An insurance company in Israel denied a mastectomy refund for a transgender man, claiming that gender dysphoria was a mental disorder.
Ayalon Insurance said to the unidentified man that they do not cover treatments for “mental disorders or psychological conditions,” according to Haaretz. The man is appealing the company’s choice as discriminatory through the Human Rights Clinic at Tel Aviv University.
“My classification as transgender has nothing to do with mental disorder,” the man said to Haaretz. “This is an unfair and wrong generalization.”
The World Health Organization removed gender dysphoria as a mental illness. Sex change surgeries and procedures are covered by subsidized medical services in Israel.