Observation

A really good article with excellent following comments about gender identity issues and the medical community can be read here. It's excellent with one small correction noted in the comments about the statistics of suicide among young transpeople, the author calls "mortality rates."

That said, treatment for gender identity has been available for several decades now, but mostly out of reach all who want to transition with sex reassignment surgery, which many folks like me use sex affirmation surgery, except for the few who afford it, often mortaging their home, their future or other debts, or have employer insurance.

This is because while employers are covering the treatment for gender identity, which runs $25-30,000 minimum depending on the extent of physican care and oversight for hormone replacement therapy and surgery, noting feminine facial cosmetic surgery and breast augmentation surgery aren't covered by any insurance, health insurance companies aren't offering coverage in their plans.

Almost all health insurance companies do not cover treatment for an established medical condition, defined and described in the DSM-IVTR and upcoming DSM-V with the full description of treatment. This is one of the very few conditions not covered by health insurance except when state and local governments or companies pay for it or add it for their employees.

Right now even the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHB) does not cover and specifically denies coverages with "Sex transformation services not covered." The Office of Personnel Management has yet to act on a Presidential directive to order coverage included in the next round of changes to plans for active or retired employees.

They didn't even recommend the change let alone mandate the change for 2012 and they haven't said if they'll do it for 2013. There aren't that many employees and retirees in transition to make this a big deal, but to them it's significant when each are looking at $20-25,000 out of pocket expense for the final surgery on top of any additional cosmetic surgeries.

It only makes me wonder if the medical community really cares about transpeople. I know some do as they provide care for transpeople, but overall, it smells of morality at work in people's minds than their oat to "First, do no harm."

If they followed it they would see the rate of suicide drop among transpeople. They would see the health and happiness of transpeople improve. They would change lives for the better than impose a restriction based on nothing but personal morality than medical science and above all practicing good medicine.

We can hope but few transpeople are holding their breath anymore.