Should gender reassignment be funded by the government?

[Her]

By gender reassignment, I mean any medical process that goes towards transgender people achieving their desired identity. This generally means hormones and sex reassignment surgery in most people's eyes, but you can also include things like facial feminisation surgery and breast augmentation if you want to talk about that as well.

 

[Pebbles]

tough one

because

1. sure why not, people should care more for each other and so if it is like that, a lot of people can be more happy as not everybody can afford it
versus
2. why should those really expensive treatments be funded by the government? like life isn't already expensive enough,
money should go to other things that so to speak could need the money more than people who want to change their body.
like rebuilding schools for kids or for projects to make the world less garbish like and more clean for mother nature, which is important for everybody's sake

if money was not an issue and we could create it with a magical finger snap, i would say do it , do it now without thinking about it
but money is never NOT a problem, even for the government huh

what is more important huh?​

 

[Aurora]

Let me just say for the record that I am not a fan of the DSM listing gender dysphoria as a 'disorder'. Not only does it pathologise gender variance, which is fundamentally similar to sexual variance (which is not listed in the DSM), gender dysphoria is not a disorder on its own - the sheer stress and resultant mental strain caused by it is what makes it worth medical attention. The APA may have clarified this, but dubbing 'gender dysphoria' as a mental illness / disorder is still not the appropriate step.

However, the medical community's recognition of the stress caused by gender dysphoria - even through unfortunate classification of gender dysphoria as a whole as a disorder - should warrant treatments for the stress and disharmony caused by gender dysphoria being government-funded. Transgender people do not get facial feminisation surgery, seek out hormone replacement therapy, or book incredibly costly and debilitating gender reassignment surgical procedures for the same reasons that somebody looking to enhance their cleavage gets breast implants. While government assistance is provided for gender reassignment surgery in Australia, paltry payments do not outweigh the ridiculous costs of up to $30000 for the surgery at all, which leaves many trans people still unable to afford it. Hormone replacement therapy and FFS are not covered by private health funds, let alone Medicare - and the cumulative costs for these processes can amount to many thousands of dollars.

Being unable to afford these procedures and receiving no assistance whatsoever means that the identities of many transgender people desperate to transition are invalidated simply by their inability to afford treatment, which can cause severe anxiety, depression, and even suicide (in fact, 41% of US transgender people have attempted suicide, compared with the national average of 4.6%). It is for this reason that government financial assistance should be provided for every service transgender people seek out.

 

[KetsuekiR]

I'm with user Pebbles on this. The cost for the procedures, that user Aurora approximated at around $30000, are better spent, in my opinion, in developing schools and better healthcare for everyone. Yes, it's ridiculously expensive and yes, it's distressing how many people suffer for it, but I do believe in a greater good in that the money could possibly be better spent elsewhere. If we had acceptable education systems and such in place, sure, it would be a great idea. But we don't, at all.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, I think, and transgendered people are certainly "the few".

 

[Esper]

In America we annually spend over 30,000 USD for each person in prison, and we have over 2 million people in prison at any time. That's 60 billion dollars each year. One of them big military missiles would cost the same as 50 surgeries. Governments spend so much money on so many things all the time that 30,000 is a drop in the bucket. If we believe that everyone is entitled to life and freedom and that democracies are ruled by the people to serve the people then I don't see any good reason governments shouldn't pay for this.

Practically speaking, given how the world and many people are, it's a long ways away. But, oddly enough, in California our state will pay for inmates to have gender reassignment surgery. But as I said, there is a lot of money in the prison system.

 

[Esper]

"We shouldn't do it because there are more important things." As if we couldn't do several things at the same time or had to solve the biggest and worst problems first.

They're happiness is important as anyone elses but the money put towards that happiness would just be a waste, that would show the government has poor decision making when it comes to "prioritizing".

If I had a motor control issue and couldn't walk would it be a waste to provide me with a wheelchair or with physical therapy? If I was depressed or had post traumatic stress would it be a waste to give me counseling or medication? Not to get all Marxist, but I do believe in "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

 

[Nah]

I suppose this would bring up the question of "what kinds of things should/shouldn't the government spend money on?".

I'm not sure I'd say that the money itself is a problem since in theory the US could cut money from certain things (pretty sure more money than necessary is spent on certain parts of the budget) to fund this. But, y'know, in theory. Good luck actually trying to get this country to put money in the right things. And then like has been said, there's 32574365935 other problems in addition to this one that need money too.

But, oddly enough, in California our state will pay for inmates to have gender reassignment surgery. But as I said, there is a lot of money in the prison system.

Do they extend this all California citizens or is it just inmates? Would be kind of strange if they only fund sex reassignment surgery for criminals but not non-criminals.....

Hell, even putting God back into our schools in America should be a top priority. I'm not religious but last time I checked this nation is a "Nation under God" and we have the freedom of religion, and it really frustrates me how children who are religious can't even have a bible in most schools.

This is a bit off topic, but please no, "putting God back into American schools" is not/should not be a priority for this country.

 

[Esper]

Do they extend this all California citizens or is it just inmates? Would be kind of strange if they only fund sex reassignment surgery for criminals but not non-criminals.....

I think there are a few places, one or two cities that will cover gender surgeries in medical plans, but no, it's not a state-wide things. The prisons have to do it because of a legal battle. I guess it's to do with the prison being responsible for medical treatment or something. As far as I know no prisoner has actually had any surgeries because by the time the prisoner in question won the legal battle they'd been released.

 

[Somewhere_]

Im pretty big on less government spending, and I think its up to the individual to pay for it themselves. I think a lot more money should be going towards education instead of military and other stuff.

For those who want universal healthcare, do you think that gender-reassignment counts as necessary healthcare? I have heard some people that gender reassignment is a violation of the hippocratic oath, but I totally disagree because it is a voluntary trade, and what the individual wants. Does this challenge the notion that gender reassignment may be included in healthcare necessities?

 

[Livewire]

Like any invasive procedure, it should be covered by healthcare, insurance, like almost everything else. Don't give me the "well we could spend 30,000" better elsewhere, 30K for a procedure is chump change for hospitals and insurance companies. It's not even a big government issue, or a spending issue, it's making sure people who need access to expensive, invasive surgery have the ability to do so. I don't see anybody getting bent out of shape over the oodles of money we spend on cosmetic surgery, lap-band surgery or other superficial, cosmetic procedures.

 

[Her]

I have heard some people that gender reassignment is a violation of the hippocratic oath, but I totally disagree because it is a voluntary trade, and what the individual wants. Does this challenge the notion that gender reassignment may be included in healthcare necessities?

Pay no mind to people who bring up that subject - it is merely a derailing tactic and I am yet to see it brought up by anyone who didn't vehemently loathe trans people in the first place. They don't care about the doctors, they just care about enforcing their views on transgender people.

 

[KetsuekiR]

I agree that our governments spend money on so many unnecessary and wasteful things, absolutely, there's no denying that. In fact, I'm all for redirecting that money into funding gender reassignment, but I don't support pouring additional money into this if it means that our educations systems and general welfare/healthcare for the majority of the population are neglected in the process.

If our governments received a large sum of money out of nowhere, would it really be better served funding gender reassignment or better schools and better welfare for the many? Priorities must and do exist, even if our governments have them all messed up now.

 

[Fannie]

I don't see anybody getting bent out of shape over the oodles of money we spend on cosmetic surgery, lap-band surgery or other superficial, cosmetic procedures.

Does insurance in the states cover some of the cost for that??

I live in a country where the cost of the majority of these surgeries and treatments are fully covered. And rightly so. I'm not sure if FF, electrolosis, etc should be in every circumstance. Here ciswomen can have some cosmetic surgery covered by the NHS if their appearance is severely effecting their quality of life. Think extensive facial hair caused by PCOS. Some people do milk this though.

There was a ciswoman in the news a few years ago who got a breast enlargement covered by the NHS because her breast size was apparently the root cause of her depression. She had a reduction not long after. IIRC the size she'd asked for was causing her pain and her alleged depression returned.

There's providing people with what they need, then there's being far too accommodating.

 

[Esper]

Does insurance in the states cover some of the cost for that??

Not unless you have a really good plan, which most people wouldn't. You'd have to be fairly lucky.

 

[Somewhere_]

Pay no mind to people who bring up that subject - it is merely a derailing tactic and I am yet to see it brought up by anyone who didn't vehemently loathe trans people in the first place. They don't care about the doctors, they just care about enforcing their views on transgender people.

I actually heard it in a youtube video where some people were discussing the day of silence, and one of the people in the conversation was actually gay, but pretty anti-LGBT. In his opinion, the LGBT has been more hurtful than helpful. The gay man in the conversation agreed, and the person who said it actually doesnt care about enforcing his views on others. In fact, he is against people enforcing their views on the LGBT community. I guess he was stating a "fact" (in his opinion).

However, for the most part, people who say that it violates the hippocratic oath are actually transphobic, homophobic, etc.

 

[Kanzler]

If the government should pay for gender dysphoria-related surgeries, then shouldn't they pay for all surgeries for body dysmorphia? If gender dysphoria-related surgery is medically necessary on the basis that it causes extreme psychological distress in the patient, then we should treat all surgeries that are meant to treat extreme psychological distress the same.