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/news-briefs/medicaid-expands-coverage-transgender-oregonians
Now as for this article with the misleading headline:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/25/obamacare-now-pays-for-gender-reassignment.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. (rolls eyes)
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 credit is 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.
Some more misleading info from the usual suspects:
Keep in mind that according to Medicare.gov, this welfare program does not cover (for the most part, though there are a few tiny exceptions here and there) custodial care, dental care, acupuncture, hearing aids and eye examinations. But it does cover gender reassignment surgery, because apparently, the Obama administration considers this surgery to be a priority. Note also that the national debt continues to trickle toward $18 billion and that according to the Daily Caller, the Obamacare website itself (this doesn’t even include the many subsidies) is slated to cost over $1.7 billion.http://www.inquisitr.com/1434556/does-obamacare-cover-gender-reassignment-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/dabdecisions/dab2576.pdf
http://www.hhs.gov/dab/divisions/appellate/ncdappeals/complaints.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:
Regardless, yes, Obamacare does provide some degree of coverage for gender reassignment surgery via Medicare. Furthermore, it’s on its way to providing coverage via both the private market and Medicaid. All this is occurring because the Obama administration fervently believes that this desire to be another gender stems from some sort of legitimate medical condition that mandates physical (and some mental) healthcare."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.
