Does anyone know about the extent of coverage?

I'm doing my research and hopefully figuring this out myself. I'm under my father's insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, PPO. I remember checking a long time ago and didn't see anything about coverage of SRS. Now the resources say it could be covered. I wish I'd checked more recently. I supposedly meet all of the criteria.

Anyway, a few questions have crossed my mind. If electrolysis takes a lot of time, will I have to worry about the ACA being repealed? Could this policy change by year's end? Have people had a lot of luck with this?

I'll call them and a local surgeon tomorrow and see what they know. This whole matter has my head spinning.

Hi Tommygun,

I can't speak for BCBS of Alabama, but I have FloridaBlue, and GCS and hormone therapy are covered. They consider anything else (hair removal, hair grafts, facial surgery, etc.) to be cosmetic, and they're not covered. If I recall, BCBS of Massachusetts covers everything, so YMMV.

If you can log into their site, all the details on the policy are right there to download. Then you can do a text search and save yourself a lot of time reading through all the legalese.

Good luck,

Stephanie

All insurance must cover transgender care in Massachusetts. Our insurance mandates predate the ACA, and they aren't going anywhere soon. I'm on a bcbs private plan.

Hugs, Devlyn

Thank you for the speedy reply, Stephanie. You're the bomb!

I did download it on my phone, but I couldn't log in(doubt I'll get that info from my dad). But according to everything I've read, I should be good. I hope my worry is for nothing and I didn't find out about the coverage too late. But the sooner I get this rolling, the better. I can rest a little easier for the moment.

I'll keep looking into this, and if anyone else has any info, please check in.
Hopefully this can answer questions for others too!

Thank you too, Devlyn!

Edit: Ah, and my provider is the Alabama branch. I reside in Indiana. I hope I'm right to assume I'll be playing by Alabama's rules.

Under the current rules, if Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama is on the marketplace/state exchange (aka Obamacare) and the insurance policy is NOT self funded by your father's company, then they must cover it regardless of what is on the policy. However, the DOJ is not enforcing the ruling at this time due to pending Trump administration policy changes, but BCBS (at a national level) is respecting the current policy and is covering it in most markets.

As I understand it each BCBS can be different. Some are independent and can exclude or at least exclude through denial. Some are bigger and have better policy like Anthem.

Thank you, everyone. I'm calling them in a few hours to see if SRS is excluded. It would be a bit unusual if SRS was excluded while hormones and lab work are not. Hopefully the name and contact number will be enough to find out.

The Alabama resources page and PDF at least say I'm covered and those differ for each BCBS, so that gives me hope. Won't know until I ask.

Fingers crossed, will keep you updated!

Sorry to double-post. I have some good news. I called and they said our plan "should" cover it, so long as we find an approved surgeon. It might not cover a lot, but it could be a start.

There's always a chance my father could refuse to approve the surgery... I'm still not sure how he'll take the news. And there are still plenty of variables, but I can't help but cry a little. I guess this is the first time I've had hope for this.

Anyway, thank you all. If something goes very right or wrong, I'll be sure to let you know.