Calgary Herald - AB, Canada
Liepert expands sex-change coverage eligibility
By Trish Audette, edmontonjournal.com
April 14, 2009
EDMONTON € ’· Health Minister Ron Liepert said Tuesday nearly twice as
many people will be eligible for government-funded gender reassignment
surgeries before the province stops paying for the service to save
money.
Last week, when the government announced cutting the program would
save roughly $700,000 a year, Liepert said the 26 people already on
the list to get the surgery would still be funded. On Tuesday, he
added roughly 20 people who have already begun paying for their own
hormonal medication in preparation for gender reassignment.
€ ’³It would not be right for us to now say, € ’±Well, you€ ’²ve spent all this
money, we€ ’²re now going to change the rules,€ ’² € ’´ Liepert said. € ’³It seems
to me to be unfair to have someone believe that a certain surgery was
going to take place, dug into their pockets for hormonal drugs that
were prescribed by the medical community, and somehow we don€ ’²t follow
through on it.€ ’´
The minister said he made the decision to expand the list of people
being funded based on media reports over the weekend that highlighted
the concerns of people on waiting lists who cannot afford procedures
that run as high as $80,000. With about three dozen people who support
the transgendered community or are waiting for gender reassignment
surgeries watching from the gallery, Liepert side-stepped questions of
human rights during Tuesday afternoon€ ’²s question period at the
legislature.
Last May, a 10-year battle to reinstate public funding for gender
reassignment surgeries came to a close in Ontario, when that
province€ ’²s human rights commission found the decision to cut the
program discriminatory. Liepert and Premier Ed Stelmach emphasized
cutting funding for sex change surgeries comes down to a line-by-line
analysis of the budget.
€ ’³We€ ’²re just saying the taxpayers will be no longer funding this
particular surgery,€ ’´ Stelmach said. € ’³If you€ ’²re speculating on the fact
that some people may challenge the government decision under (the)
Alberta Human Rights Commission, then we€ ’²ll see what happens.€ ’´
Members of the transgendered community are expected to file human
rights complaints in Calgary and Edmonton today. Edmonton-Centre
Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman said the province has set itself up for
the kind of long-haul legal wrangling Ontario experienced.
€ ’³It was a very long battle and a very, very expensive battle, and one
that I would hope this government would be smart enough not to get
involved in,€ ’´ she said. € ’³And they just walked right into it.€ ’´
Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MLA Rachel Notley suggested the government
€ ’³back up, calm down, (and) do the right thing.€ ’´
€ ’³This is a black eye for this government if they actively try to stop
these folks from getting the services they need.€ ’´
The Journal learned Monday Alberta€ ’²s handling of the issue has even
drawn the attention of daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Jamie-Lynn Garvin, a 47-year-old who has been living as a woman for
the last two years while waiting for her gender reassignment
operation, has become the face of the debate in the last week. She
told her story to media outlets and spoke to her MLA, St. Albert
Conservative Ken Allred, who now has questions about the plan to
delist funding. On Tuesday, Allred asked Liepert whether he was aware
the surgeries are funded by other provinces.
€ ’³We could get into a long debate about what is funded in other
provinces and what is funded in Alberta,€ ’´ Liepert answered.
Garvin said the news Liepert would be expanding funding to those still
on the waiting list was € ’³fantastic€ ’´ € ’· if it pans out.
€ ’³I€ ’²m not 18 years old. I€ ’²ve been around the block more than once, and
I€ ’²ve heard a lot of things come out of politicians€ ’² mouths,€ ’´ she said.
€ ’³It€ ’²s a $40,000 announcement for me, if it€ ’²s true. (But) there€ ’²s a lot
of things that can happen between what he just said and when it comes
down to what Alberta Health finally tell us.€ ’´
taudette@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Cutting+change+coverage+necessary+says+Alberta+health+minister/1495792/story.html
Showing posts with label Edmonton Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edmonton Journal. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Cutting sex-change coverage necessary, says Alberta health minister
Edmonton Journal, Canada
Cutting sex-change coverage necessary, says Alberta health minister
By Trish Audette, edmontonjournal.com
April 14, 2009 3:04 PM
EDMONTON — Health Minister Ron Liepert wondered Tuesday whether
Alberta needs an expert panel to determine what is medically necessary
as his government continues to make "tough decisions" about what
should be covered by the province.
During Tuesday's question period, about three dozen people who support
the province's transgendered community — or who themselves are waiting
for gender reassignment surgery— sat in the legislature's public
gallery and listened to Liepert explain that the medical procedure is
not the only service being cut.
He confirmed the 26 Albertans currently in line to undergo gender
reassignment will have their surgeries covered by the province, and 20
more people on the verge of being approved will also be covered.
Beyond that, however, Liepert stuck to the province's plan to cut
$700,000 from health care spending by ending the coverage of gender
reassignment surgeries.
"Unless we get a handle on expenditures, we won't have a publicly
funded health care system," he said.
The transgendered community was blindsided by the province's decision
to cut the program last week. For individuals, the costs of gender
reassignment surgery can amount to as much as $80,000.
Liepert has said the decision was not political, but a matter of a
line-by-line analysis of spending.
The other major cut to public health care spending was $53 million,
saved by cutting funding to chiropractic services.
"Our interest, of course, is to be here as peaceful witnesses to this
issue," said Jan Lukas Buterman, who was among the people who met on
the legislature's front steps before question period.
On Wednesday, members of the transgendered community are expected to
file human rights complaints in Calgary and Edmonton.
taudette@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Health/Cutting+change+coverage+necessary+Liepert/1495792/story.html
Cutting sex-change coverage necessary, says Alberta health minister
By Trish Audette, edmontonjournal.com
April 14, 2009 3:04 PM
EDMONTON — Health Minister Ron Liepert wondered Tuesday whether
Alberta needs an expert panel to determine what is medically necessary
as his government continues to make "tough decisions" about what
should be covered by the province.
During Tuesday's question period, about three dozen people who support
the province's transgendered community — or who themselves are waiting
for gender reassignment surgery— sat in the legislature's public
gallery and listened to Liepert explain that the medical procedure is
not the only service being cut.
He confirmed the 26 Albertans currently in line to undergo gender
reassignment will have their surgeries covered by the province, and 20
more people on the verge of being approved will also be covered.
Beyond that, however, Liepert stuck to the province's plan to cut
$700,000 from health care spending by ending the coverage of gender
reassignment surgeries.
"Unless we get a handle on expenditures, we won't have a publicly
funded health care system," he said.
The transgendered community was blindsided by the province's decision
to cut the program last week. For individuals, the costs of gender
reassignment surgery can amount to as much as $80,000.
Liepert has said the decision was not political, but a matter of a
line-by-line analysis of spending.
The other major cut to public health care spending was $53 million,
saved by cutting funding to chiropractic services.
"Our interest, of course, is to be here as peaceful witnesses to this
issue," said Jan Lukas Buterman, who was among the people who met on
the legislature's front steps before question period.
On Wednesday, members of the transgendered community are expected to
file human rights complaints in Calgary and Edmonton.
taudette@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Health/Cutting+change+coverage+necessary+Liepert/1495792/story.html
Cutting sex-change coverage necessary, says Alberta health minister
Edmonton Journal, Canada
Cutting sex-change coverage necessary, says Alberta health minister
By Trish Audette, edmontonjournal.com
April 14, 2009 3:04 PM
EDMONTON — Health Minister Ron Liepert wondered Tuesday whether
Alberta needs an expert panel to determine what is medically necessary
as his government continues to make "tough decisions" about what
should be covered by the province.
During Tuesday's question period, about three dozen people who support
the province's transgendered community — or who themselves are waiting
for gender reassignment surgery— sat in the legislature's public
gallery and listened to Liepert explain that the medical procedure is
not the only service being cut.
He confirmed the 26 Albertans currently in line to undergo gender
reassignment will have their surgeries covered by the province, and 20
more people on the verge of being approved will also be covered.
Beyond that, however, Liepert stuck to the province's plan to cut
$700,000 from health care spending by ending the coverage of gender
reassignment surgeries.
"Unless we get a handle on expenditures, we won't have a publicly
funded health care system," he said.
The transgendered community was blindsided by the province's decision
to cut the program last week. For individuals, the costs of gender
reassignment surgery can amount to as much as $80,000.
Liepert has said the decision was not political, but a matter of a
line-by-line analysis of spending.
The other major cut to public health care spending was $53 million,
saved by cutting funding to chiropractic services.
"Our interest, of course, is to be here as peaceful witnesses to this
issue," said Jan Lukas Buterman, who was among the people who met on
the legislature's front steps before question period.
On Wednesday, members of the transgendered community are expected to
file human rights complaints in Calgary and Edmonton.
taudette@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Health/Cutting+change+coverage+necessary+Liepert/1495792/story.html
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Oprah’s interest piqued by Alta.’s sex-change funding decision
Edmonton Journal, Canada
Oprah’s interest piqued by Alta.’s sex-change funding decision
By Jodie Sinnema, Edmonton Journal
April 13, 2009
EDMONTON — The Alberta government’s decision to stop funding
sex-change surgery has attracted the attention of the Oprah Winfrey
Show.
Edmonton resident Sarah King, who’s hoping to get the surgery next
year in Montreal, said she was contacted through e-mail by the popular
U.S. talk show when it got word Alberta was cutting funding.
A message from Harpo Studios in Chicago said the show wasn’t doing a
story now, but would contact her for an interview if it does a segment
on transsexuals in the future.
Kris Wells, a researcher at the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies
and Services at the University of Alberta, said if Oprah tells her
audience about the funding cuts, Alberta’s $25-million attempt to
boost its oilsands-tainted image would be a waste.
“Oprah would undo the reputation of Alberta,” Wells said. “Alberta is
going to look like one of the most fundamental jurisdictions in the
world.”
Meanwhile, transgender Albertans are ramping up efforts to reverse the
government’s decision to stop paying for the surgery.
More than 30 people are expected to crowd question period at the
provincial legislature in Edmonton on Tuesday, with some planning to
file human-rights complaints en masse Wednesday morning.
“It’s important to show people that we are far different from the
assumptions that are made quite often,” said Mercedes Allen, a
Calgarian who was scheduled to have a sex-change operation in August,
before Alberta Health and Wellness stopped paying for the procedures,
which cost $18,000 to $70,000, as part of its 2009 budget.
“People expect us to be fringe and rabble and such, and that’s not the
case. Many of us are professional people, and I think the public needs
to see that.”
To that end, Allen said, the group won’t be holding signs or chanting
on the legislature steps. Instead, they are crowding question period
to show politicians the surgery is not cosmetic, but a medical
necessity for those who believe they were born in the wrong body and
are the wrong sex.
Allen said she hopes an official human-rights complaint won’t be
necessary if the government reinstates funding.
“We would rather not see the human-rights issues go ahead, because
then it becomes an expensive legal issue, and a lot of us have seen
that happen with the Delwin Vriend case,” Allen said, referring to the
landmark gay-rights case that ended up in the Supreme Court.
“I’m an Alberta and a taxpayer, too. I would rather not go down that route.”
But Allen said she will file a complaint, if necessary. A similar
human-rights complaint in Ontario forced the government to reinstate
funding for the surgery, 10 years after the province delisted it.
“There stands to be a lot of people who stand to lose a lot
financially with the delisting,” said King, who’s meeting with lawyers
to discuss filing a class-action lawsuit against the Alberta
government. Even if the government decides to change its budget
decision, King said she still wants to file an injunction preventing
the government from ever delisting the service again.
Wells said some people think the government delisted the surgery as a
way to test the ground for further delisting — and has been surprised
by the negative, vocal response.
“A lot of people are speculating that this is part of the government’s
Machiavellian plan to throw this particular issue out there as a
smokescreen, one they knew would be controversial and will detract
attention from other cuts,” Wells said.
“There are some who believe this is just one tactic by the current
government to start a wholesale initiative for delisting health-care
services. Now, when it’s targeting one vulnerable community and the
other communities don’t speak out, which will be next?”
Laurie Blakeman, the Liberal representative for Edmonton Centre, said
she thinks the government’s decision to cut the program funding was
based on ideology, and not on the need to tighten belts.
“They just don’t like and support this community, so they’re just
going to punish them,” said Blakeman.
“It is bigger than the transgender community. If there is any one
thing that can make a difference, it’s that kind of effort from the
community to pressure the government, because it does seem to be the
one thing they respond to: that real push back from the public on a
given issue.”
Edmonton Journal
jsinnema@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Oprah+interest+piqued+Alta+change+funding+decision/1492407/story.html
Oprah’s interest piqued by Alta.’s sex-change funding decision
By Jodie Sinnema, Edmonton Journal
April 13, 2009
EDMONTON — The Alberta government’s decision to stop funding
sex-change surgery has attracted the attention of the Oprah Winfrey
Show.
Edmonton resident Sarah King, who’s hoping to get the surgery next
year in Montreal, said she was contacted through e-mail by the popular
U.S. talk show when it got word Alberta was cutting funding.
A message from Harpo Studios in Chicago said the show wasn’t doing a
story now, but would contact her for an interview if it does a segment
on transsexuals in the future.
Kris Wells, a researcher at the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies
and Services at the University of Alberta, said if Oprah tells her
audience about the funding cuts, Alberta’s $25-million attempt to
boost its oilsands-tainted image would be a waste.
“Oprah would undo the reputation of Alberta,” Wells said. “Alberta is
going to look like one of the most fundamental jurisdictions in the
world.”
Meanwhile, transgender Albertans are ramping up efforts to reverse the
government’s decision to stop paying for the surgery.
More than 30 people are expected to crowd question period at the
provincial legislature in Edmonton on Tuesday, with some planning to
file human-rights complaints en masse Wednesday morning.
“It’s important to show people that we are far different from the
assumptions that are made quite often,” said Mercedes Allen, a
Calgarian who was scheduled to have a sex-change operation in August,
before Alberta Health and Wellness stopped paying for the procedures,
which cost $18,000 to $70,000, as part of its 2009 budget.
“People expect us to be fringe and rabble and such, and that’s not the
case. Many of us are professional people, and I think the public needs
to see that.”
To that end, Allen said, the group won’t be holding signs or chanting
on the legislature steps. Instead, they are crowding question period
to show politicians the surgery is not cosmetic, but a medical
necessity for those who believe they were born in the wrong body and
are the wrong sex.
Allen said she hopes an official human-rights complaint won’t be
necessary if the government reinstates funding.
“We would rather not see the human-rights issues go ahead, because
then it becomes an expensive legal issue, and a lot of us have seen
that happen with the Delwin Vriend case,” Allen said, referring to the
landmark gay-rights case that ended up in the Supreme Court.
“I’m an Alberta and a taxpayer, too. I would rather not go down that route.”
But Allen said she will file a complaint, if necessary. A similar
human-rights complaint in Ontario forced the government to reinstate
funding for the surgery, 10 years after the province delisted it.
“There stands to be a lot of people who stand to lose a lot
financially with the delisting,” said King, who’s meeting with lawyers
to discuss filing a class-action lawsuit against the Alberta
government. Even if the government decides to change its budget
decision, King said she still wants to file an injunction preventing
the government from ever delisting the service again.
Wells said some people think the government delisted the surgery as a
way to test the ground for further delisting — and has been surprised
by the negative, vocal response.
“A lot of people are speculating that this is part of the government’s
Machiavellian plan to throw this particular issue out there as a
smokescreen, one they knew would be controversial and will detract
attention from other cuts,” Wells said.
“There are some who believe this is just one tactic by the current
government to start a wholesale initiative for delisting health-care
services. Now, when it’s targeting one vulnerable community and the
other communities don’t speak out, which will be next?”
Laurie Blakeman, the Liberal representative for Edmonton Centre, said
she thinks the government’s decision to cut the program funding was
based on ideology, and not on the need to tighten belts.
“They just don’t like and support this community, so they’re just
going to punish them,” said Blakeman.
“It is bigger than the transgender community. If there is any one
thing that can make a difference, it’s that kind of effort from the
community to pressure the government, because it does seem to be the
one thing they respond to: that real push back from the public on a
given issue.”
Edmonton Journal
jsinnema@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Oprah+interest+piqued+Alta+change+funding+decision/1492407/story.html
Savings a pittance
Edmonton Journal, Canada
Savings a pittance
The Edmonton Journal
April 13, 2009
In a $36-billion budget, the Alberta government chooses to eliminate
$700,000 for gender reassignment surgeries. By my calculation that's a
whopping 0.00194 per cent of the budget.
Sorry, but to me this looks like a convenient opportunity to disguise
blatant and cruel discrimination as fiscal prudence.
If it wasn't tragic, it would be laughable.
And the saddest thing is that the government will now have to spend
considerably more than they will save in defending this policy before
a human rights tribunal.
It's wrong, mean-spirited and petty, and for what it's worth, against
my religious principles.
Rev. Brian Kiely, Unitarian Church of Edmonton
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
Savings a pittance
The Edmonton Journal
April 13, 2009
In a $36-billion budget, the Alberta government chooses to eliminate
$700,000 for gender reassignment surgeries. By my calculation that's a
whopping 0.00194 per cent of the budget.
Sorry, but to me this looks like a convenient opportunity to disguise
blatant and cruel discrimination as fiscal prudence.
If it wasn't tragic, it would be laughable.
And the saddest thing is that the government will now have to spend
considerably more than they will save in defending this policy before
a human rights tribunal.
It's wrong, mean-spirited and petty, and for what it's worth, against
my religious principles.
Rev. Brian Kiely, Unitarian Church of Edmonton
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
Alberta's transgendered bring protest on funding to legislature
Edmonton Journal, Canada
Alberta's transgendered bring protest on funding to legislature
By Jodie Sinnema, edmontonjournal.com
April 13, 2009 5:18 PM
EDMONTON — Members of Alberta’s transgendered community are ramping up
efforts to reverse a government decision ending funding for
gender-reassignment surgery.
More than 30 people are expected to crowd question period at the
legislature Tuesday with some planning to file human rights complaints
on mass Wednesday morning.
“It’s important to show people that we are far different from the
assumptions that are made quite often,” said Mercedes Allen, a
Calgarian who was scheduled to have a sex-change operation in August
before Alberta Health and Wellness stopped paying for the $18,000 to
$70,000 procedures as part of budget 2009.
“People expect us to be fringe and rabble and such, and that’s not the
case. Many of us are professional people and I think the public needs
to see that.”
To that end, Allen said the group won’t be holding signs or chanting
on the legislature steps. Instead, they are using civic action to show
government representatives that the surgery is not cosmetic, but a
medical necessity for those who believe they were born in the wrong
body and gender.
“One thing that is positive is seeing how many people are stepping up
to the plate and speaking and putting on a good face to the
community,” Allen said. She hopes launching an official human rights
complaint won’t be necessary if the government reinstates funding.
“We would rather not see the human rights issues go ahead because then
it becomes an expensive legal issue and a lot of us have seen that
happen with the Delwin Vriend case,” Allen said, referring to the
landmark gay rights that ended up in the Supreme Court. “I’m an
Alberta and a taxpayer, too. I would rather not go down that route.”
But Allen said she will if it’s necessary. A similar human rights
complaint in Ontario forced the government to reinstate funding for
the surgery 10 years after the province delisted it.
jsinnema@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
Alberta's transgendered bring protest on funding to legislature
By Jodie Sinnema, edmontonjournal.com
April 13, 2009 5:18 PM
EDMONTON — Members of Alberta’s transgendered community are ramping up
efforts to reverse a government decision ending funding for
gender-reassignment surgery.
More than 30 people are expected to crowd question period at the
legislature Tuesday with some planning to file human rights complaints
on mass Wednesday morning.
“It’s important to show people that we are far different from the
assumptions that are made quite often,” said Mercedes Allen, a
Calgarian who was scheduled to have a sex-change operation in August
before Alberta Health and Wellness stopped paying for the $18,000 to
$70,000 procedures as part of budget 2009.
“People expect us to be fringe and rabble and such, and that’s not the
case. Many of us are professional people and I think the public needs
to see that.”
To that end, Allen said the group won’t be holding signs or chanting
on the legislature steps. Instead, they are using civic action to show
government representatives that the surgery is not cosmetic, but a
medical necessity for those who believe they were born in the wrong
body and gender.
“One thing that is positive is seeing how many people are stepping up
to the plate and speaking and putting on a good face to the
community,” Allen said. She hopes launching an official human rights
complaint won’t be necessary if the government reinstates funding.
“We would rather not see the human rights issues go ahead because then
it becomes an expensive legal issue and a lot of us have seen that
happen with the Delwin Vriend case,” Allen said, referring to the
landmark gay rights that ended up in the Supreme Court. “I’m an
Alberta and a taxpayer, too. I would rather not go down that route.”
But Allen said she will if it’s necessary. A similar human rights
complaint in Ontario forced the government to reinstate funding for
the surgery 10 years after the province delisted it.
jsinnema@thejournal.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
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