MassHealth expands care options for trans and nonbinary folk
It is now easier and more affordable for some trans and non-binary residents to get gender-affirming healthcare in Massachusetts, after changes by MassHealth.
Effective September 1, MassHealth issued updates to what’s considered “medically necessary,” in gender-affirming healthcare.
The changes apply to the accessing of gender-affirming surgeries, and facial masculinization or feminization surgeries, as medically necessary.
An explanation of what has changed and what stays the same can be found here and here.
It follows after Transhealth Northampton in Massachusetts opened the first independent comprehensive trans healthcare center nationwide in May this year.
“We are breaking new ground and saying that trans rights are human rights,” said Dallas Ducar, Transhealth Northampton’s CEO. “While the politics of this issue swirl across the nation, Transhealth Northampton is taking concrete steps to make it clear that trans rights are human rights.
Transhealth Northampton will be the first independent comprehensive healthcare center to be led by the trans community and for the trans community, and the first to focus on gender-affirming care in a rural landscape.
The healthcare center will provide trans and gender-diverse people of all ages in Western Massachusetts clinical services including: primary adult care, pediatric care, gender-affirming hormonal care, and mental healthcare. A range of non-clinical services will also be available to support the community, and its broader agenda will be advanced through research, education, and advocacy.
“The heart of what we do at Transhealth Northampton is helping people and families understand their overall health needs,” said Pediatrician and Clinical Director Andrew Cronyn, MD, FAAP. “Watching parents develop a deeper understanding of their children’s diverse needs, and watching children feel understood, is incredibly rewarding.”
Transhealth Northampton was created because trans and gender-diverse people in Western Massachusetts lacked access to the healthcare services they needed. In 2020, members of The Fenway Institute, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and Harvard Medical School produced a needs assessment study of the community called The PATH Project (Plan and Act for Transgender Health). Transhealth Northampton is a direct response to these needs.
“Being able to find and have access to healthcare providers who affirm one’s identities and experiences is critical to the health and wellbeing of trans and gender-diverse people,” said Brooke Stott, Project Manager at Transhealth Northampton. “Our team is committed to being community led and ensuring that patients have a healthcare experience that celebrates and empowers them.”
ABOUT TRANSHEALTH NORTHAMPTON
Transhealth Northampton is the first independent comprehensive trans healthcare center in the nation. The healthcare center was built to empower trans and gender-diverse adults, children, and families through clinical care, research, education, and advocacy.
