So I'm going in for an appointment this week to hopefully get on T, but I'm not sure how to get T covered by insurance. I have BCBS but it's from Texas so I don't know... anybody have any experience with that?

If you are worried about the cost of T, you should be able to get it pretty cheaply, depending on local options. Some people use legit mail order pharmacies (I'm not sure you can do that from your state). I use my local AFT pharmacy (formerly Mom's Priority Pharmacy). I used Costco for a while. All are cheap. The last time I got a 10-milliliter vial, I paid something like fifty bucks for it. Regular pharmacies were quoting something like two hundred bucks for the same vial. You want to avoid that.

I am on a CA version of BS, and I am covered--but only in thirty-day increments. So to be covered, I have to go back every month and get refills, and I have to pay a small fee for each refill. Although I spend a bit more by paying for a big vial out of pocket, I save on gas, time, and general hassles.

To find out whether trans services are covered under your plan, you will need to look at the booklet that most companies post online. If trans isn't covered, you will find it in the exclusions section, usually at the very end.

By the way, I guess I didn't say that the supporting medical coverage is much more expensive than T itself. Doctor's visits and blood work get pretty pricey. Before I was on a trans-friendly insurance plan, I had a trans-friendly doctor. He ordered routine blood work but also wanted to check my T levels. He said that women get tired and have a low sex drive if their T is low; did I suffer from either of these problems? I sure did. He could then justify coding the visit and the full blood work so that my trans-exclusionary plan would cover them while I was listed as female.

But I would look in the coverage booklet for my plan, if I were you. That way, you will be sure.

Check and see if your plan excludes transgender care. If it doesn't mention it at all, have the pharmacy run your insurance and see. Best case scenario, no questions asked. If anything happens it'll likely be them asking for a pre-authorization from your doctor. They'd call your doctor and ask why you need it. If you have a good trans-friendly doctor, they can justify just about anything. But they aren't supposed to lie.

Like Arch, I'm covered but only for a 1 month supply at a time. I've found that it is not worth all the hassle and time spent and would rather pay out of pocket to get a larger vial. I spend $75 on T and syringes every 3 months or so, though it usually lasts me closer to 5 months.

I'd recommend downloading the GoodRx app on your phone. You can enter in any prescriptions you have and see which pharmacies are the least expensive. In my area, the same vial of T I've been paying $65 for is $45 right now.

I was on another insurance when I was initially getting my first vial of T, I had already contacted my insurance who stated they didn't cover trans related healthcare however after my doctor submitted what was needed to the insurance, they end up sending me a letter detailing they approved my coverage for T (a pleasant surprise).