Insurance Coverage for Facial Masculinization Surgery Will Promote Gender-Affirming Health Equity

The latest Standards of Care, issued in 2022 by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, designate facial masculinization surgery (FMS) as beneficial for some people. Yet health insurance carriers have not adjusted coverage policies, despite growing public interest in FMS. We review the current state of insurance coverage and geographic availability of FMS in the United States. Efforts should be made to expand insurance coverage, alongside other measures to improve access. Designating FMS as a medically necessary intervention eligible for coverage by both public and private insurance carriers is likely to reduce inequities in access to transmasculine care.