StatePress.com – By Marc Young
Transgender community speaks out about financial difficulties and the need to be treated as the sex they identify with
Cynthia Simmons tried hormonal treatment, but once her insurance company found out, it immediately stopped paying the bills.
The treatment bills her insurance had covered provided Simmons, a transgender person trying to become female, the hormonal treatment that she couldn’t otherwise afford, and she’s not alone, she said.
“It’s considered elective surgery,” Simmons said. “There are only two places I know of where you can get surgery handled by insurance.”
Simmons said these two places are New York and San Francisco.
Most insurance companies classify the surgery as “cosmetic” and will not pay for it, said Larry Ross, a licensed professional counselor at the McDowell Behavioral Healthcare Center.