Wisconsin Ordered to Pay for Transgender Surgeries Through Medicaid

​Read about it here. 

I don't spend a lot of time talking about the transgender community because, to be honest, 98% of the issues that come up with them fall under "doesn't effect my life." And when things aren't hurting anyone else or effecting anyone else, I tend to just leave it alone. 

This bothered me, so I wanted to say something about it.

Basically, a court ruled that transgender surgeries have to be paid for under medicaid because they are medically necessary due to their gender dysphoria. It is considered a treatment. The argument is that not covering the surgery violates the Affordable Care Act. 

​Last year, I had an endometrial biopsy. My doctor was very concerned that I might have uterine cancer. So I had all the standard yearly tests, then came back in for the biopsy. 

Imagine my surprise when I got a bill. The yearly stuff was covered, the biopsy was not. So I had to pay for that out of pocket. I guess checking to see if I have cancer isn't medically necessary? 

Because of the nature of the biopsy, I was also made to have a pregnancy test before the biopsy was done. I didn't need the pregnancy test, but it was required. That wasn't covered, either! 

​My father was on medicare. He was diagnosed with brain cancer. Not a damn bit of it was covered. From surgeries to treatment to prescriptions, it was all paid for out of pocket. My parents had to get a grant to pay for his treatment. I guess none of that was medically necessary, either. 

Look, I don't normally care what people do with themselves. If you are a man and want to be a woman, you do you. I really don't care. But this effects others. This is tax payer money going to your surgery. And in the meantime, the insurance I pay for wouldn't cover a test to see if I had cancer. None of my father's treatments were covered, and those treatments were life and death. So yeah, I have a problem with this. A huge problem. 

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