Albany

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Health Department announced a regulatory change that will remove a Medicaid exclusion that had denied transgender patients access to transition-related surgery and treatment.

"After years of advocacy, we're thrilled that transgender New Yorkers will finally be able to access medically necessary health care through Medicaid," said Nathan Schaefer, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, an advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, causes.

Dropping the Medicaid exclusion does not apply to all treatment services or to those younger than 18, which advocates will seek to change.

It was the second victory in as many weeks that drew praise from transgender people and advocates.

Last week, Cuomo sent a letter to commercial insurance companies requiring them to cover gender reassignment surgery, hormone therapy and other gender transition treatments that previously had been denied in many instances. The governor called it a matter of "rights and dignity to all New Yorkers."

The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and other health care organizations agree about the need to provide medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria, a condition when a person's gender at birth is contrary to the one with which they identify. Before Cuomo's directives, transgender people had to pay $20,000 or more for gender reassignment surgery when their health insurance would not cover it, or put off surgery all together.

Advocates are continuing to push for passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act. GENDA would ban discrimination based on gender identity or expression for housing, employment, credit and public accommodations and expands state hate crimes law to include crimes against transgender individuals. The GENDA bill has passed the Assembly for the past seven years, but the Senate has not allowed a floor vote.

pgrondahl@timesunion.com • 518-454-5623 • @PaulGrondahl