The New York Times (6/10, Subscription Publication), in an editorial, praises the Obama Administration for “recently…reversing a 1981 policy that excluded gender reassignment surgery from coverage under Medicare.” The Times notes that an HHS appeals board “concluded in May that the exclusion was ‘no longer reasonable’ because the surgery is safe and effective for individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria – the medical term applied to those whose identities differ from their gender at birth – and can no longer be considered experimental.”
The Times adds that “since very few people choose to have the surgery, and even fewer after age 65, the budget consequences will be negligible.”
Related Links:
— “Progress on Transgender Rights and Health,” New York Times, June 9, 2014.