Starting T

[Mor]

I've been reading around the site and I'm a bit confused.  Do you need insurance to get T?  Or if you're on an insurance plan, can you opt out of using it to cover your scrip?  I'm not out as trans to my parents b/c of other stuff going on.

[mm]

Hi Mor, You don't have to use insurance to purchase T.  You will probably need a letter from your therapist for an endoc dr to give you a script for T.

[Sebryn]

Actually the letter may not be necessary depending on where you live and the ability to find a doctor or clinic that will prescribe T on an informed consent basis, but seeing a therapist is always a good idea.

[Mor]

Thanks very much!

[TRyan]

I didn't need a letter but then I went to a gender health clinic for T. I took the script to a pharmacy and paid out of pocket.  If you have insurance it will probably pay for it but if you don't want to go through your insurance company you can pay cash no problem.

[BeefxCake]

actually i think a lot of insurance companys don't cover T.

mine sure didn't not to worry though T isn't expensive. doctors visits are though.

if your insurance doesn't cover T they might not cover the endo either.

[TRyan]

With the new laws and obamacare all transition related things are supposed to be covered now.  at least that's what the attorney told me at the local gender health center.

[Bombadil]

TRyan, your attorney might be a bit optimistic.

First, the good news: The ACA bans discrimination that has prevented many transgender people from having health insurance coverage. The Department of Health and Human Services has explicitly stated that the civil rights provision in the ACA prohibits discrimination "based on gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity."

The problem is that interpreting what is and isn't discrimination has been so far left to the states.

"The question is, what is gender identity nondiscrimination?" said Kellan Baker, associate director of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress. "Does it mean you can't hang up the phone on a trans person? Does it mean that you can't cover their cervical cancer treatments unless [a policyholder is] listed female? Does it mean that transition care has to be covered?"

Much of the conversation around gender-identity nondiscrimination and the ACA has centered on whether or not insurance companies have to cover transition-related care. So far, the answer depends on where you live: Only six states and the District of Columbia have formally issued bulletins clarifying that they are interpreting the gender-identity nondiscrimination provision to mean coverage of transition-related care.

California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and Connecticut have all issued formal statements, according to a spokesperson for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD). Maryland has issued what advocates are calling a "partial statement," meaning the Maryland Insurance Commission has reaffirmed nondiscrimination while stating "the exclusion should be narrowly applied to items and services that are directly related to the gender reassignment process."

The District of Columbia just issued a bulletin last week.

[TRyan]

Hmmm.  I see what you're saying christopher. I'll have to explore this further. Crap-I was hoping for help to cover top surgery.