Yale adds ‘sex-reassignment surgery’ to student health plan

Yale University’s student health plan will now cover the cost of sex-reassignment surgery, the school announced in a campus-wide email last Thursday.

Yale University’s student health plan will now cover the cost of a sex-change.

“Expenses in connection with a medically necessary sex-reassignment surgery will be covered, subject to pre-authorization based on widely accepted standards of care,” a sentence of the email, provided to Campus Reform by the university, read.

School spokesman Thomas Conroy confirmed the addition of the healthcare benefit to Campus Reform on Monday but declined to release the full email sent to the campus community that announced the change in benefits.

Conroy said Yale already covered the cost of sex-reassignment surgery for faculty and staff and “it was decided to extend the coverage to students over the age of 18.”

According to him “insurance premiums have not changed” as a result of the additional benefit and there is “no increase in fees associated with it.”

Campus Reform had previously reported the Ivy League institution was considering making the change in late February.

The change in coverage will go into effect August 1, according to the Yale Daily News.

Yale is not the first Ivy League institution to add the benefit as part of their healthcare coverage. Last month, Duke University raised student fees so they could afford to also provide healthcare that covers the costs associated with a sex-change.

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