Perhaps it's just me, but I see a difference between drugs designed to reduce the impact of a mental disorder and a medical procedure intended to cater to it. If we're going to equate gender identity issues to bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia, then wouldn't the equivalent treatment be a drug that squelches said mental disorder? Are there any other mental disorders that are treated in this manner?
i demand dolphin restroom facilities! i demand a 500 gallon tank of saltwater, this is discrimination!
I typed n-i-g-g-a-r-d-l-y, which is a word that is from Old Norse. It has nothing to do with the derivation of a person being from the Niger River Delta.
some reporter almost got fired out where my dad lives in cali for using that in the paper lol, he was like, umm use a dictionary?
Most employers do not ask about, nor are allowed to delve into an employees medical history, so we really don't know if someone working for the city government has or had a serious mental illness or not. People who develop mental illnesses don't always have them from the time they are born, they can develop later in life, while employed. Illness doesn't just happen when you're unemployed. I am not sure why I have to spell this out for you, seems pretty logical... Not all mental illness is treated with drugs. Private & group therapy, biofeedback, meditation, acupuncture & in severe cases things like electroshock treatment are used. ...and what drug might that be? I am sure there would be many with gender identity issues that would opt to take a pill that made them feel comfortable in their own skin rather than do the surgery. Also you don't just snap your fingers and get the surgery, usually you must get approval from a psychologist and start hormonal therapy then wait a few years before you actually get the surgery.
I don't equate gender identity issues with any sort of mental disorder. I take the person's word for it - and yeah, I've known at least one person who's had a sex change done. All I'm saying is that IF govt. as employer is going to give out competitive benefits, then why shouldn't those benefits cover any medical procedure that patient and doctor agree is good for the patient?
Not necessarily. What may be "good" for a patient may not be clinically necessary for their health. My doctor and I agree it would be good for me to lose some weight. However, I'm not so fat I need lap band surgery or otherwise. It may help my mental state (or may not), but the procedure isn't a clinical necessity for the sake of my health. Sex change operations are not clinically necessary. There's no reason for me to help pay for the dude in the 14th cubicle on the left to get a sex change operation just because he likes quiche, playing with dollies and fondling little boys. That's not a clinically necessary procedure.
My insurance doesn't even cover lasik surgery. It is absolutely a joke that this is even up for debate.
Hey, that's cool. Let's both remind people why it is so hard to have a serious discussion on mental health by making it seem like it isn't comparable to physical health since we don't want to remove ourselves from this cultural taboo of "OH GOD MENTAL HEALTH DISCUSSION ABORT ABORT I AM SO SORRY LOOK IT IS RAINING HOW NICE" and then lets start (again) comparing transgender/transexual (oh hell, everyone who isn't straight and fitting a gender role stereotype) peoples to pedophiles. An amazing way to start the day. Mental health plays just as big a part of your quality of life as physical health does. Just because the state of your mind cannot be picked up on a scanner and explained to you with x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans does not mean it doesn't exist. Please stop subscribing to this belief that you can just shove mental health issues and traumas under the rug because you are terrified of them and they make you feel uncomfortable. It does not only a disservice to yourself and any one you may interact with, but it does a great and severe disservice to people who deal with any mental health issue - be it from depression to any number of clinically diagnosed diseases, illnesses and disorders of which there is a wide range and scale. A person who feels as if they are in the wrong body (gender identity) have to undergo many, many visits to psychologists and therapists. They must take hormone drugs for months if not years before the final step of the actual surgery. It must be approved by multiple professionals.
Can I get a free set of nice tits? I'd play with them all day long! Sam Adams is such a joke... worst Mayor in Portland's history.
Two things... One, I whole heartedly agree that in some cases mental health is directly related to physical health. My father was an MD at mental institutions and I have the utmost empathy for people with mental health issues (like, around this board). Two, that said, you sorely missed my point or the whole point in general. Just saying as you unfairly jumped me. Just so you know, but I am not offended.
If Jame Gumb had a public health plan that paid for his sex change, that poor young lady would not have to rub the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again. [video=youtube;RQb2m6VJ-eo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQb2m6VJ-eo[/video]
http://www.lapband.com/en/lapband_is_for_you/costs_payment_options/insurance_help/ Based on market research, over 80% of actual LAP-BAND® cases performed were reimbursed in full or in part by insurance. You seem to think someone just walks into the doctor and goes "I wanna be a women" and then the doctors goes "okay, we'll fit your surgery in on Tuesday". It's not like that at all. Just like if you walk into a doctors office & go "I want LAP-BAND!!" they're not going to go "okay surgery is for Friday". People get therapy & hormones first before they actually move on to surgery to verify it's actually necessary. Some people back out of gender transition after therapy or hormones, just like some people don't need LAP-BAND after eating healthier, exercising more & maybe taking cholesterol or blood pressure medications. Seriously?
What's really a joke is why health insurance doesn't properly cover optical, vision or mental health? Healthy teeth, eyes & brain aren't important? Lasik would probably be cheaper in the long run for a lot of people than a lifetime worth of contact lenses or eye glasses.
