U Of I Trustees To Weigh Sex-Change Insurance For Urbana Campus

University of Illinois trustees are expected to vote Thursday on adding coverage for sex-change operations to the health insurance plan used by many students at the flagship campus.

Many of the Urbana campus' more than 40,000 students use the insurance and would see costs rise by 15 percent if the proposal is approved.

Undergraduates would pay $291 a semester starting next fall. That's an increase of $37.

But university officials say most of that increase is due to the Affordable Care Act rather than adding sex-change coverage.

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

Some trustees have expressed concerns about paying for sex changes for very young students and about possible moral objections that could be raised by some parents.