ID says M but not on insurance...

[makipu]

For those who have their gender marker legally changed to male on their driver's license/id cards, did you also have your insurance cards changed or not?  I certainly don't want ignorant people giving me unnecessary problems when I have to go to a doctor and the two things don't match (they ask to see both insurance and id...)

[Carrie Liz]

One of my trans friends has actually had trouble with this very thing... she changed her driver's license and passport, but had trouble changing it on her insurance. It wasn't a big deal, though, it's not like the doctors' office accused her of not being herself just because the genders didn't match, (the name is the only thing that matters there,) but she has had trouble getting her E covered by insurance because she's still listed as male, and maybe a couple of funny looks from doctors who were confused over why she was still listed as male.

[Sebryn]

Well you could do what one of my friends did. She called the insurance company and sounded all embarrassed and told them. "This is going to sound so bad but I just finally noticed that you guys have me listed as male and I'm not. Do you need a copy of my drivers license or anything to fix this sort of type?" They changed it without needing anything. This is especially easy if you recently changed something, like plans or companies. You could even go as far as to say that you had changed your name with them recently and just noticed that someone had accidentally changed the gender marker.

I even know of a mom of a ftm son that called their insurance company with a similar story and got her child listed as male on their insurance after they got his license changed.

[Nikotinic]

As someone who works for an insurance company - I really urge you not to try and sneak this past them. If you get a major illness, especially something related to sex organs/hormones then they could call this non-disclosure or fraud and cancel your policy or deny claims based on the fact that you intentionally mislead them. Just talk to the company, I'm sure they can change it.

[sad panda]

It doesn't seem to matter, my ID says M, my insurance says F (I am MAAB) and I have never had a problem personally, but maybe it's different for other insurances.

(They just changed my gender on insurance without asking or saying they were doing that btw, I didn't even realize at first)

[Jack_M]

In BC we can't change that until after a hysto. I didn't use to mind but the stupid new care cards now actually have it printed on the card and that sucks. My driving license says M and my care card says F! Urgh! Most visits they don't look but when they see it it either gets a weird look or they point out it's wrong. It's stupid. The only people who need to know are those treating, not the receptionists! But hey, eventually I'll get that hysto and rid of the wrong marker.

But yeah, not worth trying to change it without it being legally acceptable, especially in Wall Street run US healthcare! If you need any major, expensive treatment, they get a team of folks to find a way not to fund it. If they discovered then that you deceived them by changing your gendermarker without it being legally valid where you are, that's fraud and say goodbye to the treatment you really need! And yes, they WILL figure that out, and fast. That's a denying team's dream right there!

[sad panda]

In BC we can't change that until after a hysto. I didn't use to mind but the stupid new care cards now actually have it printed on the card and that sucks. My driving license says M and my care card says F! Urgh! Most visits they don't look but when they see it it either gets a weird look or they point out it's wrong. It's stupid. The only people who need to know are those treating, not the receptionists! But hey, eventually I'll get that hysto and rid of the wrong marker.

But yeah, not worth trying to change it without it being legally acceptable, especially in Wall Street run US healthcare! If you need any major, expensive treatment, they get a team of folks to find a way not to fund it. If they discovered then that you deceived them by changing your gendermarker without it being legally valid where you are, that's fraud and say goodbye to the treatment you really need! And yes, they WILL figure that out, and fast. That's a denying team's dream right there!

What kind of conditions would that even be relevant to? Like reproductive cancers?

[Bimmer Guy]

But yeah, not worth trying to change it without it being legally acceptable, especially in Wall Street run US healthcare! If you need any major, expensive treatment, they get a team of folks to find a way not to fund it. If they discovered then that you deceived them by changing your gendermarker without it being legally valid where you are, that's fraud and say goodbye to the treatment you really need! And yes, they WILL figure that out, and fast. That's a denying team's dream right there!

Yes, this is a big deal.  Your insurance must represent your legal gender.  Where I am one's marker can be changed on their driver's license.  That isn't fraud because you hand in a letter from your clinician saying you are in/have transitioned.  However, your LEGAL sex must be on your insurance.  It is fraud folks and it can give you big problems.

[Bimmer Guy]

What kind of conditions would that even be relevant to? Like reproductive cancers?

It would make sense to me that they would have a case to deny paying for any of your health services because you committed fraud by lying to them about your legal sex.  Lying would make your insurance null and void, I suspect.  You signed a document when you signed up for an insurance.  They would have it in the system that you called and changed your sex via telephone without a legal change in your sex.

[sad panda]

It would make sense to me that they would have a case to deny paying for any of your health services because you committed fraud by lying to them about your legal sex.  Lying would make your insurance null and void, I suspect.  You signed a document when you signed up for an insurance.  They would have it in the system that you called and changed your sex via telephone without a legal change in your sex.

Well, I'm a dependent. I had nothing to do with it :c they just decided on their own to change my gender when they were told to change my name.

But also, they have been covering stuff regardless of this, same thing when I had female in my doctor's system and male on my insurance. I had got the impression that they didn't even look at it. But maybe it changes if something big happens.

[Bimmer Guy]

Well, I'm a dependent. I had nothing to do with it :c they just decided on their own to change my gender when they were told to change my name.

But also, they have been covering stuff regardless of this, same thing when I had female in my doctor's system and male on my insurance. I had got the impression that they didn't even look at it. But maybe it changes if something big happens.

Yes, I am thinking in terms of the big stuff and if there is some fluke reason why it is looked at.  I would assume it is different if they were the ones who changed it.  Making a call to the insurance company to tell them to change your sex in the system when you are still legally your birth sex, is something that would be noted in their system.  That is when there would be problems I would think.

EDIT:  changed one word

[Jack_M]

What kind of conditions would that even be relevant to? Like reproductive cancers?

Relevancy is, ironically, irrelevant. They can deny coverage for an operation on your foot if you didn't disclose an issue with your nose. It's not whether it is medically relevant to the current condition, but whether they can find somewhere you've slipped up so they can find reason to deny your coverage. It's in the insurers best interest financially to not pay out.  This is why they have thorough teams to check through all your data in order to try and earn that big bonus when they discover something they can hold against you so they don't have to pay.

If the insurance people themselves changed it, then it's more on them. However, in that situation I'd personally still check what the legality is to make sure that I legally can be classed as that gender for medical reasons. And if not, then I'd call the insurance folks and make sure with them that all is kosher, that way if they say yes, you're on record as having addressed the issue so no blame can come upon you.

Under no circumstances would I EVER suggest trying to get the gender changed through the idea of phoning up and pretending it's accidentally wrong. That's a very, very bad move and could lead to serious issues if you ever do need coverage for more major medical procedures. If it can be legally changed, do it properly. If it can't, leave it alone! Embarrassment alone is not worth the risk. Healthcare professionals absolutely cannot disclose patient information to anyone other than with patient permission or within the same healthcare team. They're not going to out you to the waiting room for example because that would mean opening the hospital or clinic up to a major law suit as well as them very likely being fired. Embarrassment remains reserved to that one person only. It's not worth messing with your future coverage over a momentary embarrassment that cannot go beyond that person anyway.

[Sebryn]

Just to clarify on my earlier post. I was not suggesting that anyone lie to the insurance company. In both cases the people in question were legally recognized as the gender they identified as and had gone through proper channels to change their genders but a certain company (the same one and I'd bet the same company the original poster has) failed to change the gender on the card even though legally both people had done what was requested of them.

[Bimmer Guy]

For those who have their gender marker legally changed to male on their driver's license/id cards, did you also have your insurance cards changed or not?  I certainly don't want ignorant people giving me unnecessary problems when I have to go to a doctor and the two things don't match (they ask to see both insurance and id...)

makipu, I actually didn't answer you directly and I think everyone here assumed you were transitioning as you did not indicate otherwise.  Subsequently, everyone responded from that angle.

If I remember correctly, you aren't planning on going on T or changing your sex.  Your desire is just to change your gender marker on your license.  So to answer the question, no, unless your sex is legally changed, then you cannot change the sex on your medical insurance.

[Nygeel]

The only thing is if you're planning on a hysto you might want to get that done before changing your marker.

[tgchar21]

Relevancy is, ironically, irrelevant. They can deny coverage for an operation on your foot if you didn't disclose an issue with your nose. It's not whether it is medically relevant to the current condition, but whether they can find somewhere you've slipped up so they can find reason to deny your coverage. It's in the insurers best interest financially to not pay out.  This is why they have thorough teams to check through all your data in order to try and earn that big bonus when they discover something they can hold against you so they don't have to pay.

Actually, that has (somewhat) changed with the introduction of the ACA this year. What Jack said was certainly true in years past, but one of the reforms is restraining insurance companies for denying or cancelling coverage for minor omissions or errors that aren't relevant to the procedure in question. Now for an insurance company to deny or cancel coverage you would have to knowingly and intentionally lie, and it would have to have a tangible effect on the coverage/payout (in other words actually be trying to commit fraud) - also remember that insurance companies are also banned from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

[makipu]

Thank you for the replies everyone. That's a lot of information for me. Maybe I should have given more details beforehand.  I am currently on Medicaid . I have my ID finally changed to male and insurance still has F. The thing with getting it changed to M however is the issue because I am afraid that I won't be covered if I were to get checked for female related problems.

I am in a position where I will only take T to get my voice to the male level and then stop it afterwards. I am planning on having top surgery but currently there is no way I am able to afford it (Unless anyone knows of any other way besides surgery)

@Brett: What do you exactly mean by "changing sex"?  Does top surgery count / is that enough to change the sex?

[Jack_M]

There's no one answer to that, you have to look up what counts by your state/province/country for that. Some places will accept hrt alone, top in some, although rare. The main one I've seen is to have undergone bottom surgery as in removing reproductive parts, so hysto for ftms.

[Jack_M]

Actually, that has (somewhat) changed with the introduction of the ACA this year. What Jack said was certainly true in years past, but one of the reforms is restraining insurance companies for denying or cancelling coverage for minor omissions or errors that aren't relevant to the procedure in question. Now for an insurance company to deny or cancel coverage you would have to knowingly and intentionally lie, and it would have to have a tangible effect on the coverage/payout (in other words actually be trying to commit fraud) - also remember that insurance companies are also banned from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

That is true but again, it's easily argued as still being a fradulant claim and the lawers would have a one up there, even if done with ignorance.

[Bimmer Guy]

Thank you for the replies everyone. That's a lot of information for me. Maybe I should have given more details beforehand.  I am currently on Medicaid . I have my ID finally changed to male and insurance still has F. The thing with getting it changed to M however is the issue because I am afraid that I won't be covered if I were to get checked for female related problems.

I am in a position where I will only take T to get my voice to the male level and then stop it afterwards. I am planning on having top surgery but currently there is no way I am able to afford it (Unless anyone knows of any other way besides surgery)

@Brett: What do you exactly mean by "changing sex"?  Does top surgery count / is that enough to change the sex?

Changing sex meaning changing your sex legally - in a court of law.  Like Jack said, it depends on your state.  For mine, it is top surgery.  That is what I think many/most(?) states are.  So, for me, even though I am not on T, but since I have had top surgery, I could change my sex.  You are just going to have to manage with the I.D./driver's license as M and the medical insurans/car insurance/all insurance, as female.  How were you able to get your I.D. changed anyway if you are not on T or done anything body related?  What is the law(s) for your State around ID/license gender marker change?