Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois will begin covering gender reassignment surgeries under Medicaid.
Most states provide health care related to gender-transition. Illinois was one of last 10 holdouts.
That's according to Dr. Magda Houlbergcof Howard Brown Health Care, which is the largest LGBTQ health care system in the Midwest.
Houlberg said the exclusion discriminates again trans and gender-nonconforming people in violation of Affordable Care Act guidelines.
“Illinois really took a leadership role in doing this. This is a huge step forward for trans health.”
Houlberg says an estimate shows there are about 4,000 to 10,000 trans people in Illinois who could be helped under the new guidelines, set to take effect this summer.
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