U. Of Illinois Adds Sex-Changes To Insurance

University of Illinois trustees have voted to add coverage for sex-change operations to the health insurance plan used by many students at the flagship campus.

About 28,000 of the Urbana-Champaign campus' 40,000-plus students use the insurance and will see costs rise by 15 percent. Undergraduates will pay $291 a semester starting next fall. That's an increase of $37.

But university officials say just $2 of that amount is to add sex-change coverage. The other $35 is due to the federal Affordable Care Act.  

Trustee Timothy Koritz, an anesthesiologist, cast the one of two votes against. He said he's concerned students that are still in their teens are too young to make decisions about something that can't be undone.

Trustees added sex-change coverage at the Chicago campus last year after some students requested it.