Emerson student’s insurance to cover trans surgery

Donnie Collins (Image capture via YouTube)

BOSTON — A 19-year-old transgender student whose fraternity at Boston’s Emerson College has pledged to help with the operation, will get insurance coverage despite an initial rejection of the request, ABC News reports.

School officials told ABC that its insurance provider has agreed to pay for “top surgery,” or breast removal, for Donnie Collins, a student born female but who’s identified as male since prep school. The school contacted provider Aetna after the initial rejection since it said the company has been trans-inclusive since 2006.

Last month, Emerson’s Phi Alpha Tau raised $18,000 for Collins’ surgery when the insurance rejection was initially reported. Collins is now expected to cover his co-pay, travel and care expenses, which are estimated to be about $2,000.

He said on a blog that he will contribute the rest of the donations to a nonprofit that helps pay for gender reassignment surgeries.