Underwriting Transgendered Lives

[Hydraskull]

Transgenders often go through bouts of depression due to their condition and the pain that comes along with not fitting in or knowing one's place in society.

The medical history interview and prescription drug databases should uncover any psychiatric treatment or the use of anti-depressants. This would warrant a deeper look into the applicant's medical history.

I don't believe an insurer would decline based on someone being transgendered. They would definitely request an APS to get background on why an applicant is on anti-depressants or has seen a psychiatrist. They would definitely decline based on any suicidal ideations uncovered in an APS.

APS = attending physician's statement, btw.

[BLASTFROMTHEPAST]

I think a company would decline a transgendered person. I'm basing that completely on a vague recollection of a conversation I had with an underwriter at some undefined distant point in the past.

I think this might be a question better answered by an underwriter?

[CPlusPlus]

Bumping up this old thread that I started last year, since the recent Caitlyn Jenner news has brought trans issues back into the limelight? I'm really curious if any advances have been made on this. I suspect that there still isn't much underwriting data available on trans lives.

[BruteForce]

I work for a health insurance carrier. We have like 7 values that can be entered in the Gender field for a member. I don't remember them all, but I know that they like to keep track of if you are going from one gender to another since you're going to have some expensive drugs long term. I don't know to what extent this is used for underwriting purposes.

[MathGeek92]

john hopkins just released a report about why they dont do gender surgeries any longer.

it explains the high suicide rate quite well.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by MathGeek92

john hopkins just released a report about why they dont do gender surgeries any longer.

it explains the high suicide rate quite well.

?
I was unaware of John's Hopkins just releasing a report regarding transgender surgery.

[campbell]

yeah, that was released a long time ago

it was one of the doctors who published an op-ed referencing the earlier research

[Sculler]

I would guess that it would be based off of legal gender.

[JMO]

Originally Posted by Sculler

I would guess that it would be based off of legal gender.

Does driver's license count?

[Completely Absorbed]

I don't have business experience in this subject, just wanted to point out that it's much kinder to say "transgender" than "transgendered". The latter implies this is a thing that happened to that person, and most transgender folk will identify their gender identity issues as having been painfully aware to them since they were very young children, and for many is an ongoing process.

Second point, which has been made already, but is important for those who are learning about the trans community, is that not all transgender people get gender reassignment surgery. Some want it but cannot afford it, some do not want it, but may still transition. Not all trans folk get hormones either. Some people identify as gender queer (male or female aren't adequate gender descriptors for these people), or gender fluid (may present as male, or female, or gender queer, differently at different times).

Overall seems like an issue you can just say "well, it's a small number of people and probably won't matter", but I wonder how small it really is? And also, wouldn't the OP's question be highly relevant if you're writing a group policy for a Transgender outreach center, where the likelihood of a much higher % of transgender employees is high?