Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Insurance

I just ordered my hormones from a pharmacy located in Vanuatu. Never heard of Vanuatu, we neither did I, I had to look it up. So why do I take a chance on ordering my medication from some on-line company? It is because of discrimination. The company that I retired from has an insurance exclusion for anything related to being trans, therefore I have to buy them myself. So why do I buy it on-line instead of from my local pharmacy, price on-line $168 for a 3 month supply and the local pharmacy charges $310.

So why do I think insurance should pay for my meds and surgery? The insurance companies base their exclusion on 1970s and 80s research that is hopelessly out of date and the following organizations all say that it is a medical necessity…
AMA
APA
The Endocrine Society
WPATH
IRS – treatment is tax deductible because courts have ruled that treatment a medical necessity.

2 comments:

  1. I had no idea that insurance companies can refuse to include those kinds of medications from their plans! That is unreal.
    I'm sorry that you have to order from another country - that I never heard of before, either - just so you can afford your medication. It's just not right.

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  2. Consider shopping around locally as well. I was using CVS; when I transitioned to an HSA (so I had to pay for prescriptions myself) I comparison shopped. Target was lower cost for all my meds, even cheaper than the co-pay when I had prescription coverage!

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