We are asking Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to Fund pre-op procedures for GRS (Gender Reassignment Surgery). More specifically to cover cost of Electrolysis or Laser hair removal to the surgical sight. Currently OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) covers the surgery, however they do not cover pre-op hair removal. This alone can run thousands of dollars and is in some instances a prerequisite for the surgery. The burden of this cost for per-surgical hair removal is prohibitive to some members of our community, preventing them from getting the actual surgery. This causes frustration, mental distress, dysphoria and financial hardship. The lack of coverage for this per-surgical procedure, can be worse than the actual recovery from the surgery. The additional costs for hair removal would allow more opportunity for member of our community to actually achiever their gender conformity.
