President Barack's Obama administration has ended a 33-year ban on Medicare coverage for gender reassignment surgery, The Washington Post reports. The decision will likely put pressure on private insurers to cover medical procedures for transgendered people, The Post also reports.
There are still barriers, however: "Patients covered under Medicare will not be guaranteed coverage for surgeries under Friday’s decision; they will have to justify their need just as they have to for any other medical treatments. The ruling does not apply to Medicaid, the health program administered by states for low-income individuals and families," according to the Post.
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