I need to find out if I have insurance. To be honest, I am a little hesitant to ask for fear of my health insurer flagging my account somehow which might preclude me getting coverage for other things that might be okayed, like hormones. I have insurance through my employer. According to the HRC corporate equality index by employer does support trans health coverage. It could end up being the case that I *have* insurance coverage for SRS, but am limited in where I can go and still have it covered. In that case UM might be one of my few options. Before I even get to that point though, I'd like to figure out if I would *want* to go there. I would like to end up with a vagina that it is (borrowing from Jenny Boylan) "sensate, mucosal, and orgasmic". Add "attractive" to that list! Can I get this at UM? Do they do enough SRS surgeries that they can do as good of a job as the surgeons that do them almost daily, like Marci Bowers? FWIW, I have been told that the medicare ban lift has them overwhelemed with requests right now.
Yes, I expect that UM will be expensive. I'd might guess higher than 30K. In my particular case though this would be partially offset by not having travel costs. And being able to easily see the surgeon in person if I have an issue arise after going home.
You might be right about the in-house therapists, through their website says that they will still work with you if you are mid-transition, so I don't know. My therapist is not "in-house" but she has worked with UM regularly and helped start the gender services program there. She also knows the surgeons. So, I don't think this will be an issue in my case.
That still leaves me with trying to figure out if I want to go there. I'm a little surprised that no one one Susan's seems to have gone there. It actually kind of scares me.
Thanks,
Kim
