Stanford, Penn, Harvard and Brown University all offer student sex reassignment surgery coverage — who will be next?

THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT – Also offering SRS coverage for students: Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, and Emory. While I don’t have a comprehensive list of all colleges that offer students SRS coverage in their health insurance plans, I am curious about the exact number of colleges that currently offer this coverage — and ones that are considering it. My research on this resulted in inconclusive numbers.

According to a Yale student publication, they may be next — maybe. The staff at Yale already have this coverage and trans advocates on campus are pushing to get students included. The cost, some argue, is relatively inexpensive because very few students actually take advantage of the benefit. Even if the college had to pay out a number of surgeries, the benefit to the college for providing a trans-friendly campus extends beyond just attracting transgender students.

While the jury is out on Yale, just the fact that student SRS coverage is being considered on campuses today shows how far trans people have come. Remember, what happens on campus today eventually makes its way to the rest of society later on.

I’ve a hunch there may be other colleges flying under the radar with student SRS benefits. If anyone knows of others, feel free to make note of it in the comments section.

More on the Yale student health plan: Yale Health considers sex change surgery | Yale Daily News.

More on colleges offering SRS: http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/sex-change-surgery-available-many-us-colleges-110121367.html

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Filed under: SRS, Sex Reassignment Surgery, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, college, Cornell, Emory, Harvard, insurance, Penn, sex reassignment surgery, srs, Stanford, yale

Lawsuit prompts state of Oregon to provide sex reassignment surgery insurance coverage for state employees

Tara Borelli of Lambda Legal (Photo: Lambda Legal)

THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — An out-of-court settlement to a discrimination lawsuit filed by a transgender Oregon Court of Appeals clerk has resulted in sex reassignment surgery insurance coverage for all state employees.  In addition, the state will pay Alec Esquival $36,000.

Esquival, a trans man, filed the lawsuit against the state and public employees benefits board after he was denied a doctor-recommended hysterectomy. Although a hysterectomy is a covered benefit, he was denied coverage because it was for the purpose of transitioning.

Esquival’s attorney Tara Borelli (of Lambda Legal): “When the state refused to provide him with coverage for the same medical procedure that co-workers could access, Alec was compensated less based on his gender identity. Oregon has now corrected that inequity.”

Oddly enough, a 2007 state law bans private insurance companies from gender or sexuality discrimination, seemingly allowing the public employees benefits board a loophole of some sort. With the settlement, that ambiguity is gone.

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Sources: Statesman Journal, AP

Tara Borelli of Lambda Legal (Photo: Lambda Legal)

More: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/01/oregon_state_employee_benefits.html

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You’re welcome to share this entire article!
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Support this site, get the transgender-themed feature film “Lexie Cannes“ DVD here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332
The Guerrilla Angel Report is associated with Wipe Out Transphobia: http://www.wipeouttransphobia.com/

Filed under: Judicial, Courts, SRS, Sex Reassignment Surgery, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans, Alec Esquival, insurance, oregon, Tara Borelli

State of Oregon tells insurance companies no more transgender discrimination

(Photo: cdc.gov)

THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — In December, 2012, the Oregon Insurance Division announced sweeping new protections for transgender Oregonians. This is an apparent follow-up to a 2007 law that bans discrimination against LGBT people. Private insurers will find loopholes to deny benefits/coverage for trans people throughly tightened.

The division’s bulletin states that denying trans people coverage would constitute gender identity discrimination. One Oregon LGBT publication (PQ Monthly) summed up a number of no-nos, including refusal to renew or cancellation of a policy, the setting of different rates,  “pre-existing conditions” disqualification, and the denial of GI related mental health services. A Think Progress report expands on this just a bit more and includes PQ Monthly’s summary in full: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/01/07/1405281/oregon-insurance-companies-can-no-longer-discriminate-against-transgender-people/

I had info on this earlier but the source was iffy. With the new sources, it does appear the division’s bulletin benefits trans people in powerfully positive way.

I’m also posting the entire bulletin in the comments section below.

To file a complaint: http://www.cbs.state.or.us/ins/consumer/tomake.html

(Photo: cdc.gov)

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You’re welcome to share this entire article!
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Support this site, get the transgender-themed feature film “Lexie Cannes“ DVD here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332
The Guerrilla Angel Report is associated with Wipe Out Transphobia: http://www.wipeouttransphobia.com/

Filed under: Discrimination, Equality, Civil Rights, Policy, Administrative, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans, insurance, oregon, Oregon Insurance Division