SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco is preparing to become the first U.S. city to provide and cover the cost of sex reassignment surgeries for uninsured transgender residents.

The city's Health Commission voted Tuesday to create a comprehensive program for treating transgender people experiencing mental distress because of the mismatch between their bodies and their gender identities. The vote was announced Thursday.

The idea came out of conversations between public health officials and transgender rights advocates who wanted mastectomies, genital reconstructions and other surgeries covered under San Francisco's universal health care program.

Public Health Director Barbara Garcia says the new transgender health initiative probably won't be running until late next year.

Her department needs to study how many people it would serve, how much it would cost and who would perform the surgeries.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/08/san-francisco-to-provide-transgender-surgeries-for-uninsured/?test=latestnews#ixzz2BiMq4nqy

Just what the taxpayers need to be paying for!

Then wonder why the Phreaking Place is going broke!

Good old Mayor Gavin did them no favors thats for sure.

Prejudice masking as sarcasm is so disappointing!~!

And, where is the prejudice?

A man wanting to be a woman is not a surgery Tax payers should be burdened with.

Individuals want to help them and donate money, fine. Just don't force me to pay for perversion.

You know I hate agreeing with the ultra-conservatives on here, but this time they are correct. This is an elective surgery, it has nothing to do with the health of the person physically. This shouldn't be paid for by tax dollars or covered by insurance plans, but should be paid for "out of pocket."

Not prejudice , just not something the government should pay for. If someone is that screwed up in the head they need this procedure they should pay for it themselves after some serious mental evaluations.

I wonder if there is a case for obese people to market their conditions as having a physical body that doesnt agree with their mental one,,,,,,

could catch on,, thats all IM saying,,,

That's like comparing fruit to fish.

not really

if what matters is what one 'feels' like,, than why is what obese people feel different than how other physically/mentally mismatched people feel?

While it's as someone who has fought to control his weight his entire life, I can tell you, we know we're over-eating. I never think, "I eat so little, why can't I lose weight?" I know it's my diet, I know I should exercise even more than I do, but cookies taste good, jogging really sucks, and that easy chair is so soft.

Do I think the government should pay to suck the fat off of my waste or staple my stomach? No. I got myself this way, I should be the one responsible to get myself down to a healthy size (and I'm working it).

They do, it's called gastric by pass isn't it?

They allow breast reductions due to back problems, but they won't allow tummy tucks for women of multiple cesarians who have lower back problems, or mental issues due to sever body changes during pregnancy.

Having gender re-assignment is clearly cosmetic and if they were truley born the opposite sex, they would have came with the opposite parts. I am not against gender re-assignment but no need to put the cost on us. Rhino-plasty and every other uncomfortable physical issue we have is not covered by insurance.

They are doing it for prisoners too, can't remember where or if it is federal prisons or not. Sex reassignment that is...

that would be YOUR example though, just as there are those who feel 'feminine' that were born male, yet they are homosexual and not 'transgender'


your experience, Im sure, is not the exclusive experience of all obese people, and Im likewise sure there are some whose obesity is more directly tied to their 'genetics' and environment as a child (which they in no way controlled), who dont feel they belong in the body they ended up with,,,,

have the states decided to pick up the tab for those procedures?

my point as well,,,,,ty

Don't be so quick to judge... It is genetic, I have the exact same frame as my maternal grandfather, and his brother, and their father. However, I'm convinced that if I worked harder at it, I wouldn't weigh so much.

My point was that it is not the same situation as gender reassignment, even so, from MY opinion, I don't think it's something that should be addressed with public funds. (Exception - teaching children to exercise while they are young at our schools)

Sure, in California they do, I am not positive but I believe in other states they do as well. I think there are requirements to qualify as far as being at a certain weight and they only cover the surgery, they do not cover the skin removal after all the weight is gone and the patients are left with another 80 lbs of skin flaps, that portion is considered cosmetic and not coved, the reduction of stomach size is covered by the insurance as it is health related.

It was that guy who killed his wife. It was a state prison in Massachusetts and not only is he\she\it gonna get the free surgery but the state has to pay his legal costs (last estimate was over $500,000) to get the surgery covered.

Change we can believe in!