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Woman Reaches Settlement With Library Over Insurance Dispute

A woman suing the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has reached a deal to end the suit. Attorneys for Rachel Dovel say she "has received insurance coverage for sex reassignment surgery." That coverage was previously excluded, leading to the lawsuit.Dovel sought for insurance to cover sex reassignment surgery, but the procedure wasn't covered under the library's base plan. Dovel sued the library in September 2016 arguing that "not covering medically necessary health care for a transgender employee constituted discrimination on the basis of sex under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause."

The library had said it was unable to purchase a rider that would cover the procedure. It later voted not to do so.

Dovel underwent the surgery at the end of 2016 at her own expense.

In a statement, Dovel's attorneys say once Anthem added the coverage to its base plan, the library moved up its re-enrollment date to provide the coverage.

As part of the settlement, the library will expand its "efforts to build an inclusive and trans positive environment, including expanding materials on LGBT issues," the statement says.

Senior Editor and reporter at WVXU with more than 20 years experience in public radio; formerly news and public affairs producer with WMUB. Would really like to meet your dog.