More than 30 Indiana cities and towns now offer transgender-inclusive health care benefits to municipal employees, thanks to a Bloomington-led initiative.
The Indiana Association of Cities and Towns Medical Trust provides insurance plans to member cities through provider network UnitedHealthcare. Before 2015, none of the medical plans available to city of Bloomington employees included transgender-inclusive medical benefits such as hormone replacement therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
“If we’re going to be an employer who’s open to everyone regardless of race, sex, gender identity, this is one step to be inclusive,” said Doris Sims, director of the city’s human resources department.
Last June, Sims brought before the IACT board of directors a proposal to add transgender-inclusive benefits to the Medical Trust’s health plans. As of Jan. 1, Medical Trust health insurance plans include benefits to treat gender dysphoria.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the standard classification reference used by mental health professionals, identifies gender dysphoria as expressing and experiencing a different gender than the gender assigned an individual at birth, which causes significant distress.
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