Yale University recently became the latest college to add gender confirmation surgery to its student health plan. A campus-wide email sent last Thursday announced the school's plan to cover the cost of such procedures.
At least 36 universities -- among them a number of Ivy League institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard -- already cover the procedure, notes FoxNews. Yale began covering the procedure for faculty and staff in 2011 and for unionized workers in January of 2013, according to the Yale Daily News, the school's student newspaper.
For months Yale had reportedly considered extending this coverage to students.
“This additional student coverage follows a period of several years when similar coverage was provided to Yale employees,” University spokesman Tom Conroy told the Yale Daily News. “It made sense, after appropriate study, to bring the student coverage in line with Yale’s belief that, in some circumstances, sex-reassignment surgery is medically necessary and appropriate.”
The Yale Health website states that the coverage change will take effect on Aug. 1.
Each procedure will be approved on a case-specific basis, using commonly accepted guidelines, Conroy told Yale Daily News. He also told CampusReform that the additional benefit would not change students' insurance premiums.