I am a trans woman currently living in PA who is disabled and currently waiting approval for Social Security SSI. If/when my my case is approved, I will automatically be approved for Medicaid.
I am planning to move to San Francisco later this year in hopes of getting my SRS partially or fully covered by Medicaid (Medi-Cal). I am aware that surgery is somewhat covered in CA but specific information online is hard to find. The best I found is an article on the TLC's website that is a decade old.
I have the following questions:
1) Has anyone here financed their surgery (partially or fully) through Medicaid in CA or another state? In what year did you receive coverage? What kinds of barriers to coverage did you encounter?
2) Is there a cap for how much Medicaid is willing to contribute to surgery? How much will I have to pay to make up the difference?
3) Will Medicaid pay for surgery upfront or will I have to come up with the money, then be reimbursed? (If it's the latter, are there resources to help me pay for it upfront if I have bad credit?)
4) Which surgeons will accept Medicaid (from CA or another state)? Do they require that I pay extra in addition to what Medicaid pays for?
Thank you for any information you can provide. Responses from people who have or are currently working with Medicaid to pay for surgery are especially appreciated.