i called, and looked at a bunch of clinics in baltimore but none of them will provide me with what i need since they don't take my insurance. you need certain insurance to go to a clinic? i guess you do. i'm trying to get started on T, but I am so lost. I have Kaiser, and my plan does not cover HRT or SRS. Helllllppppppp 

Unfortunately most insurances won't cover hrt, many of us pay the cost out of our pocket.  They should cover your doctors appointment though.

Quote from: Sarah Louise on February 14, 2013, 06:20:16 PM
Unfortunately most insurances won't cover hrt, many of us pay the cost out of our pocket.  They should cover your doctors appointment though.

none of them do. i've called and done research off every site i can find, and nothing. i guess i need to look harder.
almost all of them have said they won't see me without insurance that is accepted by them. i don't mind paying out of pocket for hormones, just for all the tests. it's ridiculous.

Have you tried calling Kaiser and asking for a primary care physician that takes your insurance? You could at least start there. Also try the local LGBT center they may have some recommendations. Since you have Kaiser you may need to find an alternate (covered) medical reason for your needs.

Quote from: Orihime on February 14, 2013, 06:31:25 PM
Have you tried calling Kaiser and asking for a primary care physician that takes your insurance? You could at least start there. Also try the local LGBT center they may have some recommendations. Since you have Kaiser you may need to find an alternate (covered) medical reason for your needs.

yes, i've called. i had an appointment for a physical so i could get referred by my primary doctor to see an endo. that didn't happen. I've looked on the lgbt site for my area, and none of them accept my insurance. that has set me back a lot. what do you mean by another alternative?

Try Chase-Brexton health services. They provide services to a lot of TG people in baltimore.

BTW welcome from a fellow Marylander. Didn't know there were any others of us here at Susan's

If your doctor refused to refer you to an endocrinologist, could you take it up with her and maybe she'd reconsider? Also there's no reason a gp can't prescribe hormones if your insurance won't send you to a specialist.

Insurance bureaucracy can be awful.

Quote from: Felix on February 15, 2013, 12:15:23 PM
If your doctor refused to refer you to an endocrinologist, could you take it up with her and maybe she'd reconsider? Also there's no reason a gp can't prescribe hormones if your insurance won't send you to a specialist.

Insurance bureaucracy can be awful.

indeed, very awful. she emailed me this morning and said that she didn't have personal experience or training for prescribing an ftm hormones. only cis-males with low testosterone. she also mentioned that she would be looking for other GP's to see if any of them are willing to work with me to be prescribed hormones. i hope it works out.

By alternative I mean finding another condition to use as a reason for doing testing or prescribing hormones.