Alaska is moving forward with a plan to use state funds to pay for transgender surgeries, hormone therapy and other procedures that attempt to alter the outward appearance of gender confused residents so they appear as members of the opposite sex.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons these operations typically include bone manipulations of the face, breast removal or augmentation, penile inversion, and surgery to reconstruct female genitalia so that it appears like that of a male. These procedures often mutilate perfectly healthy organs and risks include blood cancers, urinary infections, painful intercourse, severe nerve damage, unsightly scarring and more.
The state issued a notice about the proposal, which is up for public comment until March 24. Following public comment, the Dept. of Health & Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum will either adopt the proposal without further notice or take no action.
Alaska’s motivation for including these controversial surgeries in its Medicaid program stem from a federal lawsuit in Alaska District Court challenging state regulations that currently prohibit using public funds to underwrite “treatment, therapy, surgery, or other procedures related to gender reassignment” or for “transsexual surgical procedures or secondary consequences.”
Plaintiffs alleged that Alaska’s regulations governing transgender health care, violated the Equal
Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by subjecting transgender beneficiaries of Alaska Medicaid to unlawful discrimination on the basis of transgender status and sex. They also maintain that Alaska regulations violate the Affordable Care Act which they argue prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in a health program that receives federal funds. Alaska’s Medicaid program is funded through a 50-50 split of state and federal dollars.
According to a court settlement, ordered by U.S. District Judge Russel Holland, the three plaintiffs should each receive $60,000 from the state for their “economic and non-economic damages.” Additionally, the state has agreed to fork over another $75,000 to plaintiffs attorneys. In order to pay for the settlement, Gov. Mike Dunleavy must ask the State Legislature to appropriate the money in its 2021 budget. The state expects to expend roughly $84,000 over the next three years to pay for transgender procedures.
According to a statement provided by the Alaska Dept. of Health & Social Services, the state has already agreed, as part of the court settlement, to propose a regulation that eliminates the exclusion of Medicaid coverage for “medically necessary gender dysphoria treatments,” and to have that language go through the regulations process as required by law.
“Although the settlement requires that a regulation ultimately be adopted in order for the settlement to stand, the precise language and format of the regulatory change was not specified in the agreement,” the Feb. 11 statement reads. “Therefore, the Department welcomes and will seriously consider public comment on the language and format of the proposed regulatory change.”
TAKING ACTION
- Contact Health & Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum at (907) 269-7800 or adam.crum@alaska.gov
- Comments on the proposed changes can be emailed to Susan Dunkin at the Dept. of Health & Social Services at susan.dunkin@alaska.gov . The comments must be received not later than 5 p.m. on March 24. Comments can also be mailed to: Department of Health & Social Services, Division of Health Care Services, 4501 Business Park Blvd., Suite 24, Attention: Susan Miler Dunkin, Anchorage, AK 99503-7167
- Questions about the regulation change can be sent to susan.dunkin@alaska.gov. Responses will be aggregated and published on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and agency website. For more information, call Susan Dunkin at (907) 269-3638.
14 Comments
Dunlevy needs to shut that shit down!
Tax payers should not have to pay for sex changes.
I agree, if taxes payed for plastic surgeries people would be in an uproar. But for some reason this is ok?
Great…..I got crappy service by Alaska DPS and got thrown under the bus after reporting native Corporation fraud and they steal my PFD money to pay for this ? I give up….
Why are people revisiting what has been proven not to work by Dr. Paul McHugh of John Hopkins Medical Center who was performing the surgeries and discovered that they did not improve the thought processes of the individual. Very well-known but denounced by the sodomites when his report was published. Other truthful psychologists have cried out against this abuse. No person in office should condone what research has shown is bad for citizens.
Hard to believe society is now expected to pick up the surgical mutilation for a mental disorder. I’m already disgusted with society paying into planned parenthood for abortions. What’s the next step, paying for breast augmentation? Maybe tack on circumcisions and female genital mutilations as practiced by some religious sects. This has nothing to do with Health and Social Services, this is destroying humanity and our souls.
Not to mention that the potential for suicide, already high, is further increased another 35%. The hormone therapy that is part and parcel of this insanity leaches the calcium out of the bones, decreasing bone mass and making the individual more susceptible to injury and broken bones. The reality of gender dysphoria is that it is transitory in teens and without peer pressure or other negative influences, the individual will usually grow out it. Those that don’t are usually successfully treated by mental health professionals and make a full recovery–John Hopkins studies.
Today, however, many teens travel down this road, because of peer pressure. And, the attention that being ‘different’ gives them. A false and destructive path.
Gender dysphoria is a mental illness, there is nothing ‘normal’ about the condition. To pretend otherwise, is just that, pretending to the detriment of the individual suffering gender dysphoria.
“ the three plaintiffs will each receive $60,000 from the state for their “economic and non-economic damages.” Additionally, the state has agreed to fork over another $75,000 to plaintiffs attorneys. “ WTH does this have anything to do with the state’s responsibility or tax payers responsibility? I want a full body tattoo… it’ll make me feel whole and good about myself….unfortunately I don’t have the money to spend on this type of “body manipulation procedures” should I now sue the state for my economic and non economic damages? Man, crap like this drives me crazy !!! Should The state now start paying for my future counseling sessions because I said this drives me nuts?
First transsexual is a VERY put dated term, which inturn shows how ignorant you are with your article. You should really educate yourself prior to writing, you sound really, really ignorant, aka (uneducated)
Berkowitz, is that you…?
…”these operations typically include bone manipulations of the face, breast removal or augmentation, penile inversion, and surgery to reconstruct female genitalia so that it appears like that of a male. These procedures often mutilate perfectly healthy organs and risks include blood cancers, urinary infections, painful intercourse, severe nerve damage, unsightly scarring and more.” How a physician can justify or even stomach performing these abusive surgeries is incomprehensible. Makes me wonder about the mental state of the doctor.
First transsexual is a VERY out dated term, which inturn shows how ignorant you are with your article. You should really educate yourself prior to writing, you sound really, really ignorant, aka (uneducated)
Wow, thank you for pointing this out and setting the tools before us to speak up on this issue. I will certainly follow through on this one.
Keep up the good work!
Time for the Governor and the legislature to stand up to the judge and tell him what he can do with his wokeness. Time to leave the federal program so they have nothing on us – and while we’re at it, just secede.