Misleading headlines on ACA and SRS

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There are some misleading headlines regarding the ACA and sex reassignment surgery, saying that Obamacare now provides for sex reassignment, when that isn't the case at all. Nothing in the law brought about a requirement to cover sex reassignment surgery.

In reality, what's going on is that Oregon decided to cover hormones and sex reassignment surgery on its state Medicaid program. ACA has nothing to do with it other than Oregon expanded Medicaid. You can get an accurate picture here:

http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20140828/ne ... oregonians

Now as for this article with the misleading headline:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... nment.html

I really wish the headline were true, because I'd be signed up and scheduled by this point, as it is medically indicated in my case per my doctors with finances being my only hurdles. Everything but the finances has been a go.

So, yeah, jeez, thanks a lot, Obama.

And thanks a lot, too, for conservatives lying about Obama himself making sex reassignment surgery available, when he didn't do a thing to directly bring any increase in such coverage about, which are actually owed to state health insurance and medical review boards and the independent review board of the HHS, and coverage is still kept from me and most trans people in this country. Their ignorant bloviating is like rubbing salt in my wound.

08/25/2014
Obamacare Opens Door For Gender Reassignment Surgery
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/2 ... 11267.html

She signed up for "the state?s new insurance marketplace, Covered California".

"Her Blue Shield policy said that gender reassignment surgery ? which uses existing tissue to construct female genitalia -- could be covered if patients met certain guidelines. For example, she had to be diagnosed with gender identity disorder and have an ?expressed desire? to live as a member of the opposite sex".

This article seems to indicate that in some parts of the country the ACA covers GRS. Apologies if this antagonizes you.

Last edited by LoveNotHate on 29 Aug 2014, 2:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

But it's not because of the ACA; it's because some states required expansion of coverage, generally based on laws prohibiting discrimination in contracts and state health boards expanding it in Medicaid. The ACA itself still has not been interpreted to require SRS and is likely not to as best I can tell.

Any specific action taken by Obama has not been why they're getting surgery. There is no clear road to expanding coverage for even most of the country.

Some more misleading info from the usual suspects:

http://www.inquisitr.com/1434556/does-o ... t-surgery/

Uh, no, it was the independent review board of HHS, the Departmental Appeals Board, none of whose board members was appointed by a Democratic administration, that made this decision. A case went before the Board regarding coverage of sex reassignment surgery and the Board ruled on it. You can find the ruling here:

http://www.hhs.gov/dab/decisions/dabdec ... ab2576.pdf

http://www.hhs.gov/dab/divisions/appell ... aints.html

While others may mention priorities, they have to keep in mind that the priorities of the Departmental Appeals Board are the cases that actually come before it.

More from the article:



"Obamacare" had nothing to do with the Medicare decision, neither has HHS or Obama been involved in extending coverage for sex reassignment in any state health plans.

Oh.... OK.

Thanks.

These facts are depressing and demoralizing for me, but they are true.

I really just grew up in the wrong country, the wrong state during the wrong time period.