Reminder: Expanding medical coverage for U-M employees who are transgender

As reported in the June Record, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will begin covering additional medical services for University of Michigan employees who are transgender, effective July 1, 2019.

The following additional gender-affirming services for members transitioning from male to female will be covered:

• Face and neck hair removal
• Facial feminization surgery
• Chondrolaryngoplasty (Adam’s apple reduction)

Currently, Blue Cross and BCN cover genital surgery, mastectomy in female-to-male transition, hormone therapy and counseling when medically necessary to treat gender dysphoria for U-M employees. Gender dysphoria involves a conflict between a person’s gender identity and their gender assigned at birth.

Coverage for the new services will require that members meet benefit criteria and medical necessity criteria. Blue Cross Comprehensive Major Medical members must use Blue Cross participating providers. Blue Cross and BCN members must use network providers. This benefit has up to a $30,000 lifetime limit. Michigan Medicine, formerly the University of Michigan Health System, is the only provider in our network that currently performs the facial feminization surgical services.

For complete details, see the June Record article.