Health insurance through the university doesn't explicitly cover the transgender community at Penn State, but one student wants to change that.

Denise Conner, a member of the Coalition of LGBTA Graduate Students -- an advisory group focused on LGBT issues -- is lobbying on behalf of the Commission on LGBT Equity's Ad-hoc Transgender Task Force for better health plans for both transgender students and employees.

Official complaints have been filed with the insurance company for Penn State employees, Conner (graduate-chemistry) said, and there have been ongoing discussions between University Health Services and Student Insurance.

"We had conversations with people at UHS and Student Insurance two years ago that transition care was going to be covered under insurance. It's supposed to be explicitly stated, and it still isn't," Conner said.

Conner and the task force are researching policies of other universities and companies in the hopes of finding a solution, she said.

For employees, transgender care is explicitly prohibited. For students, transgender care is not explicitly excluded under university health insurance. Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS) is excluded under coverage for both employees and students, Conner said.

Current health insurance is in violation of the Penn State Administrative Policy AD42 Statement on Nondiscrimination and Harassment, Conner said.

The non-discrimination act states "the Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status."

"We have commissions of LGBT equity and communities that were excluded -- that weren't kept in mind when policy was made," Conner said.

Employees are insured through Highmark Blue Shield effective Jan. 1, 2008, while students are insured through UnitedHealthcare Student Resources, Conner said.

The employee health plan states "any treatment leading to or in connection with transsexual surgery except for sickness or injury resulting from such treatment or surgery" is not cov-

ered, according to the 2008 PPO Benefit Booklet.

When interested in transition surgery, a person must first undergo counseling for one year before being given hormones, followed by a subsequent year living as the desired gender before even considering undergoing surgery, Conner said.

Employee benefits and Highmark representatives were unavailable for comment as of press time.

Transgender restrictions on employee health plans exist at other Big Ten schools as well. Wisconsin, Ohio State and Purdue's employee plans all explicitly exclude sex transformation procedures and medical services leading up to it. Michigan's employee health plan, however, outlines sexual reassignment surgery in its coverage.

Conner would like to have gender transition spelled out for student insurance.

Karen Kline, the manager for student insurance, said hormone replacement therapy is covered in the student insurance plan.

Health services have been in contact with the Director for LGBT Student Resource Center Allison Subasic as needed, Kline said.

"We have been in touch with them and we continue to work with their director, Allison, as needs arise and discussions take place," Kline said.

Currently, there are no explicit changes coming up for the student plan, Kline said.

"Not at this time, but we are always working without policies and trying to make sure they are appropriate for the students as well as maintaining costs," Kline said.

Conner would like to change the employee plan in the future.

"For employee plan we would like to get policy changed to, at the very least, cover transition care, preferably surgery, too," Conner said.

Most corporation and company insurance policies label SRS as cosmetic and unnecessary, and therefore will not cover the surgery, unless specifically negotiated by a group's coordinator, Conner said.

Alex Yates, a member of the transgender community, is not surprised the university insurance doesn't cover surgery.

"Honestly, that doesn't surprise me. A lot of insurance companies label it as elective surgery. It's not elective. It's something that they really need to undergo," Yates (sophomore-secondary education) said.

Yates, born female, has just begun his male transition.

"I just kind of started my transition, so nothing medical has happened yet. In the future, I do see hormones and top surgery," Yates said.

Yates' insurance company will pay for counseling he must undergo before starting hormones, though Yates doesn't believe his insurance will cover future surgeries.

"It's a manner of being smart about my money because it's something that I really want," Yates said.