Considering it's .0004 to .0013 of the military healthcare budget, not particularly concerning. It's referred to as a rounding error in one of two studies done expressly to evaluate this issue.
True cost of transgender care in military
As for the disruption caused by gender transitions, the study found that fewer than 0.1 percent of military members would seek treatments that could delay deployments.
Surgery and treatment is delayed if it interferes with deployment. (See memo for Navy link-- the armed forces are fairly uniform on policy but the Navy has to cover things like diving specifically).
If you are seeking specific health care and Trump is banging on about cost, it would be nice to have data. Oh yes we do... it's not a burden.
How many transgender individuals are there in the military? How many of them want to transition? (Based on data from the Australian military, not many). How many of them want hormone therapy?
The US is battling this out with bigotry instead of actual evidence, which exists. We aren't doing anything new here. Aussies have data!
And military life doesn't allow for a great deal of privacy. The idea that you are going to have to live a lie every day is difficult for many people. People who have specific
medical needs. Try hiding your sexuality from "the guys". You'll be in some very forced situations because
you have almost no privacy.
It is so bizarre to me that a group that knows what stigma is like, drug users, that seeks specific and expensive medical care without stigma in different forms depending on what you believe (MAT, rehab, redesigned rehab, legalized shooting galleries, legalized marijuana, needle exchange, emergency medical care for drug-related issues like abscess care or fecal impaction, etc.) is so clear on the 'fact' that transgender individuals are just messed up people. Guess what? That's what most people think about addicts.
You can say this is about military service or whatever, but really it's not. It's as obvious as people who believe that ODs are all suicides, because who would want to live like that? Why not just let them die? You know, thin the herd.
It's hateful and disgusting.
Try reading a study or two. Or some policy. If .0013 on the high side of an almost $50 billion budget is too much, then maybe we shouldn't have encouraged transgender people, who are in the military in unknown numbers, that they could seek medical care and be honest about the reason why.
If fewer than .001 (which is what 0.1% means) want a treatment that would interfere with deployment and the deployment takes precedence, then what exactly is the real issue?
If it's military readiness and someone from Seal Team Six ffs and Tathra say it's about professionalism, then what is the real problem?
And then to throw women under the bus, nice! A man will white knight for her! Getting a good man killed!
If you haven't been in combat, you really don't have an opinion that matters much. That's what makes a difference in how you decide things. Data or your uneducated, bigoted self-important gut.
I know because I used to do this and luckily my mentors and study participants changed my narrow little mind.
So I'm looking forward to opinions about expenses and the budget and blah blah blah.
Just. say. it.