[theoddz]

What I'd like to see happen is this:

A person who has medical coverage/insurance would be able to elect to substitute certain coverages based on his/her personal situation. In other words, a transperson would be able to, for example, substitute maternity coverage for transition medical and surgical services.

Of course, there are those people/couples who want to have children and would like to keep maternity coverage, but there might be other coverages that they would never use, so why make them pay for those while denying them coverage for something they really need and want?? It makes sense to allow "substitutions" in incidences where costs need to be contained.

Incidentally, the VA has an official policy now of providing trans Vets with services ranging from psychological counseling to hormone therapy. The only thing they will not do, as of now, is Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS/SRS), though I have heard, not too long ago, that the San Francisco VAMC was doing some MtF procedures (not sure exactly what they were doing, tho). This is a huge step in the direction of equal care for trans Veterans. Just a few years back, the VA didn't have a policy for equal treatment of transgendered/transsexual Veterans. It was, pretty much, very open to interpretation of just exactly what the VA would do, if anything, for us. Five years ago, when I started Testosterone therapy, I had to have a physician outside of the VA prescribe my Testosterone and only then could I go back to the VA, present the prescription (under the "continuum of care" provision), and get the VA to issue me my T and injection supplies. I had to even switch doctors in order to get a VA physician who was sympathetic to my plight and would agree to write the prescription. There was no official mandate requiring her to do so, at that time. I'm lucky to have found my physician and she's given me top notch (and respectful) treatment. I couldn't ask for more!!! It is a great relief, though, to me now, because I don't have to worry about my doctor quitting the VA and me having to find another physician to care for me as he/she would for any other Veteran.

Anyway, I do think that the idea of "swapping" things like maternity care, which I would never use, for trans services is a good one. It addresses, specifically, those who would say that trans coverage would "drive up" costs for those who didn't need it. Maternity coverage surely drives up costs for those of us who don't ever need or want that, but yet, are still forced to pay for it to cover others who do.

~Theo~