Seattle plastic surgeon Javad Sajan, MD, analyzes how the new Supreme Court ruling may impact healthcare.
The United States Supreme Court ruled on June 15 that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects transgender, gay, and lesbian employees from discrimination based on sex. The ruling may also make it easier for people to get transgender surgeries.
Cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon Javad Sajan, MD, of Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery in Seattle, Wash, says, “This Supreme Court ruling protects the LGBTQIA community in the workplace, but this should extend to insurance coverage. Right now only a limited number of states give transgender people healthcare protections, and we hope that now, this is extended.”
About 50% of Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery’s business is made up of transgender surgeries currently. Sajan accepts insurance for transgender procedures but says many companies do not cover transgender surgeries or make insurance extremely difficult to use. Because the Civil Rights Act applies to more than just the workplace and applies to “public accommodations,” Sajan says it may become harder for insurance companies and the healthcare industry to discriminate against transgender individuals.
Transgender surgeries, while elective, are often medically necessary for transgender individuals who face gender dysphoria and other harmful symptoms.
[realdrseattle]
