Ladies,
This comes directly from a Customer Care Manager from Cigna that reviews and pushes transgender surgery claims to the proper departments for approval.
She is working with me on my case and I asked if I could share her info with the community and she said yes.
If you have Cigna Health Insurance AND your customer ID number begins with a "1" then this info is for you. Your id number is on the front of your insurance card.
Jasmin L. Fort
Customer Service Supervisor-Escalated Call Team
CIGNA
13045 Tesson Ferry Road F2-33
St. Louis MO 63128
PH (570) 342-8443
FX (860) 735-7733
E-mail:
jasmin.fort@CIGNA.comNew legislation has gone into effect on 01/01/2017 that removes most if not all of the loopholes that were allowing health insurers to continue denying our surgeries.
Cigna IS now approving gender reassignment surgeries and they have approved mine as well a week ago.
They are still denying breast implants as a cosmetic procedure. However, I found a pdf and some language of their own to fight that. (I will attach the pdf in my next post.)
I have been on hormones for 4 1/2 years with no significant development. So by their own language it should be approved, Currently it is in appeal review status. Fingers crossed.
To my knowledge, FFS is NOT being covered at this time.
Now the bad news:
I have reached my max out of pocket already ($5550 deductible + 20% copay) of $6550.
Cigna is NOT reimbursing for any expenses that exceed your max out of pocket such as airfare, transportation, paying someone to go with you, their airfare, and over the counter medications, diapers, bed pads or feminine wipes. You are your own if you have to travel out of state because a provider isnt available to you locally. It's complete garbage and it shows there is still much progress to be made.
They will reimburse for prescriptions as long you have exceeded the annual max out of pocket.
The good news is you can claim every expense on your taxes and you SHOULD exceed the standardized deduction I believe but not 100% as I am not a CPA.
If I can answer any questions let me know, otherwise contact Jasmin with questions how to get your claim started. She is a wonderful and compassionate lady just from our cconversations on the phone regarding my case. She has been very helpful, considerate and incredibly knowledgeable so be nice to her and be patient with her, she deals with a lot of people daily so she cant always get back to you right away but she will get to you.
Transmen: They are now approving bottom surgery (phalloplasty) but they sadly are not approving top surgeries (mastectomy) for transmen. It's sad, but progress has been made.
Final note: ALL 2017 health insurance contracts are GUARANTEED through Dec 31, 2017.
After that all bets are off due to the new presidential administration. We have absolutely NO idea whether this precedence will stand or not.
If you have Cigna, and the means available, I suggest you move things up to be done with by the end of the year. The reason I suggest this is, there may not be another opportunity to do so for the next 4 years if transgender inclusive healthcare rights aren't preserved. Borrow the money from family, get a loan, whatever you have to do!
Now we do have some things working for us.
1.) Trump allowed a transwoman (Jenna Talackova) to compete in his Miss Universe Beauty Pageant in 2012 after she appealed.
2.) He was on 60 minutes saying he wouldnt try to have Gay Marriage revoked.
3.) It is not the policy of the SCOTUS to take a case they have already ruled upon and reconsider it. Not how they work.
4.) Trump knows the LGBT community is good for the economy. We spend money and lots of it. He knows this. He is a businessman.
These are NOT guarantees, but they are my observations and I am hopeful and optimistic.
Finally, Republicans do NOT hold 60 seats in the Senate, therefore they do NOT hold the Supermajority in the Senate. If they want something they have to negotiate with the Dems and give concessions in order to get what they want.
I URGE you all to write your Democratic Senate reps and DEMAND they preserve our transgender inclusive healthcare rights in the new health care platform being proposed by the Republicans.
