COLORADO SPRINGS – Colorado will become the first state in the country to require specific health plans to cover comprehensive health services for the LGBTQ + community.
Federal and state officials announced Tuesday that more gender-sensitive care and mental and behavioral health care will be covered as major health benefits for individuals (meaning non-employer) and small groups (for small employers with less than 100 employees) in Colorado insurance plans starting in 2023.
The Medicare and Medicaid Services Centers report that additional care that will be covered includes face / forehead and / or neck tightening, facial bone remodeling for facial feminization, mandibular angle augmentation / creation / reduction, orbital reconstruction, rhinoplasty (reshaping the nose), breast and breast reduction and building and laser hair removal.
“It’s a huge deal for our country and community. Gender validation is very important for those who are transsexual. It’s hard to get without insurance and costs between $ 10,000 and $ 30,000 depending on which surgery you get.” said Laurin Hogan.
The new plan is expected to make a big change in the situation, but especially for Hogan, which came out in 2018.
“I’m going to be able to do top surgery, bottom surgery and maybe facial surgery. I have to check this one, but I know it’s cosmetic and a lot of transsexuals have a gender identity disorder,” Hogan said. “I don’t have to worry about working so many hours, finding so many jobs, to try to afford those surgeries that are medically necessary for me.”
Hogan is among many in the LGBTQ + community who see this as a step forward in equality.
“Coverage is hard to come by, care is hard to come by. It’s opening the door that allows them to get something that will allow them to get something in the long run,” said Ilva Victoria Pecs.
She is one of the few lucky ones who did not bother to pay for their care, but this is often not the case.
“I have not encountered the problems that many transgender people face, but moving forward provides a much broader basis for providing care,” Pech said.
“Every insurance has different loopholes and different reasons to refuse this care, so standardized practices will help alleviate this cost confusion,” said Alice Smith, communications manager at Inside Out Youth Services.
Smith says the new plan will help young people when it comes time to join the workforce.
“Some of them are already excited about it because they already have problems accessing healthcare, whether it’s due to parental permission or the price. So they have this option when they turn 18 so they can choose what they want to do with their bodies and help them feel more comfortable in their own skin, it will be so affirmative for them, “said Smith.
The benefits were added to the state benchmark plan after an extensive review process at the Colorado Insurance Division, which included meetings with insurance companies and other stakeholders.
“We found that adding gender mainstreaming care, opioid alternatives, supplemental medication-assisted treatment, and an annual mental health exam would not increase premiums in any meaningful way per member per month,” said Kara Cheevers, insurance officer. in Colorado.
She says the additional coverage would only increase costs by 64 cents per member per month for people on individual and small group market plans. Insurers will have to cover these services when they take effect in 2023.
“This is a compulsory benefit that is no different from primary care visits or emergency services. We are not concerned that insurance companies are leaving the market because of this change, we have done an extensive analysis of access to the impact on premiums and carriers have been involved. “The Stakeholder Process all the time. We also had carriers that moved to Colorado in the last few years and really expanded their footprint,” Cheevers said.
She says the ward has already heard from various countries about reproducing the state model and expanding the scope of gender-promoting care.
The LGBTQ + community that wants to see more change ahead.
“The non-insurance rate is very high in the LGBTQ + community and the unemployment rate is very high, so not everyone has access to this comprehensive insurance. So the next step is not just to provide insurance
covers this, but everyone has insurance to cover it, “Smith said.
“I think the legislation should happen where his whole country cares about transgender people,” people said.
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