Does Kaiser require a letter for T?

[rothkokid]

I go to Kaiser Permanente. I know that, according to the new WPATH SOC, you don't need a letter from a therapist before starting T. I've read from a few sources that Kaiser doesn't require a letter if you go to a trans*-friendly endo, and that Kaiser has a list of trans*-friendly endos on their site. There's a trans*-friendly endo close to me. I've been diagnosed with GID, and it's in my record (Kaiser works paperlessly, so I've also heard that as long as the diagnosis is in my records, I'm good). However, I'm still not 100% sure if Kaiser requires a letter. Do they? And if they do, does the letter need to be written by a Kaiser therapist, or can you have an independent therapist write it? Also, do I need to first go to my GP and ask for a referral to an endo, or can I call the endo myself and ask for an appointment? Thank you.

[Annah]

even with WPATH, it's still up to the call of the Endocrinologist and many of them are so used to the therapy letters, they may continue to require letters......especially with Kaiser.

I used to have to deal with Kaiser when I worked for Liberty Mutual Disability Insurance. Kaiser, is without a doubt, the worse medical based corporation Liberty Mutual (and five other companies we have talked to) ever had to deal with. A thread cannot describe the horrors and disgusts we have seen that Kaiser does in terms of cutting corners, charging the patient exuberant medical transcript fees (we were involved in a court case because Kaiser consistently charged 500% more than the state's law for charging medical paper transfers). Ive seen people misdiagnosed (someone was diagnosed for stomach cramps and later found out she had cancer and that was the source of her pain....she went into stage three cancer and it could have been stopped at stage one).

So based on my professional experiences, Kaiser will jerk you along as much as possible to squeeze every penny from you and your health insurance.

If I were you, make sure you contact your health insurance company to be your advocate in case kaiser pushes against you and leave California (I'm almost certain you live in California, because Kaiser has a Medical Monopoly in the state). I know leaving sounds crazy but I would leave if Kaiser was in charge of my transition. I would have had better results in the formal Soviet USSR

Google "kaiser permanente rip offs" and check out a few of the 350,000 results.

Good luck and I wish you well!