Letter to the Editor
The Sacramento Bee
October 1, 2011
Dear Editor:
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
NY administration rejects Medicaid sex-changes
In your article “NY administration rejects Medicaid sex-changes,” you reported that New York has dropped the idea of using Medicaid to provide coverage for transgender surgery/hormone replacement therapy and treatment. This is interesting because I find this issue to be somewhat controversial.
As a Public Health major, my perspective remains neutral. It is great seeing how more attention is given to the transgender population, especially those who cannot afford to receive surgery or treatment. However, when taking Medicaid funding into consideration, it is also reasonable to see Americans oppose it because as you have stated, 50% of the Medicaid program budget comes from federal funding and 40% from the state. Some taxpayers may think that there are people who really need that money for more serious medical problems. In my opinion, neither the transgender community nor the taxpayers should be neglected. Instead, I think there should be a system to prioritize how serious the need for transgender surgery or treatment is on an individual basis to determine how much should be covered by Medicaid. This may help reduce opposition to this issue.
I am very interested in seeing how this issue will unfold in the future.
Sincerely,
Helen Woo
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is very interesting! When I first read the issue, I found myself agreeing with New York dropping the funding through medicaid for sex-changes, but I like your advice much better! I like how you proposed to prioritize different procedures. It seems like a great way of resolving the issues by not neglecting anyone's opinion. My concern regarding the prioritization of surgeries including sex-changes is that it might open up to also include different sorts of cosmetic surgeries. This would cause greater problems since it would involve more interests groups who might want better coverage from medicaid then to just be put in a list of priorities. Nevertheless, your initial proposal is very innovative and I really like it.
ReplyDeleteMiriam Torres
This issue of transgender surgery is very interesting and controversial, and I understand why you would choose to be neutral on the subject. Politically, I think this would be extremely difficult to do. The Transgendered community is very misunderstood and lots of people would strongly oppose Medicaid coverage because they believe a transgendered person needs therapy, not surgery. Until there is more cultural acceptance, I imagine that most States will wish to avoid paying for surgery and treatment.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be one of the most intriguing topics. As someone with strong ties to the queer community, my initial reaction is that these surgeries ought to be funded. However, I realize that these procedures may very well extend beyond the typical reach of government funded health care. I would argue that before trans folk can be considered on a federal political agenda, there needs to be some sort of education campaign that helps people to understand that being transgendered is not an emotional ill, but a serious and often life-threatening reality for many individuals.
ReplyDelete-megan dalessio