HEALTH
Queer Couple Sues Aetna Over Fertility Treatments
Health insurance company vows to make changes in response to lawsuit
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
A queer couple has
slapped the health insurance
company Aetna
with an anti-LGBTQ
discrimination lawsuit after they
were allegedly required to pay more
out of pocket for fertility treatments
than straight couples.
In a class action lawsuit fi led on
September 13 in Manhattan federal
court, Emma Goidel and her spouse
claim they spent $45,000 on fertility
treatments because Aetna’s policy
calls for LGBTQ couples to pay out
of pocket for fertility services before
receiving coverage. The couple accuses
Aetna of sex discrimination
and anti-LGBTQ bias for denying
to cover fertility services for LGBTQ
individuals.
The lawsuit claims that Aetna violated
a state policy established this
year directing the Department of
A queer couple is suing Aetna for allegedly refusing to cover their fertility treatments.
Financial Services to eliminate any
extra costs facing same-sex couples
seeking fertility treatments, such
as in vitro fertilization, egg freezing,
sperm donations, and more. .
REUTERS/LUCAS JACKSON
Goidel, who is covered through
her partner’s Aetna health insurance
plan for Columbia University
students, said last year they paid for
multiple failed fertility treatments
with no help from insurance.
According to the complaint, Aetna’s
policy states that if a samesex
couple cannot get pregnant because
of their sexual orientation or
gender identity, they must pay out
of pocket for 12 cycles of fertility
treatments. However, heterosexual
couples facing the same reproductive
challenges can obtain immediate
coverage for fertility treatments
if they are unsuccessful in getting
pregnant for a year.
Aetna is vowing to address the issue
with the couple.
“Upon further review, certain
costs were improperly denied after
a change in New York State coverage
requirements only weeks earlier,”
a spokesperson said in a written
statement. “Those costs will be
promptly covered, and we’ll review
similar cases to ensure coverage
decisions were made according to
the new requirements.
MILITARY
VA Restores Benefi ts to Discharged LGBTQ Veterans
Changes coincide with 10th anniversary of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Dont Tell”
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
On the 10th anniversary
of the repeal of the
“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
Act, the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a directive
intended to restore benefi ts
and honorable status to veterans
discharged due to their sexual orientation
and HIV/AIDS status.
In an announcement on September
20, the department reaffi rmed
that veterans who were terminated
due to the discriminatory policy
could get their veteran statuses
corrected and are poised to receive
a wide range of VA benefi ts, including
health care, burial benefi ts,
pensions, and more. Kayla Williams,
the assistant secretary for
public affairs in the VA’s Offi ce of
Public and Intergovernmental Affairs,
underscored the importance
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough has issued a directive to correct the discharge status
of LGBTQ service members and individuals living with HIV.
of protecting the rights of LGBTQ
veterans.
“The repeal of DADT (Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell) gave LGB service
VOGEL/POOL VIA REUTERS
members the freedom to serve
without having to hide an essential
part of themselves,” Williams
said in a written statement. “It
also recognized what so many
of us already knew to be true:
That one’s ability to serve in the
military should be measured by
character, skills, and abilities,
not who one loves.”
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy
was imposed during the Bill Clinton
administration in February of
1994 and prohibited lesbian, gay,
and bisexual veterans from serving
openly in the military. Some
individuals were harassed or outed
if colleagues suspected they were
part of the LGBTQ community,
and according to the Center For
American Progress Action Fund,
approximately 14,000 gay and lesbian
service members have been
discharged from the military since
1993.
Lawmakers are also proposing
legislation that would add weight
to the new policy changes.
September 23 - October 6,6 2021 | GayCityNews.com
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