FACT CHECK: Military Spends Five Times More On Viagra Than Transgender Medical Care
Health care costs for transgender troops is a red herring.
Donald Trump on Wednesday morning announced via Twitter that transgender Americans would no longer be able to serve in the military. As part of his reasoning, Trump cited the medical costs associated with transgender troops.
But here’s the thing, health care for trans troops costs the military a minuscule amount of money.
Oh, and by the way, the military spends at least five times more on Viagra prescriptions than it does on all health care costs for trans troops.
According to the Washington Post, which was citing a study by Rand Corp., “Considering the prevalence of transgender servicemembers among the active duty military and the typical health-care costs for gender-transition-related medical treatment, the Rand study estimated that these treatments would cost the military between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually.”
The study confirms that health care for trans troops is a minuscule portion of the military’s health care budget.
The Washington Post also noted that “The military spends $41.6 million annually on Viagra alone, according to the Military Times analysis — roughly five times the estimated spending on transition-related medical care for transgender troops.”
And for additional perspective, the cost of health care for trans troops is about one thousandth of 1 percent of the Defense Department’s annual budget.
