Group Insurance Board and exclusion of gender reassignment services
This information is being shared with CALS employees on behalf of the UW-Madison Office of Human Resources.
Last July, the Group Insurance Board (GIB) approved the removal of an exclusion for gender reassignment services based on a newly-finalized federal requirement under the Affordable Care Act. The change was effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Since the State of Wisconsin is part of a federal lawsuit challenging this federal requirement, the Wisconsin Department of Justice urged the GIB to reinstate the exclusion. The GIB has decided to reinstate the exclusion.
Effective Feb. 1, 2017, surgical services, procedures, hormones, and supplies related to gender reassignment are no longer covered for participants of the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program. Therefore, state group health insurance only covered gender reassignment benefits from Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, 2017.
For more information, please go to 2017 Uniform Benefits and Services Related to Gender Reassignment or Sexual Transformation – HHS Nondiscrimination Rule.