Sister’s Place, Interval House and Connecticut Transadvocacy Coalition.

Wear red and show love for women everywhere!

Special UNCORKED reception before Friday night’s performance only!

Oregon Insurance Coverage

Oregon insurance companies must end exclusions of medically-necessary care for transgender people...

Oregon Insurance Division Bulletin INS 2012-01

TO: All Insurers Transacting Insurance in Oregon

RE: Application of Senate Bill 2 (2007 Legislative Session) to Gender Identity Issues in the Transaction and Regulation of Insurance in Oregon

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide guidance to insurers about how the Insurance Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (division) expects insurers and other licensees to conform to provisions of the Oregon Equality Act (Senate Bill 2, 2007 Legislative Session) (SB 2) in the transaction of insurance in Oregon when a transaction or activity relates to gender identity. Although most of this bulletin pertains to health insurance issues, the principles set forth are equally applicable to other kinds of insurance to the extent equality of treatment and nondiscrimination is required. The division has received questions related to coverage and treatment of conditions related to gender identity or gender dysphoria...

To read the entire bulletin click here.