Trans* Resources

[outforhealth]

Does Planned Parenthood offer Hormone Replacement Therapy for transgender people?

Someone asked us:  Can Planned Parenthood provide hormones to transgender people? And if so, what are the costs? Why yes, yes we do. There are an increasing number of Planned Parenthood health centers that offer hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for trans clients. (Cost will vary depending on your insurance and Planned Parenthood health center policies.) Currently, the Planned Parenthood health centers that offer hormone treatment for trans folks are: 

California:

Fresno

Mountain View

Sacramento

Santa Cruz

Walnut Creek

Colorado:

Denver

Maine:

Biddeford

Portland

Sanford

Topsham

Montana:

Billings

Great Falls

Helena

New Hampshire:

Derry

Keene

Manchester

West Lebanon

New York:

Ithaca

North Carolina:

Asheville

Chapel Hill

Raleigh

Vermont:

Barre

Bennington

Burlington

Hyde Park

Middlebury

St. Albans 

Washington

Bellingham 

- Calvin and Maureen at QueerTips

Here’s a list of all the Planned Parenthoods that currently offer HRT and other trans services — a list that is slowly but steadily growing. And yes, our lovely Ithaca Planned Parenthood location is listed, and operates on an informed consent basis.

[wwwmypagecom]

NJ TRANS GROUPS

these are only a few of the many available but i just thought id share this list for any trans ppl in nj who need support. i also think there are some groups in these links that are open to all members of the lgbtqia community

equality federation

pride center of nj

pathways

garden state equality

ipg center this is their resource page, they also offer a group (tht i attend) but i cant find it on the site

feel free to add more!!

[delara13]

OREGON HEALTHY CARE NOW COVERS HORMONE REPLACEMENT AND SURGERIES. IM CRYING http://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-starts-insurance-for-transgender-medical-procedures/

[transphysics]

The first transgender suicide hotline in the US

For the first time, there is a hotline in the US that is staffed entirely by transgender people, to serve transgender people.  Everyone in the trans community needs to be spreading this around.  Lives could be saved. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860

[transitpass]

Don't forget that there is support for you.  That people care about you.  Yes, even complete strangers care about you.  You matter.  You have worth.  Don't give up.  Reach out.  We are here for you.

[transitpass]

Are trans women who transition aged 18 at an advantage (in terms of passing) compared to those who transition a bit later, say early 20s? Or do both cases have an equal chance of passing?

H:  I'm going to answer this question in two parts.  The first being a simple answer to "Does transitioning earlier help you pass?"  If you are among the lucky few to be able to start transitioning before puberty (with hormones specifically) then yes.  You have a significantly greater chance of passing than someone who has gone through puberty.  If we are talking about the difference between transitioning at 18 or transitioning in your early 20s (for most of us) it won't make a huge difference.  You have already had the majority of the major changes of puberty and you likely won't acquire many more.  If you can, it would be great to medically transition earlier just because you are circumventing the chance of any extra facial hair, receding hairline, what have you...  If you can't, don't worry.  You aren't cruising through the point of no return.

Passing: Some people have it easy, some don't. Quick advice:  Passing is something a lot of trans people desire.  They want to fit into the binary.  Man?  Or woman?  Unfortunately it's not as simple as starting hormones and changing your name.  Our culture is built around a binary.  A man acts like this.  A woman likes that.  We gender people subconciously and automatically.  It happens the minute you meet someone.  So we are naturally very good at picking out people who are in the "gray".  Maybe they don't look feminine enough, maybe they have strange body language, their voice is too high, their voice is too low...  Whatever.  I encourage you to go out someplace where cisgendered people like to flock.  Pick something with a good variety like Walmart.  Look at the people around you.  Is it so black and white?  What I am trying to say, TLDR, is that there will always be gender policing assholes who view the world through a narrow lens of black and white.  The vast majority of people aren't built like Victoria Secret models or David Beckham.  Gender presentation is on spectrum even for cisgender people.  Don't fall into a binary that is built around superficiality.  Be proud of your gender!  Don't let THEM define YOU.  Be a tomboy, be a super femme, be whatever the fuck you feel like being.  It does not make you less of a woman.

[transitpass]

The healthcare links provided earlier only cover people in a few states. Do you or any experienced trans guy out there know of/have healthcare that covers SRS in Washington state? I'm moving out soon so I'll be able to start my transition in just a month, and I'd really like to have some coverage for at least HRT.

H:  The reason the healthcare links only cover people in a few states is because those policies do not exclude trans* related healthcare.  When it comes to looking for insurance for trans* related healthcare your best bet is to read through policies (many are posted online, but you can always request to see them if they are not) and make sure that it covers what you need.  The range is huge.  I've seen insurance policies that cover phalloplasty/vaginoplasty but not any kind of top surgery or HRT.  People have had health care providers who are aware of the exclusions and will try to code the billing so that your insurance will cover it.  The best of these will code them so that if you are audited you would not be forced to pay money back. (for example: Coding therapy sessions as "Depression due to life changing event".. not technically a lie.  Not obviously trans* healthcare related.)  Some healthcare providers will only code under SRS, HRT, and/or GIS codes which insurance companies, if they have exclusion clauses, will often reject as "cosmetic" or "voluntary".  Talk to your trans* friendly healthcare providers.  They can tell you how they approach billing and coding as well as insurance policies that they accept and will cover their services.  

Keep in mind that everyone involved in this process wants to get paid.  The doctors are trying to get the most money out of your insurance and the insurance wants to give them as little as possible so that you're paying them more than they give you, to keep their stockholders happy.  So always always always follow up with your own research.  Finding a good insurance company and a trustworthy doctor takes an investment of time.

Look for a  LGBT organization where you are moving to. They often have lists of trans* friendly healthcare providers and might even have compiled some information about insurance companies relative to the area.  They will also be able to tell you about other local resources- for example some states also have transgender clinics for HRT. (the cost of ours in Virginia is on a sliding scale)

Does anyone else have more information specific to Washington state?

[mous-bones]

They’re here!!! :D After a lot of research and triple-checking of files, Hello Pronouns Buttons are available! They can be written on with a sharpie, wet erase marker, or dry erase marker. The buttons are 2.5”x3.5”, very slightly bigger than the stickers, and have a beautiful glossy anti-glare surface. They’re the best I could find, and I hope they live up to everyone’s expectations. 

Like the original Hello Pronouns stickers, these are a great way to get introductions done at large gatherings and avoid any awkward confusion. They can also help as a gentle reminder to the people around you right after you come out that your name and pronouns aren’t necessarily what they’re used to them being. 

[transitpass]

Is physiotherapy offered/strongly recommended after top surgery?

G: As none of us have had top surgery yet we don’t have any personal wisdom to share, but with a quick google search and what I’ve heard from others is that rest is key for at least the first four to six weeks. Most of the information out there about physical therapy after a mastectomy is from breast cancer survivors and not all the time but quite frequently it is only a single mastectomy which is still a major invasive procedure ,but as you can imagine not nearly as rough on your body as a double mastectomy. I also don’t know what the outcome of starting physiotherapy too early on would do to your nipple grafts. As for periareolar I couldn’t find too much ,but if I were you I would just ask my doctor for their opinion just to be on the safe side. After all surgery is a major investment and as much as we all want to run around topless getting all the babes the day after surgery you just have to remind yourself to take it slow and that the worst is over. I hope this helps and we wish you the best of luck!

H: I know for a fact that most guys who follow a rigorous exercise regimen before surgery are told by their doctors to stop exercising after their top surgeries for at least 6 weeks.  Part of this is aesthetic- you want to minimize the appearance of your scars as much as possible by giving them as much time to heal without being strained.  (on the extreme end of this that can include popping stitches open, etc.) Another part of this is just what G had to say which was this is an invasive surgery!  Give your body time to rest.  Your doctor will recommend when it is time to hit the weights again.  Much love and luck to your beautiful bod <3

[transitpass]

How to Change Your Information at Social Security and Obtain an Updated Card (2013)

Quick Questions

Why change your gender marker with Social Security if my name is all that is on the card? You do not have to change your gender with Social Security if you don't want to considering the only thing on your card will be your name and SSN. However SS does maintain a record containing everyone who has a SSN which includes your social security number, name, date of birth, and gender.

When would my gender be accessed through SS? Occasionally SSA gender information will be used for identity verification by third-person parties.

Would changing my gender marker effect my social security benefits? No as your benefits are not dependent upon your gender.

Will changing my gender marker change my health insurance coverage? Private insurance is not typically effected.  Some plans may refuse coverage if services are requested that are inconsistent with gender but often these plans pull information from enrollment forms rather than SS. If you are enrolled in Medicare, Medicard, or Social Security Income, your insurance information WILL be based on your SS information.  This will often result in a higher chance of denial of coverage based upon services inconsistent with gender.  (Should you have this concern, contact your healthcare provider first.  Should you have this problem, it can often be resolved by specific billing codes.  Contact your healthcare provider with any problems or questions)

How to Change Your Gender in your SSA record:

You will need one of the following as evidence for gender marker change:    1)  A U.S. Passport showing the correct gender    2)  A birth certificate showing the correct gender    3)  A court order showing the correct gender    4)  A signed letter from a physician confirming that you have had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition (please read below, this linked form is an EXAMPLE FORM.pdf) The letter referenced above requires the assistance of a physician.  The form I have linked for download contains the necessary info requested by social security- do not send them anything more or less.  This letter must be on your physicians letterhead so feel free to email them this .pdf or print it out for them as an example.

Now that you have your evidence of gender marker change you will need one of the following as evidence for your name change (if you changed your name):    1)  Name change court order (original or certified copy)    2)  Marriage, civil union, or domestic partnership certificate (original or certified copy) [stipulations apply based upon location]    3)  Divorce decree (original or certified copy)    4)  Certifcate of citizenship or naturalization (original only)

All that's left is proof of citizenship, age, and identity. These must always be originals, no notarized copies, photocopies, etc. SSA accepts the following as proof of citizenship:    1)  U.S. passport    2)  U.S. birth certificate SSA requires your birth certificate if one exists as proof of age.  SSA accepts the following as proof of age if you do not have a birth certificate:    1)  Religious record before the age of 5 showing date of birth    2)  U.S. hospital record of birth    3)  U.S. passport SSA accepts the following for identity:    1)  U.S. driver's license    2)  U.S. passport    3)  State-issued nondriver identification card      (The following can be accepted witt reservation)      1)  Employee ID card      2)  School ID card      3)  Health insurance card (Medicare is not accepted)      4)  U.S. military ID

While you may have one document that could be acceptable for all categories two documents must be provided.

Fill Out Form SS-5 "Application for Social Security Card"

Collect all your documents which should include: Proof of gender marker change Proof of name change Two forms of citizenship, identity, and age Form SS-5

You can either deliver these in person or mail them to your local SSA.  (Check out this site to find your local SSA office)

Important Note: (Thanks theeraofgatzby) Be aware of your state's laws for changing other legal documentation.  If your documents do not match you cannot change your social security information.

Filing Cost:  Free! Time:  Approximately two weeks Notes:  You will receive your new card in the mail along with any documents you sent.

Source: Resource.pdf from Transequality

[transitpass]

Companies That Include Trans* Healthcare Benefits (for employees and covered dependents)

Employers rated in the HRC's Corporate Equality Index 2012 that provide insurance coverage for transgender-related treatments, including surgical procedures, for employees and their covered dependents: (Keep in mind to be on this list each company had to offer at least one trans* benefit in their plans which can range from hrt, to gender therapy, to different types of surgery.  Do your homework when applying to companies when it comes to healthcare so you know what they cover!)

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 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.

Source: http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/corporate-equality-index-list-of-businesses-with-transgender-inclusive-heal

Here is a link to HRC's 2013 Corporate Equality Index which includes even more than listed above.  Check out page 31: (obviously best viewed in the above.pdf)

[transitpass]

Finding Insurance for Transgender-Related Healthcare

The following are insurance companies that do not have blanket exclusions for trans* related healthcare as reported by HRC.  While some of the links leading to details within their coverage plans are dead and some links lead to outdated policies this is still a great point of reference.  While shopping for insurance policies it is best to call and see what they offer when it comes to trans* healthcare.

Aetna:

Coverage for “Sex Reassignment Surgery”

Amerihealth: (link now dead)

Coverage for “Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) for Gender Identity Disorder (GID)”

Anthem BCBS:

Coverage for  “Gender Reassignment Surgery”

BCBS Massachusetts:

Coverage for “Transgender Services”

BCBS Minnesota: (link now dead)

Coverage for “Medical and Surgical Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder”

BCBS Michigan (Blue Care Network HMO): (link now dead)

Coverage for “Transgender Surgery”

Cigna

Coverage for “Gender Reassignment Surgery”

EmblemHealth: (link now dead)

Coverage for “Gender Reassignment Surgery”

HealthNet:

Coverage for “Gender Reassignment Surgery”

HealthPartners: (link now dead)

Coverage for “Gender Reassignment – Minnesota Products”

Independence Blue Cross: (link now dead)

Coverage for “Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) for Gender Identity Disorder (GID)”

Medica:

Coverage for “Adult Gender Reassignment Surgery”

Source: http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/finding-insurance-for-transgender-related-healthcare