INSURANCE OPTIONS
- GB Leadership
- Feb 19, 2021
- 2 min read
Some information about health insurance options available for transgender patients and how they can obtain health insurance through The Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act has several different options for inclusive insurance for our transgender patients including Select Health, University Health Plan, and Cigna, other years they offer other plans as well (for example Molina, but they have not been as "trans-friendly").
We have worked since 2014 with a small independent insurance agency (family business) that has helped over 300 of our patients obtain trans inclusive insurance.
They also help employees at Rebirth get insurance and my own family as well since we are on Obamacare.
As you know Intermountain owns Select Health, including Select Health Medicaid. Steward Health owns Healthchoice Medicaid and the U of U owns the University Healthplan and Healthy U Medicaid.
Select Health has been trans-inclusive in the last few years and they only require only one letter from a therapist for bottom surgery. They also give patients options regarding surgeons in and out of state.
Insurances like BCBS (BlueCross BlueShield) and United Health Care often allow patients to pick their own surgeons from many different states and cover "out of network" benefits (the surgeons are not always covered under these health plans, but the insurance pays anyway). For example, Starbucks offers a plan like that so patients can choose their own surgeon, so does Disney and Netflix, and eBay.
The HRC has a website with an LGBTQ Equality list; these are companies to work for that score points for being LGBTQ inclusive and they often offer great "trans-inclusive" health insurance. I often give our patients that information when they are looking for a job that offers health insurance.
Regarding cash pay, some surgeons offer "Care Credit" which is a way of borrowing money from a company for surgeries that then pays the surgeon/hospital fee, and the patient pays it off after surgery to the credit company. There is typically a discount involved but the interest rates can be very high (and patients end up paying a lot more for surgeries to the credit company after their surgeries instead of saving up upfront). I discuss this with our patients, and I don't recommend they use "Care Credit" but save the money first.
We want every person in the USA to be able to have insurance since healthcare is a right, not a privilege. As you know our "out of pocket/self-pay" rates are reasonable and we have a contract with LabCorp for very cheap labs and offer payment plans to those that have a difficult time paying medical bills.
Rixt Luikenaar MD
she/her they/them
Rebirth Health Center/Rebirth Obgyn
https://www.rebirthobgyn.com
I also find it really reassuring to know that you have been working with a small, trusted independent company since 2014 supporting over 300 patients. Sprunki
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What stood out most to me is how the author doesn’t just list coverage options but actually talks through the lived experience - like how Select Health only needs one therapist letter for bottom surgery. Totally important! And speaking of support, the general customer service ethos is vital. I appreciated that they offer flexible payment and clear help, especially when you’re dealing with high-risk insurance. My two cents: always verify if your plan offers out-of-network surgeon coverage - saved me a lot of headache chasing appointments.
It’s really important to know which insurance options are more inclusive and supportive of transgender patients. Having plans like Select Health, University Health Plan, and Cigna that are considered more trans-friendly can make a huge difference in access to care. Hopefully, more providers continue to improve their coverage and inclusivity moving forward.
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