Looking For Guidance

[EdwardTheNewGuy]

Hello!

My name is Ed, and I have been working on transitioning from female to male for a little over a year now. I'm 21 but still on my parent's health insurance, I bind my chest and am fully out and open about who I am. I'm looking to take the next step in transitioning by starting T, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where to start. I want to know if my health insurance covers hormone therapy, and if I can afford it, but I'm not sure how to go about asking them. Has anyone jumped through the hoops of insurance coverage? Could you maybe tell me how you went about it? I live out in the rural areas of Pennsylvania, so there aren't any city clinics near me. Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

 

[MaryEllen]

Hello Ed,

Welcome to TransPulse.  Thank you for sharing with us.  Your first step should probably be consultation with a gender therapist. Most doctors need to be absolutely sure you are indeed transgender before prescribing HRT. You should contact your insurance company to see if they will cover the costs. Some do. Some don't.

MaryEllen

[Carolyn Marie]

Welcome to TransPulse, Ed.  It's nice to meet you.  MaryEllen has some great suggestions.  If your insurance company has your policy details online, look through it to find the "exclusions" page.  That's where they will have info on whether "sex change" (transition) related health care is excluded.  If you don't see it, then there is a good chance at least some things are covered, such as T.  You will likely need a therapist or doctor to certify that the treatment is "medically necessary," and that's where a gender therapist is important.

If you can't get to a G.T., there are online therapists that will talk to you over Skype.  You can find a list here:  http://www.lauras-playground.com/gender-therapists

We have some trans men Moderators and members who will be happy to share their knowledge and experience with you.  I wish you all the best.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[MarcieMarie12]

Hi Ed! Welcome to the Pulse! 

Hugs,

Marcie

[EdwardTheNewGuy]

Thank you all so much for responding to me so quickly! These are great suggestions, and I feel like I have a better idea of where to look first. Also, thanks for making me feel so welcome in the community! I'll start with looking for a gender therapist in my area or online, and see if my health insurance provider has any info online.

Again, thank you and I am happy to be a member of this community!

Ed

[JJ]

Hi Ed. Welcome to TransPulse

It can be hard to find services in rural areas - I live in rural Arkansas where there are only 3 Drs in the state that I know about who prescribe T. And gender therapists are virtually non-existent.

A great source of information is your state trans guys groups. Most have them on Facebook . And while it can be hard to connect as well and express things as fully on Facebook it can be a good place to connect with resources. In many states Planned Parenthood provides T prescriptions. T itself isn't very expensive. Though it varies a lot depending on where you buy. The tests are expensive and most Drs require testing initially and then in 3 months going to 6 months if the tests look good. T can be challenging to balance and each of us responds differently - a dose that works for me may be way too high for you or not high enough to overcome the hormone your body produces. Many insurance companies do accept T prescriptions and testing. I'm on Medicare and Medicaid in an ultra conservative state and they cover my costs. I do however have to drive 8 hours round trip to a Dr who prescribes T and accepts Medicaid or insurance. The 2nd Dr who does is in the same town and the 3rd is an hour further away. A lack if services is something we need to plan for if we are in rural areas.

There are also gender groups that have clinics in some areas and they sometimes provide testing and reduced hormones. Each state and each area in different states is different so your best bet is to start researching in your state. Hang in there - getting set up with a medical provider can be one of the biggest challenges we face but it can be worked out and is worth it.

One last important note-please, please read the thread on safe binding. The latest studies indicate almost all of us suffer some damage from binding and it is vital to your health- as well as your being seen as masculine - to do it  right. Most of us started  feeling the real dysphoria about our bodies as our chests developed and tend to associate being flat to being comfortable with our bodies and being male. Adult males are seldom flat and some females are. It isn't necessary to be flat to be seen as male but tight binding narrows the chest in relation to the hips and that IS a female marker. More so than a flat chest. So tight binding harms us not only physically but in being seen as our male gender as well. I'm very, very chest dysphoric so I understand the drive and it has taken awhile to overcome it.  I have never in 6 years been called out or clocked for having a chest. Now people have refused to believe I am trans and not a cis male while those who have known me through transition say they forget I was ever  other than a male to them. I bind but not tightly and definitely not flat. Don't mean to lecture but I've seen too many guys report ending up in the ER or with serious problems. Some can affect your being able to bind again ever or deform your chest so that it never looks right even after surgery.

Again welcome to the forums. The incredible people here made it possible for me to get through transition at a time I thought it was impossible.

Johnny.