Changes

Although the foreskin has [[Immunological and protective function of the foreskin| immunological and protective functions]], Government medical insurance in the United States still holds the notion, which originated in the late 19th century, that the [[foreskin]] is a cesspool of disease, and circumcision improves hygiene and prevents sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), therefore it is best cut off and insurance should pay for it without any proof of medical indication or necessity, so there are no effective controls in force to see that only medically necessary services are covered.<ref name="hodges1997">{{REFbook

|last=Hodges

|author-link=Frederick M. Hodges

|year=1997

|title=A Short History of the Institutionalization of Involuntary Sexual Mutilation in the United States