"We've received the Oregon Insurance Division's directive to implement this new mandate, and we are working to ensure that our members' future coverage aligns," Scott Burton, a spokesman for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, said in a statement.
"We're still assessing the impact of the ruling, and will continue to monitor state and federal guidance on this topic," said Kathy Born, a spokeswoman for LifeWise, another large insurer in Oregon.
When Ray Crider heard the news, he danced around his apartment with his wife. A 28-year-old transgender man living in Portland, Crider fought a long battle to convince a previous employer to include transgender services in his policy.
Although he was insured, Crider paid thousands of dollars out of his pocket for testosterone treatment and mental health care before winning his fight for coverage of gender identity. He finally got a double mastectomy, covered by insurance, a year ago, he said, but not before the binder he used to flatten his chest required several emergency room trips because it constricted his breathing.
"This was one of the most incredible things that could ever happen," Crider said, "to know that there's a state full of people who won't have to go through what I went through."
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