Colorado looks to be setting the standard surrounding LGBTQ healthcare coverage. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services approved Colorado’s request to include comprehensive coverage for gender-affirming healthcare in the state’s benchmark health insurance plans. This makes Colorado the first state in the country to do so.
Colorado Representative Brianna Titone (D-Arvada), one of the first transgender lawmakers elected in the country, released a statement following the news.
“Every person deserves access to the full range of health services they need, and I’m proud that Colorado is leading the way to cover comprehensive care for LGBTQ+ people in our state,” Titone says. “For too long, too many transgender and nonbinary people have struggled to access the healthcare they need, despite having health insurance. These services are critical for the health and safety of LGBTQ+ communities and will provide more Coloradans with the agency they need to affirm their identities.”
The approved plans also include coverage for alternative to opioid medications to help address substance use disorder, which was a requirement of HB 21-1276, legislation sponsored by Chris Kennedy and Leslie Herod. The plans also include an annual mental health wellness exam, established through HB 21-1068, sponsored by Representatives Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Titone.
Titone was elected to represent Colorado’s 27th District in November 2018 and is Colorado’s first trans woman elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. She spoke with OFM shortly after the election, in which she emphasized in her campaign that she was there to represent the interests of everyone in the community, LGBTQ folks and beyond.
“I think it’s important getting people that are often forgotten about some say in what really goes on, making sure that they’re not behind everyone else,” Titone says. “When there are bills that are going to come before me, I’m going to think about the people that might be affected that they’re not thinking about or have considered.”
Photo courtesy of Representative Brianna Titone
