Disney Health Plan Ordered to Cover Transgender Teen’s Residential Treatment Costs

A federal judge has ordered Walt Disney's health plan to cover the medical expenses of a transgender teenager's stay at a residential treatment center.

The company's claims administrator had denied coverage, citing that the child was not at 'imminent risk' of harming himself. However, Judge Dolly M. Gee ruled after trial that there was 'ample evidence' of persistent thoughts of suicide and self-harm.

The teenager's treatment at Compass Behavioral Health was deemed necessary, appropriate, and infeasible at a lower level of care. The judge ordered the parties to confer on the total amount of benefits owed, with the teen's care costing around $55,500.