When Russell Toomey required a medically necessary double mastectomy in 2004, the recent college grad didn’t have the $8,000 to pay for it. But with the help of his father-in-law, Toomey — who was just beginning to transition from the gender he was assigned at birth — was able to get the medical care he needed.
Recently, Toomey’s doctor has recommended that he have a hysterectomy — another medically necessary, but expensive, surgery. This procedure will also require Toomey to pay out-of-pocket since Arizona’s health insurance coverage excludes transition-related surgery.
