For the approximately 2,800 transgender men and women living in Delaware, an announcement Wednesday, March 23 brings clarity to their healthcare rights in the First State.
The Delaware Insurance Commissioner released a bulletin including its adoption of an anti-discriminatory policy outlawing insurance companies from failing to cover transition-related expenses for facial surgery, hair replacement and genitalia reassignment.
Equality Delaware president Lisa Goodman says the bulletin is simply meant to clarify the law, both for individuals and insurance companies.
“There are insurers that do not offer this coverage, specifically for transgender people and in fact, discrimination in the provision of health insurance is one of the last – and most common ways – that transgender people experience discrimination,” Goodman said.
Goodman says the bulletin was an addition to the 2013 Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Act.
Delaware is now the 15th state to adopt similar insurance-related anti-discriminatory measures. The District of Columbia and multiple cities and counties nationwide have also done so.
However, Goodman adds that there’s still much to be done to combat transgender discrimination.
“Bullying issues are still out there, and we deal with them unfortunately more often than we’d like to in general education issues and things that arise in the school system," Goodman said.
The anti-discrimination insurance policy is effective immediately. Transgender individuals facing continued discrimination are encouraged to report complains to the Delaware Department of Insurance.
