(ETH) – The California Department of Insurance has reportedly directed all insurance companies to pay for the mastectomies of any gender transition patients under the age of 18.
The report from CBN News states that Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a General Counsel Opinion Letter clarifying that under existing California law, health insurance companies may not deny any coverage based solely on a patient’s age for female-to-male patients undergoing “gender-affirming” care for gender dysphoria. “For far too long, individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria have had to battle a host of challenges to get access to gender-affirming care in order to be their true selves,” Lara said.
“Social stigma, misconceptions about gender dysphoria and its treatment, and outdated medical criteria create barriers to necessary medical care that can lead to tragic results for individuals with gender dysphoria, especially for our transgender youth.” This Letter was released in response to an inquiry from San Diego’s TransFamily Support Services following several denials of coverage for male chest surgery for patients under 18 years old who are transitioning from female to male.
According to the report, The department determined that denying coverage for mastectomy and the construction of a male chest based solely on age is impermissible and that Health insurance companies must consider a patient’s specific clinical situation in determining medical necessity. Double mastectomies that are performed on female-to-male patients are not to be allowed to be considered cosmetic but are now supposed to be classified as reconstructive surgery. This comes as CBN News reported last September, that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed several new laws supporting the LGBTQ community at the taxpayer’s expense.
