Cuomo moves to extend insurance protection for transgender persons
ALBANY, N.Y. » Transgender individuals in New York state have new protections when it comes to health insurance coverage.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says health insurers can’t deny coverage based on gender identity. A state Department of Financial Services letter Wednesday tells health insurers to take reasonable steps to determine if the insured is eligible for services before denying a claim.
Cuomo’s action on Wednesday followed by a day the collapse of a nearly yearlong effort by Ulster County Democrats to pass into law new protections for transgender persons. The law would have prohibited discrimination based on gender identity against people who want to use public accommodations and would have fined businesses for discrimination against those who are transgender. Republicans lawmakers altered the measure with a series of amendments that, among other things, removed penalties for violation.
Cuomo’s action follows reports received by the Department of Financial Services that some health insurance companies may be denying claims for services not typically provided to a person of a particular gender.
For example, a person who was assigned male at birth but presenting as female may be denied a claim for a prostate cancer screening. The action is one of a series of steps by Cuomo to protect health insurance coverage, regardless of federal actions.