Gosh, my situation is lovely...I need a strategy.
I really WANT FFS done sometime within the next year and I'm presently looking into surgeons, pricing, etc. However, my entire life is up in the air right now. Presently, I live in CT and work for a large corporation. I am due to be laid off before the end of the year. At that time, if I don't chose to get another job or alternatively, transfer to a NYC office (which I've confirmed as of yesterday is a definite option), where I would simply start living with my mom in Harlem (and save money for FFS while living rent free), I will be paid out a small unconditional severance and will start on unemployment. I would also lose my work insurance as COBRA coverage cost is ridiculous through my current employer, plus they don't cover **** on the trans healthcare side other than hormones as they are not subject to state law on trans health coverage given the plan is a self-insured ERISA plan not subject to the CT trans coverage mandate.
However, insurance coverage for FFS seems to be more of a thing as of late from what I'm reading on here. If I could take unemployment/partial unemployment for a bit or stay in CT with a different job and get good insurance that covers FFS I would love to do that. However, the only CT health plan that I've found that covers FFS is Husky (medicaid), which I could be eligible for (HUSKY D) after I'm laid off if I only take part/half of my unemployment benefits. However, the only person I know who used it for that purpose went to Dr. Sherman Leis for FFS in PA. He's too much of a "jack of all trades" imho, plus I've heard too many iffy things about him online and from other people in person, plus she mentioned, "My forehead still feels painful.", which further proves my concerns. This is my face we're talking about, I don't want to go to some nutcase. I'm only 25, it's gotta last a lifetime. Whoever I go to I want them to do a really good job of it all and I want it all to go perfectly. I only get one first shot at this. The person who got coverage through Leis also didn't seem to do much if any of the work herself to get the coverage, so I can't really get much info out of her about the process either.
So, I know at minimum I want type III forehead (no hair transplants or scalp advance req'd, I'm only 25, little to no hair loss), tracheal shave (scar better not be on trachea), and mandible contouring. Cheek and lip work is optional, I don't need Rhino. I've narrowed my possible choices down to Spiegel, Facialteam, and Dr. Mardirossian based on feedback I've gotten from others and the internet. Basically my rule of thumb is I've like to stay on the east coast (technically Dr. Lee could work with this qualifier, if you have other recommendations lmk) besides for facialteam if I go with them (because the feedback I've gotten about them is so ridiculously good). I spoke with Spiegel's office, saw him in person, and got a quote from him last week. He's roughly 30k not including post op lodging and board (which I should be able to get for free from a relative in Cambridge), 40k if we do the optional stuff (lip and cheek aug) as permanent things and not later as fillers as well. I spoke with Dr. Simon yesterday morning from facialteam over skype. Man is an absolute surgical genius and I would love to go to him and Capitan. A friend of mine went to the in-person consult in nyc a few weeks ago with FT (Capitan) and got a quote for the work I'm looking for for roughly 20-25k through them (unfortunately missed the in-person myself as my grandfather died that week and I had to go to Florida). Quote is pending for me otherwise from their desk. I have another skype consult with Palm Beach Plastics/Mardirossian next week. Like Spiegel, lodging would also be covered for Palm Beach, my grandma is down there.
Now I'm trying to figure out how to strategize this. Would it be possible to get insurance coverage that would actually pay for this stuff with Spiegel or Mardirossian (forget FT then, they're only an option if I go the no insurance route, foreign country, fohget about it)? I've seen a couple of posts from people on here in MA who got it off private health exchange insurance, and then I've heard from others that got it from corporate plans (like Bank of America), but of course the corporate option is luck of the job hunt (I work entry level IT).
So, my actual questions:
A: Is there anything other than HUSKY D on the CT obamacare exchange that covers this stuff?
B: If HUSKY D is the only option off the CT exchange, anyone have any experience using it for spieg's office? Is it possible to get him covered even if I have to front the money myself first (as I did for GRS with Mcginn, secondary insurance from my mom that I no longer have covered that btw, fun story, LOL)?
C: Feedback on Mardirossian? Info on him is minimal online, I'm considering him as an option mainly because I haven't seen any bad feedback about him, plus he trained under Spiegel. Also any feedback comparing these docs would be nice in general too.
