GRS and Insurance

[Annah]

UPDATE with 2012 Transgender Benefits with SRS:

3M Co.
A.T. Kearney Inc.
AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah
Insurance Exchange
Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Accenture Ltd.
Aetna Inc.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcoa Inc.
Alston & Bird LLP
American Express Co.
Ameriprise Financial Inc.
AMR Corp. (American Airlines)
Aon Corp.
Apple Inc.
AT&T Inc.
Automatic Data Processing Inc.
Avaya Inc.
Avon Products Inc.
Bain & Co. Inc.
Baker & McKenzie LLP
Bank of America Corp.
Bank of New York Mellon Corp., The
(BNY Mellon)
Barclays Capital
Barnes & Noble Inc.
Best Buy Co. Inc.
Bingham McCutchen LLP
BlackRock
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Inc.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota
BMO Bankcorp Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Boston Consulting Group
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc.
Brown Rudnick LLP
Brown-Forman Corp.
Bryan Cave LLP
Caesars Entertainment Corp.
Campbell Soup Co.
Capital One Financial Corp.
Cardinal Health Inc.
CareFusion Corp.
Cargill Inc.
Carlton Fields PA
Chapman and Cutler LLP
Charles Schwab Corp., The
Chevron Corp.
Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP
Choice Hotels International Inc.
Chrysler LLC
Chubb Corp.
Cisco Systems Inc.
Citigroup Inc.
Clifford Chance US LLP
Clorox Co.
Coca-Cola Co., The
Comerica Inc.
Corning Inc.
Covington & Burling LLP
Credit Suisse USA Inc.
Crowell & Moring LLP
Cummins Inc.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Delhaize America Inc.
Dell Inc.
Deloitte LLP
Deutsche Bank
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP
Diageo North America
DLA Piper
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Dow Chemical Co., The
Dykema Gossett PLLC
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.
(DuPont)
Eastman Kodak Co.
eBay Inc.
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP
Eli Lilly & Co.
EMC Corp.
Ernst & Young LLP
Exelon Corp.
Faegre & Benson LLP
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.
(Freddie Mac)
Fenwick & West LLP
Ford Motor Co.
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Gap Inc.
Genentech Inc.
General Mills Inc.
General Motors Co.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
GlaxoSmithKline plc
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., The
Google Inc.
Group Health Cooperative
Group Health Permanente
Herman Miller Inc.
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Hogan Lovells US LLP
Hyatt Hotels Corp.
ING North America Insurance Corp.
Intel Corp.
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM)
Intuit Inc.
Jenner & Block LLP
Johnson & Johnson
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
K&L Gates LLP
Kellogg Co.
Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Inc.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
KPMG LLP
Kraft Foods Inc.
Levi Strauss & Co.
Limited Brands Inc.
Littler Mendelson PC
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
McKinsey & Co. Inc.
Medtronic Inc.
MetLife Inc.
Microsoft Corp.
MillerCoors LLC
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
Morgan Stanley
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Nationwide
Navigant Consulting Inc.
Nike Inc.
Nixon Peabody LLP
Nordstrom Inc.
Northern Trust Corp.
Office Depot Inc.
Oracle Corp.
Orbitz Worldwide Inc.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Owens Corning
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
Paul Hastings LLP
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton
& Garrison LLP
Pearson Inc.
PepsiCo Inc.
Perkins Coie LLP
Pfizer Inc.
PG&E Corp.
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Prudential Financial Inc.
Raytheon Co.
Replacements Ltd.
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP
Rockwell Automation Inc.
Ropes & Gray LLP
Schiff Hardin LLP
Sears Holdings Corp.
Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP
Sempra Energy
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Sodexo Inc.
Southern California Edison Co.
Sprint Nextel Corp.
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP
Staples Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
State Farm Group
Sun Life Financial Inc. (U.S.)
Supervalu Inc.
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
Symantec Corp.
TD Bank, N.A.
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association
- College Retirement Equities Fund
Tech Data Corp.
Thompson Coburn LLP
Thomson Reuters
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner Inc.
TJX Companies Inc., The
Toyota Financial Services Corp.
Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
Troutman Sanders LLP
U.S. Bancorp
UBS AG
Unilever
United Continental Holdings Inc.
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS)
United Technologies Corp.
UnitedHealth Group Inc.
Volkswagen Group of America Inc.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP
Walt Disney Co., The
Wells Fargo & Co.
Whirlpool Corp.
White & Case LLP
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP
Xerox Corp.
Yahoo! Inc.

[Annah]

as you compare the first list with this list i made, there has been a 35% increase in the last year.

[LordKAT]

Sadly, not one single company I have ever worked for is on that list.

[michelle666]

One question about insurance. My insurance policy covers therapy and I'm going to start in Feb, does the insurance company send anything regarding what I'm doing to my company? I'm not out at work yet and want to do that on my own terms.

[Melody Maia]

Wow, that list is impressive! I think we are well on our way to getting to the point that most major companies will have this coverage.

[Jen61]

Here is a list I compiled last July. I know there's about 15 more companies added in the next quarter so I haven't been able to add them in yet:

Coca Cola
Campbells Soup
Walt Disney
State of Conn. Teacher Association
The Government of Louisana
HRC
Johnson and Johnson
Aetna Insurance (private plan)
AmeriHealth
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
Blue Cross Blue Shield for:
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Michigan

Ameriprise Financial Inc
Avaya Inc.
Barclays Capital
Bingham McCutchen LLP
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Cardinal Health Inc.
Chrysler LLC
Cisco Systems Inc.
Clifford Chance US LLP
Covington & Burling LLP
Cummins Inc.Deloitte LLP
Deutsche Bank
Diageo North America
DLA Piper
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DuPont)
Eastman Kodak Co.
Ernst & Young LLP
Exelon Corp.
Faegre & Benson LLP
Food Lion LLC
Ford Motor Co.
Fried, Frank, Haris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Genentech Inc.
General Motors Corp.
Google Inc.
Herman Miller Inc.
Intel Cigna
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM)
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Inc.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
KPMG LLP
Kraft Foods Inc.
Latham & Watkins LLP
Littler Mendelson PC
Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.
McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., The
Microsoft Corp.
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Nike Inc.
Northern Trust Corp.
PG&E Corp.
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Replacements Ltd.
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Sun Microsystems Inc.
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
White & Case LLP
Yahoo! Inc.

Cigna Private plan
Emblem Health
HealthNet
Health Partners (Minnesota)
Medica

University of Pennsylvania
Penn State
Goldman Sachs
Bank of America

City and County of San Francisco
IBM
AmEx
AT&T
Wells Fargo
Eastman Kodak
Sears
Morgan Stanley
Price Waterhouse
State Farm

New York Life Insurance
Angell Palmer and Dodge Law Firm
City of Berkley

All of these have GRS/GCS/SRS included in their policies.

However, getting disability insurance (i.e., paychecks while you are out recuperating) is at the discretion of your specific company's individual Disability Carrier Contract Guidelines.

Are not this the 1% so despised by the OWS 

[juliekins]

you do not need to work for sears to get this insurance it is available as private purchase threw anthems site here are the policies related to gender reassignment coverage as pulled from their policies page but you also need to remember that most grs surgeons do not currently take insurance so you will still have to pay up front then file for reimbursement.

On page 14 of their online benefits guide, it clearly states that Sex change surgery is an exclusion.

Corporations who take out large group policies can decide to either include, or exclude GRS and hormones from their list of covered conditions. They have to pay extra to get this coverage.

To my knowledge, there is no private insurance available on the market which is available to individuals and covers GRS. Your use of hormones and seeing a gender therapist would be considered a pre-existing coverage. There are datebases which track which meds you are on, and what your doctor notes about your condition.

Once PPCA (Obama's healthcare bill takes full effect in 2014), I believe it may POSSIBLY be covered. My hunch is no, at least for individual plans.

I have an insurance background, and have some familiarity with the situation. We'll have to see how the new healthcare bill all plays out.

[Annah]

you can get srs coverage through a cigna private plan. I know two girls who did that.

[Dana_H]

One question about insurance. My insurance policy covers therapy and I'm going to start in Feb, does the insurance company send anything regarding what I'm doing to my company? I'm not out at work yet and want to do that on my own terms.

In the U.S., medical privacy is a big deal. According to my therapist, the insurance company cannot share the details of my diagnosed conditions and treatments with anyone outside the medical care community.  As long as your employer and your insurance company know you by the same name and SSN, there shouldn't be an issue.

If your job requires you to get a government security clearance, things may get a little more tricky but that's kind of a "special case" and can still be handled with discretion in most cases.

Even if you aren't a signed-up member yet, you could try calling the insurance provider's help line (check their website) and asking to what extent diagnosis and treatment information is shared with an employer. You shouldn't need to explain specifically why you want to know. If they ask, just say that as a new/potential customer you have concerns about the privacy and security of your medical information. That's a real hot-button issue these days, so they should be more than willing to discuss it at length until you understand what you need to know.

I'd say it's about 98% that there is nothing to worry about as far as the insurance company goes.  (Nothing is ever 100% in my experience.)

[veritatemfurto]

There are datebases which track which meds you are on, and what your doctor notes about your condition.

How would that pertain to my situation? I'm assuming that the typical time span from pre to post is usually around 2-4 years, but I've been at this for a decade. Is there a time limit on the available history like a credit bureau? I got the letter under my mother's insurance in 2002 and don't know if it the diagnosis was ever mentioned or not. She was with Sprint until I got my own job with benefits. I've been careful to make sure anything trans was never ever mentioned in my records. I did technically switch on the job at BR(GAP) in 03, but did not get any benefits until I was upgraded from part time to full time work after my name change was complete (but with M). And because I've been fulltime and fully legal ever since 2003,  and with an F since 2004, does that serve as evidence of a "preexisting condition" if I do get hired by one of the companies on the list?

Once PPCA (Obama's healthcare bill takes full effect in 2014), I believe it may POSSIBLY be covered. My hunch is no, at least for individual plans.

Ah I guess someone else heard that rumor too, but I'm hopeful given Obama's track record being pro trans

[Gadgett]

Anyone know if United Healthcare or if Highmark bluecross and blueshield covers srs'?

[michelle666]

Anyone know if United Healthcare or if Highmark bluecross and blueshield covers srs'?

From what I've read, it depends on your employer and what options they choose. I have united and they cover therapy but not srs.

[RAY]

Happy to know some companies are offering this, Here in Wisconsin Title 19 does not cover GRS United Healthcare was the HMO I had it was not the best. They fought with me to get my medical stuff done they don't cover GRS.

[veritatemfurto]

Hate to say it but that list of companies is flawed- not all of them include GRS, just the other necessary health needs like hrt... Even though they're on the list, GAP Inc DOES NOT currently cover GRS* 

(*although I hope its being worked on for next year)

[dapplepool]

you do not need to work for sears to get this insurance it is available as private purchase threw anthems site here are the policies related to gender reassignment coverage as pulled from their policies page but you also need to remember that most grs surgeons do not currently take insurance so you will still have to pay up front then file for reimbursement.

Jessi


Medically Necessary:

Gender reassignment surgery* is considered medically necessary when all of the following criteria are met:

The individual is at least 18 years of age; and

Not Medically Necessary:

Gender reassignment surgery is considered not medically necessary when one or more of the criteria above have not been met.

The age requirement is the only one I don't meet. I am having mine next year and my family can pay for it but it would be nice if insurance covered it...

[Reagan]

I have a Aetna policy Choice II PPO plan that covers Therapy, Hormones and SRS. Of course out of network would only cover like 40 percent. For the surgery I will need to be pre certified for care. I was wondering if anybody has ever dealt with Aetna and how difficult they are. I have heard horror stories about this.

[veritatemfurto]

I have a Aetna policy Choice II PPO plan that covers Therapy, Hormones and SRS. Of course out of network would only cover like 40 percent. For the surgery I will need to be pre certified for care. I was wondering if anybody has ever dealt with Aetna and how difficult they are. I have heard horror stories about this.

Where you seeing that???  I see Aetna Open Access® Managed Choice® with several premium/deductible options, but nowhere on the website do I see anything about GRS/GCS/SRS... walk me through what you did to look that up cause quite frankly few of us want to call the number and ask a representative, we should be able to see it in writing first!

[jm9]

Of course out of network would only cover like 40 percent. For the surgery I will need to be pre certified for care. I was wondering if anybody has ever dealt with Aetna and how difficult they are. I have heard horror stories about this.

I have the same question. In January I have access to an Aetna administered plan that includes transgender surgical coverage. However, I have been unable to locate an Aetna preferred specialist for FtM SRS (bottom) surgery. It would be hard to believe that the plan was set up to provide a "gold star" to the sponsoring institution without any real substance that makes it usable. I made a number of calls and am having a very difficult time getting answers. Insurance is an interesting thing because pur>-bleeped-<s don't get access to the details of what they are buying until after they buy it.

It is my expectation that Aetna will provide in-network coverage when a specialist is not available, but still that is only at the usual and customary rate. I have the LGBT director at the institution talking to the insurance specialist and will get back to me. I'll report back if I learn anything useful.

[Reagan]

I have been researching again and it's been a few months. I know that most policy's by Aetna will not cover GRS. I know I saw it covered on mine. I have a top tier plan. I hope that it's still covered. Insurance is such a racket. I'm afraid to contact them and out myself yet. I'm still getting my endo and hormones covered. I would hate to all of a sudden have to start paying for that.

[Reagan]

Well I just found out that SRS is now under General Exclusions in my policy.