Friday, November 11, 2016 Q&A with Dr. Jean Amoura
In January 2017, the University Health Center will begin offering a Transgender Care Clinic. Dr. Jean Amoura, who brings 10 years of experience in transgender care and hormone treatment, will be the primary care provider for the clinic. On Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 4-5 p.m., the LGBTQA+ Resource Center is hosting a meet and greet with Dr. Amoura in the Nebraska Union, room 346.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became actively involved in transgender medical care?
A: I’ve been a practicing OB-GYN in Omaha for nearly 20 years. Shortly after I started my practice, a transgender patient occasionally asked me about hormone treatment because I managed hormones a lot for cisgender women. From that moment on, transgender care became a regular part of and is now the majority of my practice as of the past 10 years, which is when the need in the community became very self-evident.
Q: Why do you think it is important for the university to offer trans care services? How many universities offer this service?
A: In my experience, it has been difficult for patients to know where to turn when they’re interested in transitioning. They seek a safe place and someone who has the knowledge, experience and ability to help with their medical transitions and resources. Having transgender care services readily available to students at UNL is incredibly helpful to that community because it means they don’t have to seek it out. Students should be focused on their primary job of being a student and not where in the state they can go for the gender affirming services they need.
I believe there’s a small contingent of other universities that offer transgender care, but I’m not sure what that number is.
Q: What types of services will the Trans Care Clinic offer?
A: My main role will be starting and managing hormone treatment for both trans men and trans women. I will also continue to follow patients and maintain their hormone therapy. I have experience with other resources in the area that are known by me to be transgender friendly, and I will share these as needed.
Q: How will the Trans Care Clinic operate (hours, scheduling, etc.)?
A: This information will be decided in the coming weeks. One reason for this meet and greet is so I can get to know members of the UNL transgender community and assess the need for care, which will help us finalize these details.
Students may be curious whether the clinic is covered by insurance. The University Health Center says that depends on the individual's insurance policy. The University Health Center is passionate about bridging the affordability gap for UNL transgender students, which is why the StudentBlue Insurance policy is one of only four Blue Cross and Blue Shield policies nationwide to offer transgender assignment/reassignement coverage. Of the four, the university's policy has the highest maximum coverage for the 2016-2017 academic period. The chart below indicates the coverage by StudentBlue for the 2016-2017 academic year.
| Gender Alignment/Transgender Reassignment | In-network Provider | Out-of-Network Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Inpatient Services | Deductible and Coinsurance | Deductible and Coinsurance |
Outpatient Services
|
$20 Co-pay Deductible and Coinsurance |
Deductible and Coinsurance Deductible and Coinsurance |
Emergency Car Services (Services received in a hospital emergency room setting)
|
$300 Co-pay then Deductible and Coinsurance Deductible and Coinsurance |
In-network level of benefits In-network level of benefits |
Surgery and related Covered Services are limited to $75,000 while covered. These benefits are in effect until July 31, 2017.
For questions related to benefits, please contact the University Health Center's Billing and Insurance department at (402) 472-7435.