Jordan
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I have been looking into permanent hair removal as a first phase of my physical transition from male-to-female. However, being on disability makes this PROHIBITIVELY expensive and although there is coverage for transition related procedures on Pennsylvania's Medicaid (unlike the other state I came from), I am fairly certain that permanent hair removal is not on the list.
Now, I support a single payer system, don't get me wrong on that, and I believe that generally, unnecessary cosmetic surgery should not be covered. However, I struggle daily with having to shave WITH TWO RAZORS every day just to keep up a somewhat feminine appearance. My hair grows in very fast and it is very hard to keep up. I know hormones will ameliorate this somewhat, but dammit, they are not permanent for hair growth.
I feel like my face is a garden that is being constantly infested with an expensive weed problem and there is no way I can deal with this in a cost-effective manner. It causes me a lot of emotional pain when I see hair growing on my face or on my chest (and my legs too, although my leg hair takes longer to grow back in). I feel like crying every day, wishing that when I was in elementary school, I would have had an unfortunate accident with something sharp, thus stopping puberty from ever happening and thus rendering hair growth moot.
I'm not one that would support a healthcare system covering cosmetic surgery (except of course, for trauma victims). But I feel that laser hair removal for me is necessary for my sanity and is an essential part of my transition process, and thus, it SHOULD BE COVERED.
Plus, it pays itself off by NOT HAVING TO SHAVE!!!
-Jordan Gwendolyn
