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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1998)
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First Time Buyers ♦ FHA/VA Loons ♦ Self-Employed Bankruptcies & Foreclosures ♦ Complicated Borrowers Investment Properties ♦ Credit Problems 3% Down Programs ♦ Pre-approvals for Purchase W e handle a il conform ity and nonconform ity loans. Cad today for a free qualification over the phone 503 / 698-5429 Taper 503/870-1666 Christine C. Hall Mortgage “Broker •President’s Club J aquay P aves the W ay Transsexual left in medical limbo continues her battle for coverage under Oregon Health Plan by In g a S o re n se n O livia Jaquay says she is “skeptical” about the Oregon Medical Assis tance Programs’ recent withdraw al of a May 13 “final order” deny ing her request for medical cover age related to her October 1997 change of sex. Her skepticism isn’t surprising, given that Jaquay, who is dependent on the Oregon Health Plan for health care, has been battling with the state for months to have her final surgery cov ered by public funds. Her requests have repeat edly been denied. On April 21, Jaquay went before the state hoping previous denials would be overturned and her request granted. In response, O M AP issued the May 13 final order denying her request. Jaquay in turn sought a rehearing and reconsideration. That petition, says Margaret Deirdre O ’Hartigan, acting director of the Filisa Vistima Foundation, a Portland organization that advocates for transsexuals, was denied by O M AP hearing officer David Lackey on July 6. In response, Jaquay filed for judicial review by the Oregon Court of Appeals in mid-August. According to a foundation press release issued Sept. 23, “Jaquay has consistent ly maintained that O M A P denied her a fair hearing on April 21 by violating her right to cross- not provide a reason for the withdrawal, but offered a referral to the attorney general’s office. Oregon Department* of Justice spokesman Peter Cogswell, meanwhile, pointed out the portion of the notice of withdrawal that states the “purpose for withdrawing this order is to grant petitioner a hearing on reconsideration in this matter." An article in the May 1, 1998, issue of Just Out described Jaquay’s struggle: “A t the heart of the matter lies one basic yet astonishingly com plicated question: Is a sex change operation elective or corrective surgery?” The Oregon H ealth Com m ission has held hearings on whether the Oregon Health Plan should cover transsexualism; a task force was appointed to study the issue. Reporter Patrick Collins wrote: “For Jaquay, the surgery which would allow her to finally cross the bridge from male to female is far more than cosmetic. After taking hormones for 19 years, Jaquay sold personal property to finance her initial surgery. There is, of course, more PHOTO BY LINDA KLIEWEH i WHh alm ost a decade o f experience in the Portland real estate m arket, serving our com m unity's needs, we can help you find your dream home. "How many people on the Oregon Health Plan have been denied their right to a rehearing because they couldn't afford an attorney and didn't know how to fight the system themselves?" — Olivia Jaquay examine witnesses and interfer ing with her right to advance her arguments without undue inter ference from Hearing Officer Olivia Jaquay Lackey, among other issues.” According to O ’Hartigan, O M A P filed its “notice of withdrawal” on Sept. 17, the very day the agency transcription proceedings of Jaquay’s April 21 hearing were due in the Court of Appeals. A state attorney general’s office document says the “purpose of withdrawing {the final] order is to grant petitioner a hearing on recon sideration of this matter.” A hearing is slated for Oct. 19, and O M AP is proposing “to affirm, modify or reverse its order” and notify the Court of Appeals of its action on or before Nov. 16. Jaquay says she has yet to learn why O M A P withdrew the May 13 order— information, she says, that could be helpful as she prepares for her hearing on reconsideration. O M AP officials contacted by Just Out did surgery to come, which the state refuses to finance even though Jaquay is covered under the health plan.” Jaquay is seeking coverage for labioplasty; without it, “she is particularly prone to a number of ailments, including infections of the kidneys and the urinary tract. The cost: $2,300.” In the Sept. 23 Filisa Vistima Foundation press release, Jaquay expressed concern for oth ers who may be overwhelmed by the red tape. She asks: “How many people on the Oregon Health Plan have been denied their right to a rehearing because they couldn’t afford an attor ney and didn’t know how to fight the system themselves? The most vulnerable people in soci ety— the sick and the poor— are being victim ized by the very system that claims to help them.”