ATTN: Sign form to end medicaid coverage of circumcision in NY

[AnonS5]

https://apps.nyhealth.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/contact_form.action

"Intact America
THE DEADLINE FOR SENDING RECOMMENDATIONS TO NEW YORK’S MEDICAID REDESIGN TEAM IS TOMORROW! Tell Gov. Cuomo that thousands of dollars can be saved by ending Medicaid funding of routine circumcision. According to NYS Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson, “The highest volume recommendation so far is for ending Medicaid's coverage of male infant circumcision.” Keep those submissions coming -- write to them NOW!"

Fill out these form telling medicaid it would save money from cutting circumcision as a part of its coverage because its medically unnecessary!

[tony12345]

Intaction.org has sent several letters to the NYS Department of Health, Helgerson, and various members of the Medicaid Redesign Committee.

As NYS is our home base, we giving this extra attention.

Good Job Techydude for picking up on this!

[Minuteman]

Could somebody familiar with the incidence of circumcision in New York and the "Medicaid" program please type a well referenced, specific template that international (ie non-U.S.) members can cut & paste into the form?

Submissions that address the specifics of the situation in a given jurisdiction carry more weight with policy-makers than generic statements about the harms and unnecessary expense of circumcision, and I don't have time to research the incidence of circumcision in New York or the U.S. "Medicaid" program.

See my previous thread (http://www.foreskin-restoration.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6921) for an example of how to make a "Call to Action" which makes it easy for all members to make submissions which follow the policy-makers own guidelines and address the specifics of the issue in a given jurisdiction.

[admin]

I'd like the planners to note that no national medical association on earth (not even Israel's) endorses routine circumcision. As such it is cosmetic surgery and should not be covered under medicaid.

Holland's very up-to-date policy says of circumcision: "KNMG is calling upon doctors to actively and insistently inform parents who are considering the
procedure of the absence of medical benefits and the danger of complications." They also say there is actually a good case to make it illegal.

At the very least, Medicaid must make sure it is shielded from costly litigation and liability if circumcised males start suing over the non-therapeutic amputation of a healthy normal body part. In 2015 we will see the 18th anniversary since the unconstitutional US law - protecting only girls from forced genital cutting - took effect. Those baby boys cut since then will turn 18 and will start suing their doctors, the hospitals, and the payors.

Medicaid must stop paying for non-therapeutic circumcisions as soon as possible.

[Pedantic Nuts]

Sent. I intern for the New York State Assembly. This would be an interesting issue to bring up with my boss, who has considerable clout in the state legislature.

[Minuteman]

Thank you admin, for providing that template. I combined your template, with sections of my previous submission to the Australian 'GP Super Clinic' program to arrive at this for my final submission to New York's Medicaid Redesign Team:

I am writing to ask you to protect boys from the harmful practice of non-therapeutic circumcision. As you may already know, circumcision removes the most sexually sensitive parts of a boy’s penis, including the foreskin, the frenulum, and the ridged band of nerves [1].

The male foreskin is also designed to protect the glans of the penis throughout a man’s life, ensuring that the internal mucosal tissue remains moist and sensitive (much the same way that a woman’s clitoral hood protects the clitoris). In addition, the foreskin acts as a natural gliding mechanism to reduce chafing and dryness during intercourse [2].

Recently you may have heard about several African studies which purport to show a link between male circumcision and reduced transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus, the methodology and conclusions of which have been seriously questioned within the academic literature [3]. While adults are certainly free to choose this elective surgery if they feel it will make them safer (after being fully informed of the risks and consequences), that does not mean that healthy normal infants and children should be forced to undergo circumcision simply because it might offer some possible medical benefit in the future.

By the same token, minors should not be forcefully circumcised to satisfy the religious, cultural, or cosmetic preferences of their parents.

I'd like the planners to note that no national medical association on earth (not even Israel's) endorses routine circumcision. As such it is cosmetic surgery and should not be covered under medicaid.

Holland's very up-to-date policy says of circumcision: "KNMG is calling upon doctors to actively and insistently inform parents who are considering the procedure of the absence of medical benefits and the danger of complications." They also say there is actually a good case to make it illegal.

At the very least, Medicaid must make sure it is shielded from costly liability if circumcised males start suing over the non-therapeutic amputation of a healthy normal body part. In 2015 we will see the 18th anniversary since the unconstitutional US law - protecting only girls from forced genital cutting - took effect. Those baby boys cut since then will turn 18 and will start suing their doctors, the hospitals, and the payors.

Medicaid must stop paying for non-therapeutic circumcisions as soon as possible.


References

1. Morris L. Sorrells, James L. Snyder, Mark D. Reiss, Christopher Eden, Marilyn F. Milos, Norma Wilcox, Robert S. Van Howe Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis British Journal of Urology International, Volume 99 Issue 4 Page 864 – 869 April 2007 http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/bju_6685.pdf

2. Taylor, J.P., A.P. Lockwood and A.J.Taylor The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision Journal of Urology (1996), 77, 291-295 http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/taylor/

3. Lawrence W Green, Ryan G McAllister, Kent W Peterson & John W Travis Male circumcision is not the HIV ‘vaccine’ we have been waiting for! Future HIV Therapy May 2008, Vol. 2, No. 3, Pages 193-199 http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/fu...469600.2.3.193

Other members are welcome to cut, paste and ammend this submission, as long as it reflects their own feelings on the matter.

[admin]

"NY Medicaid report mentions circumcision and intactivist efforts"
Posted by: "Dan Bollinger" danbollinger@comcast.net danbollinger
Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:57 am (PST)

- - - - -

"The highest volume recommendation, said Mr. Helgerson, was for ending
Medicaid's coverage of male infant circumcision."

A complex road to reforming Medicaid

http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110210/PULSE/1 10209858&ct=ga&cad=CAcQAhgBIAAoATAIOAhAy5fQ6gRIAVAAWABiBWVuLVVT&cd=ECLin1WoNCM &usg=AFQjCNENNu2OSfcLXwhxWQ5RTO124-nkcA

The fate of Medicaid cuts and reform will be determined by a scoring
survey completed online by members of the Medicaid Redesign Team. The
process was revealed at yesterday's MRT meeting and unnerved some task
force members.

Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah explained the MRT Feedback Tool,
which he described as an interactive way for a structured group to make
accurate decisions. Members must use the tool to put a quantitative
value on four measures---cost, quality, efficacy and overall impact---on
a scale of -1 to 3. Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson told members that
they would be using the online tool to score 25-30 proposals pulled from
274 ideas. All 274 are online at www.health.ny.gov.

But task force members will have only three days to score the proposals,
based on a one- or two-page summary of each. The scoring is due Feb. 17.
Task force member Dick Gottfried grilled Mr. Helgerson about the
process. After many minutes of task force discussion of the process,
co-chair Michael Dowling said, "There is no perfect process," and urged
members to move on with the discussions.

The task force received 2,047 e-mails about Medicaid cuts and reforms.
The highest volume recommendation, said Mr. Helgerson, was for ending
Medicaid's coverage of male infant circumcision. The deadline for
submitting any new ideas to the MRT is Feb. 11.

The scores of proposals, however, may not be enough to prevent
across-the-board cuts in Medicaid. Mr. Helgerson said the potential
savings only added up to two-thirds of the Cuomo administration's
target. "A lot of the ideas are for very small savings, in the $5
million to $20 million range," he said. "The approach is to come up with
a larger group of items that in aggregate gets us closer to our target.

[Colorado]

Done.
If health care coverage won't pay for infertility why should it pay to damage and scar a human for life?

Elective surgery is just that. Elective. If you want it YOU will pay for it. Not your community or OUR health care system.
Colorado

[freddys]

I read about it in another forum earlier today, and sent my own two cent piece.

[admin]

A video of the 4-hour Feb 9 committee meeting is online in case you have insomnia:

http://www.totalwebcasting.com/view/?id=nysdoh

[admin]

A video of the 4-hour Feb 9 committee meeting is online in case you have insomnia:

http://www.totalwebcasting.com/view/?id=nysdoh

At minute 25 - 30 they put up a slide with "Eliminate Male Circumcision Coverage" on it as one of the highest-volume change submissions, but when the moderator discusses it he is dismissive and apologetic, and attributes it to a national movement.

[admin]

The recommendation for committee to drop circumcision coverage made the papers:

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/capital-connection/albany/article345423.ece