"Gender Affirming Surgery"

I don’t normally weigh in on sexuality. I figure that’s your business. But a new wrinkle in the Illinois Medicaid program makes it my business.

Starting with the New Year, the state will cover “gender affirming surgery.” That means you will help pay for people who want to transition from their current gender to another. That I found distressing. So did over 400 of our Facebook followers who voted on the station’s Question Of The Day last week. 91-percent did not agree with Governor J.B. Pritzker, who says it’s the right thing to do.

According to the Governor, the surgeries are cost effective and help avoid long term health consequences.

The new policy is available now for people over 21, although it can be provided to some younger patients if it is deemed to be “medically necessary.”

At last glance, in May of last year, the state was 112,000 applications behind in processing claims for basic medical problems. Medicaid, as a safety net, is a major failing of our state government. We can’t seem to currently meet the needs of our economically challenged neighbors.

But we can add this new program. CNN reports the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery  has posted its costs for such surgeries. The male-to-female operation will cost $140,000. The female-to-male, $124,000. Remember, the Governor says it’s “cost effective.”

I’m terribly sorry if you are not happy with your gender. Really. That must be terrible.

But I think you need to get in line…. behind poor people with disease.