ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2019
Navigating Insurance Policies in the United States for Gender-affirming Surgery.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mental health implications of gender affirming care: bridging the communication and supportive gap.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Review
- Barriers of Access to Gender-Affirming Health Care and Surgery: A Systematic Review.Transgender health · 2025Review
- Physical Features Contributing to Gender Dysphoria: The Role of Voice.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
- The limited public information on private health insurance coverage of common sexual health services.International journal of impotence research · 2025Article
- Shifting Paradigms: A Deep Dive Into Public Perceptions of Gender-affirming Surgery.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
- Is #Gender Affirmation Surgery Trending? An Analysis of Plastic Surgery Residency Social Media Content.Transgender health · 2024Article
- Article
- Journeying Through the Hurdles of Gender-Affirming Care Insurance: A Literature Analysis.Cureus · 2023Review
- Imaging in Gender Affirmation Surgery.Current urology reports · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Patients with gender dysphoria seeking to undergo gender affirmation surgery are often challenged by lack of insurance coverage. The authors aim to review gender affirmation surgery policies and to highlight discrepancies between qualifying criteria across top insurance companies in the United States.
methodsThe top 3 insurance companies in each state within the United States were determined by market share. Each insurance policy was analyzed according to coverage for specific "top surgeries" and "bottom surgeries." Policies were obtained from company-published data and phone calls placed to the insurance provider.
resultsOf the total 150 insurance companies identified, policies related to gender- affirming surgery were found for 124. Coverage for gender-affirming surgery varies by insurance company, state, and procedure. Most insurance companies, 122 of 124 (98%), covered chest masculinization, but only 25 of 124 (20%) of insurance companies covered nipple-areola complex reconstruction. Additionally, 36 of 124 (29%) insurance companies covered chest feminization. Vaginoplasty is covered by 120 of 124 (97%) insurance companies. Despite high rates of vaginoplasty coverage, vulvoplasty is only covered by 26 of 124 (21%) insurance companies. Phalloplasty and metoidioplasty are covered by 118 of 124 (95%) and 115 of 124 (93%) of insurance companies, respectively. Slightly more than half, 75 of 124 (60%) insurance companies covered penile prosthesis.
conclusionsAs gender-affirming surgery insurance coverage increases, the policies regarding them remain inconsistent. Standardized policies across insurance companies would further increase access to gender-affirming surgery.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.