Transgender Emerson Student Gets His Surgery Covered After All

Emerson's insurance provider, Aetna, came through in the end.

Donnie Collins, the Emerson student whose fraternity brothers helped raise more than $20,000 to cover the cost of his top surgery, has learned that his insurance will help pay for the procedure after all. The Globe reports that after drawing major media attention, Emerson contacted their insurance provider, Aetna, for clarification on why his request hadn’t been approved. The insurance company responded by saying that they’d changed their benefits to cover transgender medical care back in 2006, but the language in their policy had not been updated. Collins, who has been understandably overwhelmed by all the attention, told BostInno he was thrilled at the news. He will now need only $2,000 of the funds raised to cover his copay and travel expenses. He’s donating the rest of the money to the Jim Collins Foundation, which provides grants to young people who need gender conforming surgery. Hats off to Emerson for stepping up and ensuring their students get the care they deserve.