Health insurance must cover facial feminisation surgery, court rules
For the first time in Switzerland, a court has ruled in favour of a transsexual person in a case brought against their health insurer. Basic coverage must pay for the woman’s face surgery which was the last stage of her sex reassignment process.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SRF-RTS/ln
Swiss public television RTS reported on Wednesday that the Geneva woman had won a case that had lasted more than two years.
Lynn Bertholet began her gender reassignment process in 2014. Born a man, she initially underwent a primary reassignment operation on her reproductive organs and had a breast operation.
She then underwent a procedure called orbit recontouring. Female eye sockets tend to be smaller, and this operation reduces the eye socket bones.
“Three surgeons explained to me that my face had pronounced features – my eye socket bones – and that by surgically reducing them, I would feel better,” said Lynn in an interviewExternal link with RTS.
She concluded that the operation, which cost CHF5,780 ($5,785) was necessary to complete her gender reassignment process, before which she had felt like “a woman living in the wrong body.”
Cosmetic vs. medical
The health insurance company, Groupe Mutuel, refused to cover the cost of the facial surgery, arguing that it “must be considered an aesthetic improvement” in the same way that the “modifying the facial appearance of a biologically born man or woman” would be.
But the court decided that the insurer will have to reimburse Bertholet the full amount of the operation.
The Swiss Patient’s AssociationExternal link applauded the decision and said it was sensible for an insurance company to pay for a one-off operation rather that covering alternative treatments which could last years or even decades.
Facial feminisation surgery for transgender people was not an aesthetic procedure but a medically necessary intervention to treat an illness called “gender dysphoria”, said Simon Zurich, vice president of the association in French-speaking Switzerland.
There was no appeal lodged against the Geneva court’s decision, and the ruling could set a precedent for similar cases throughout Switzerland, reported RTS.
More
More
‘I did not want to die a man’
This content was published on
Stefanie Stalder faced a dilemma as a transgender person in a rural region of Switzerland. Should she end it all or live her identity as a woman?
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss transgender group launches campaign against workplace discrimination
This content was published on
Transgender Networks Switzerland (TGNS) have launched a nationwide “Trans Welcome” campaign to combat discrimination against transgender people at work.
This content was published on
Gay or lesbian parents are almost non-existent in the Swiss mainstream media, unlike in the United States. But are things changing?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.