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Transgender Health Care

“The risks? The risks? Death. Death. You don’t know what you’re taking if it’s not prescribed by the medical doctor. That’s why we need to change the policy…that’s why we need to change Medicaid…I had a friend who through taking street hormones that way, well, she had to have her gall bladder removed. You see, when they’re selling you hormones, they don’t just sell you pills…we’re not just talking about pills…you also have the estrogen that they sell in the bottle and the syringe needles…and a lot of the time, you don’t know what you’re getting…they could be selling you dirty unpackaged syringe needles along with the hormone to insert into your body. You expose yourself to the risk of getting Hepatitis, HIV…all sorts of other types of illnesses…this is our lives on the line and that’s very important for people to know that.”
(Participant: Focus Group 2)

Get Involved. Show your support for safe and affordable healthcare for trans and gender nonconforming people! Check out SRLP’s healthcare campaign.

In New York State, Medicaid will not cover many types of health care that transgender people need. The impact on low income trans people and trans people of color is dramatic.  SRLP has put together a number of resources documenting this impact.

The Human Cost. Working with the Legal Aid Society and the Empire Justice Center, we conducted focus groups where transgender consumers of medicaid and trans people eligible for medicaid could share and discuss their experiences.  Read people’s stories in the full report here.

The Statistics. SRLP and public health researcher Aleza Summit have put together a fact sheet about the costs and benefits of refusing to provide transgender health care. In this fact sheet, we show how the costs to the state, and to human life, would be improved substantially by covering this health care. Read the fact sheet here.

Documents

Medicaid Focus Group Report 2009-2010

Health Costs Final Memo