Full Answer
What are the costs of being transgender in the military?
What medical costs and disruption do transgender individuals cause in the military? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Tl;dr: $8.4 million out of an estimated Defense Department expense of $50 billion. That’s approximately 0.017%.
How much does gender-related health care cost the military?
Using private health insurance claims, the cost of gender-related care for trans service members would be $2.4 to $8.4 million annually, out of Defense Department healthcare expenditures of $49.3 billion in 2014 [1].
Does the US Army pay for gender reassignment surgery?
The announcement of the new treatment policy also followed the US Army’s decision in September 2016 to pay for gender reassignment surgery for Pvt. Chelsea Manning, who is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking classified documents.
Which military branches have issued guidance on transgender service members?
The services have been rolling out branch-specific guidance regarding the treatment of transgender troops. The Air Force released its guidance on April 30, while the Navy issued a message June 3 stipulating its policy barring discrimination against any service members.
Does the government pay for gender reassignment surgery?
Medicare pays for gender reassignment surgeries and hormone replacement therapy, as long as the surgery is deemed medically necessary. There are several surgeries a person needs to finish the process.
Does TRICARE cover transgender care?
TRICARE provides coverage for some transition-related care for family members and dependents of military personnel. However, TRICARE still has an exclusion for coverage of transition-related surgery.
Can you be on HRT in the military?
The 2018 DOD policy eliminates this disparity. Individuals who have undergone either hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery for gender dysphoria will no longer be able to join the military without a waiver.
Does Obama care cover transgender surgery?
The healthcare law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, among other bases, in certain health programs and activities." While Section 1557 was initially a big step towards equality in health care for transgender Americans, it does not require coverage for sex reassignment surgery and related medical care.
How much does male to female surgery cost?
The information that is available on costs of sex reassignment surgery indicates that in the United States male to female surgery can cost between $10,000 and $28,000 (U.S.).
Can you take testosterone in the military?
The reality is, steroid use is illegal unless prescribed by a physician and is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, punishable by reduction in rank or even expulsion from the armed services.
How long does it take to transition from female to male?
Some of the physical changes begin in as little as a month, though it may take as long as 5 years to see the maximum effect.
How do you change your gender in the military?
Veterans may request a change of gender marker in DoD records by submitting a Form DD 149, Application for Correction of Military Record parent service's records correction activity (e.g., the Board for Correction of Naval Records).
How much money has the military spent on transgender issues?
According to new data from the Defense Department provided to the House Armed Services Committee ahead of the hearing, the military has spent about $8 million on transgender care since 2016 out of its $50 billion overall health care budget.
How many military members are diagnosed with gender dysphoria?
Currently about 1,071 are serving, including 20 senior officers.
Did transgender people testify before Congress?
With the ban now blocked by lawsuits, transgender troops Wednesday were set to testify for the first time before Congress. In the nearly three years since the U.S. military welcomed transgender people into the armed forces, they have largely served without incident.
Why are trans people unfit for duty?
Lots of people talk about how trans service members impact mission success because trans people are inherently unfit for duty due to mental illness or poor reactions to high stress.
Is a trans person mentally fit to serve?
They are individuals and while it’s obvious that some trans people are not mentally fit to be in combat, the same can be said for any other group of people.
Can transgender people serve in the military?
on July 26 that transgender people may not serve 'in any capacity' in the US military , citing the 'tremendous medical costs and disruption' their presence would cause. (Photo: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Is it safe to lock trans people in their house?
It is not your job to lock trans people in their house to keep them safe from the world. It is your job to make the world safe for them to exist. “It’s not safe for you” is what a parent tells their toddler, not what an adult tells another independent adult.
How much money has the Pentagon spent on transgender people?
Earlier this month, Military.com reported the Pentagon has spent $15 million in the past five years to treat 1,892 transgender troops, including $11.5 million for psychotherapy and $3.1 million for surgeries - a relative drop in the bucket compared to the mammoth $35.6 billion for descretionary health care spending in the proposed 2022 budget.
How long do transgender people have to be in the army?
Transgender candidates previously had to serve in their biological sex and prove they have been mentally and physically stable for 36 months before enlisting or commissioning in the Army. Under the new policy, new recruits can serve in their self-identified gender and only have to demonstrate 18 prior months of stability.
What is gender transition care?
To qualify for gender-transition care, soldiers have to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. According to the American Physicatric Assosication, gender dysphoria refers to psychological distress resulting from an individual's biological sex conflicting with their identity. Treatment from the Army will consist of four elements: "hormones, ...
What are the elements of Army treatment?
Treatment from the Army will consist of four elements: "hormones, psychotherapy, real-life experience, and surgical intervention ," Col. Deidra Briggs-Anthony, assistant deputy of health affairs for manpower and reserve affairs explained. But not all soldiers will require all four components for their transition.
Can transgender soldiers serve in the army?
Transgender soldiers can openly serve in the Army and the force will provide hormone theropy, mental health care and surgeries they might require, according to a force-wide memo issued out last week.
Can a soldier's gender be a cause of involuntary separation?
A soldier's gender identity will no longer be a cause for involuntary separation, denied reenlistment or other adverse action, according to the memo. The Army's new policy follows President Joe Biden's executive order on his first week in office in January repealing a Trump-era ban on transgender troops.
Is the Army fitness test gender specific?
While the Army's previous fitness test had a dramatic difference in standards between men and women, it is unclear if the new test will incorporate gender-specific standards as leaders continue to tweak it.
How much would the military health system cost if it was extended to transgender service members?
According to the study – which analyzed private health insurance data on gender transition-related expenditures – the Military Health System costs would only increase by $2.4 million to $8.4 million a year if the care were extended to transgender service members.
What did Trump say about transgender military?
In announcing his ban on Wednesday, President Trump claimed that such transgender military service brings "tremendous medical costs". President Donald Trump claimed that transgender service members would plague the military with “tremendous medical costs” when he announced a sweeping ban on Twitter Wednesday morning.
How much did the police spend on Melania Trump?
Further, when the First Lady Melania Trump and the president’s youngest son Barron were still residing at Trump Tower, the New York Police Department said it was spending up to $146,000 a day just to protect them, according to Fortune. The first lady remained at the residence until June.
How much did the US spend on the Tomahawk missiles?
According to MarketWatch, those missiles likely cost $1 million each – meaning the entire operation cost the U.S. around $60 million.
How many soldiers have gender dysphoria?
Since then, 1,524 troops have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. In the active-duty force there were 500 in the Army, 442 in the Navy, 354 in the Air Force, 101 in the Marine Corps, 33 in the Coast Guard and four in the uniformed Public Health Service. And 90 service members served in the reserves.
How much does the Pentagon spend on health care?
He noted that the Pentagon spends about $50 billion per year on health care. "A few million spent here is dwarfed by the treatment cost of virtually any ache and pain you can think of," said Carson, who is now a professor of public policy at the University of Virginia.
How much does psychotherapy cost?
Psychotherapy sessions cost nearly $5.8 million and surgery cost more than $2 million, according to the data. The Pentagon's budget this year is $716 billion. Brad Carson, the Pentagon's former top personnel official and one of the architects of the Obama-era policy, said Wednesday that the number of transgender troops is smaller than anticipated, ...
Do transgender people get treatment in the military?
The number of transgender troops serving who have not sought treatment through the military is not known . Transgender troops and their medical and psychological treatment has been a flash point for controversy since President Donald Trump tweeted in July 2017 that he wanted to ban them from the military.
How many veterans are transgender?
A federal study revealed that more than 15,000 service members and 134,000 veterans identify as transgender. Rep. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican, is an Afghanistan veteran and sits on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
How much does gender reassignment surgery cost?
Taxpayers will now foot the bill for gender reassignment surgery for active military personnel and veterans, with some treatments costing upward of $200,000 under an executive order signed by President Biden.
Why is Biden making transgender people a protected class?
Biden has made transgender people a protected class because other recruits are not accepted if they have an existing medical condition that would require ongoing treatment , he said. Spoehr also predicted that many would join the military to receive free surgery.
Does Biden say the cost of treating transgender troops would have minimal impact on healthcare costs?
Although Biden stated in his order that the cost of treating transgender troops would have minimal impact on healthcare costs, that is not borne out by a 2019 USA Today investigation.
How many transgender people are in the military?
The move takes effect less than two months after a RAND Corporation study commissioned by the Pentagon found that between 1,320 and 6,630 active-duty US service members identify as transgender:
How many troops undergo hormone therapy annually?
The study further determined that between 25 and 130 of those troops would seek to undergo reassignment surgery per year, while another 30 to 140 troops annually would opt for hormone treatment.
Does the military need to provide gender transition?
The Secretary of Defense has made clear that service members with a diagnosis from a military medical provider indicating that gender transition is medically necessary will be provided medical care and treatment for the diagnosed medical condition .
Who is serving a 35 year sentence for leaking classified documents?
The announcement of the new treatment policy also followed the US Army’s decision in September 2016 to pay for gender reassignment surgery for Pvt. Chelsea Manning, who is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking classified documents.
Does the Pentagon pay for gender reassignment?
Image via Program Executive Office. The Pentagon is now paying for gender reassignment treatment and, in some cases, surgery for United States service members. The policy, which took effect on 1 October 2016, could cost between $2.4 million and $8.4 million a year. Pentagon spokesperson Ben Sakrisson said the treatments will be reserved ...