A Few Important TG Questions... I Think

[ver0n1c@]

i have been doing some soul searching over the past few weeks. My SO and I have been discussing the possibility of going through with SRS. Im not sure yet if its what I want to do, because Im at a stage right now where it feels rather selfish. Im beginning to feel less selfish about it, and for the most part I understand most of the process. However, one of the things that my SO, Bethany, and I discussed was how much SRS in total would cost... I mean to go on HRT and then proceed with the surgery, what kind of price tag am I looking at? Can any of it be covered by insurance? Is there a specific insurance carrier that covers it? If I switched to a new carrier would being transgendered be considered a previously existing condition?

[Karen564]

Umm, Forgive me for being straight up with ya, but don't you think it's a bit premature to even be thinking about SRS at this time?
It doesn't sound like you taken into account all the preliminary aspects of transition, or even started the 1st step yet.....
I just hate to see people put the cart in front of the horse...
But maybe that's just me.....
But as for the price of SRS itself, it varies depending on where & who you go to....You can get a hack job for 5k or spend upwards to 30+K depending on what you need..

[ver0n1c@]

Dont get me wrong, its not something that im remotely ready to start, i still would need to see a psych, and even then i dont think i would be ready for a while. its just something that my SO and I wanted to consider for the future. we both like to be in a financially stable position, and we didnt want to be in a financially prohibited state had i decided that i wanted to proceed. its only a distant consideration at this point, and bethany said that it may be a good idea to ask the people that know

[Andy66]

I have no idea about the costs, but a word of caution... make sure you have the insurance you want in place before you go for an official diagnosis. Otherwise it will definitely be considered a pre-existing condition. That may not completely rule out having insurance pay for it, but it could make it difficult.

[bethany356]

It's something she's thinking about in the distant future, not going out and doing tomorrow. I suggested that she hop on here and get personal experiances and advice, so she knows what goes into it. I told her that cost is also something that she should be thinking about as well. She knows she still needs a psych eval among other things, and there is even a posibility that it might not be right for her, or she won't even do it, but she's doing the reasearch and weighing the pro's and con's. You can't yell at a girl for thinking about it and asking questions.

[Karen564]

Ok then,
As far as insurance covering anything, 99% of the Insurance Co 's wont touch most of the costs...But if your lucky, you can get the HRT covered and most are able to get most of the therapy sessions covered....but as far as any hair removal or cosmetic surgeries go (including SRS) the chances you'll have any of that covered is about nill.....Although I heard through the grapevine that Fed Ex paid for SRS....But I haven't gotten that confirmed yet...

[ver0n1c@]

thank you for your help karen... what do you mean by fedex pays for srs? do you mean if youre an employee?

[crystalann]

For me srs was never the reason to start my transition, but it was the end of the transition. The cost? It's hard to say, from the start to the end I put out just over sixty thousand dollars. For me this was all out of pocket I have insurance but they did not cover any of it, so sad! Maybe counseling should be the first place to start instead of thinking about SRS? Best of luck

[ver0n1c@]

thank you. counseling is definite, srs is a possibility. i wouldnt even call it that. im in no hurry by any means, and if i decide to later on then the knowledge i gained from this will be helpful, but the probability that i will not have SRS done is much higher... i just want to be clear headed about what im getting myself into. I have a child and a wife. i need to make sure that i will not be harming the financial stability of their livelyhood, and it will be for discussion with a counselor whether or not i will damage them emotionally depending upon how i proceed

[GypsyKaren]

I don't know of any insurance companies that will pay for SRS, and though some will pay for HRT, most will throw you under the bus at the mention of the word "transgender". SRS costs will vary by location, having it done in the U.S. would be around $22,000 - $30,000, figure around $20,000 for Canada, and $10,000 - $15,000 for Thailand. Note that these are just for the surgery and that all of the surgeons raise their fees on a regular basis. I had my surgery done in Thailand in 10/2007, my costs for everything including travel and hotel expenses for two was around $11,500, though my surgeon has raised his prices by $3,000 since then.

I have some information on some surgeons here ( http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82310), most have their prices listed, if not they'll provide them by email request. My advice: stick with one of the top tier surgeons, there are places where you can go discount but that would be a mistake. If money is an issue, I'd say Thailand is your best bet, I'm more than satisfied and even my gynecologist was impressed...and I'm always here if either of you have any questions.

One other thing: our marriage not only survived this, but Kat and I are happier than ever and we just celebrated our 16th anniversary.

Karen

[ver0n1c@]

that is very good information gypsykaren, i appreciate all of the info. for me quality is the most important thing, but of course money can be an issue, thats financially planning right now for this is the most important thing... and the best part is that if SRS is not right for me ill have alot of money saved up to put a down payment on a house, or invest or whatever. the most important thing though is to be prepared for whatever situations that you can reasonably plan for... thank you again

[Karen564]

thank you for your help karen... what do you mean by fedex pays for srs? do you mean if youre an employee?

Yes, but again, I never got that confirmed...so it could be just someone dreaming....which is more than likely the case...

[TNRobin]

I'm no where near SRS and I don't see myself going quite that far ever, but I thought that I'd chime in with a couple of things.

First, I have a friend that is getting SRS done in Thailand in June and her medical bills are going to be $23,000, that includes a few extras (nose and eyes).

Second, if I were going to get it done I would DEFINITELY get the hair removal done first. Reason being is that you can't do things like wear make-up for about a week after getting it done and if you need to have some of it done by electrolysis then you must let it grow a bit first so that there's a shaft to the hair exposed. I couldn't imagine that would look good with a nice dress.

In case you're interested in getting your hair removed I just started laser hair removal today on my face and there are a few spots that were a might tender when they got zapped.

At any rate, take things slowly. Remember, this isn't reversible, at least not most of it and SRS is certainly one of them...unless you want to try SRS again.:eek:

[tamarav]

This is a touchy situation for both of you, the questions are valid but I feel like there is something missing in the equation. SRS and all of the processes that go with it to achieve a complete feminine appearance and body are a mere portion of the entire process. The standards of care that go along with the phsical changes are designed to assist those that are questioning their committment.

The costs are going to vary over time and by locale and physician, and will rise as time goes by. Approaching such a drastic change from a money point of view tends to put off many of the members that realize that this is merely part of the steps that must be taken, cost set aside, it is simply something that has to be done. From your questions this does not sound like a committed situation, it sounds as if you have not approached counseling, that is not simply a checklist item to be dismissed.

This is a huge undertaking and it fantasized about by all of us at one point or another, but those that are driven my absolute need never seem to be swayed by costs, those are simply aspects of the change that one will encounter.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for planning out the costs of any large expenditure, but focusing on the costs rather than the overwhelming need to change are two very different things and many here will take exception to your approach. Costs are published everywhere on the net, there are many guides and quotes available.


I am close to you, just North about 60 miles. I used to be a gender counselor years ago, now have shifted toward the beauty industry. I would happy to talk with you and give you all the information I can, I am not a candidate for SRS but have been through the process as a helper 4 times and worked with many TSs in the past. I no longer counsel but will talk to a sister.

I am missing seeing a level of committment that is necessary for this procedure. Believe me, I am all for side-stepping convention, but the standards of care for this procedure are there for a very valid reason.

OK, I have said my piece, apologies for over-stepping my bounds.

[ver0n1c@]

thank you all for your valuable insight. i appreciate and heed your warnings and advice, and i promise you all that if this is an eventuallity for me that i will approach it with the utmost patience and dedication.

[luvSophia]

Many large companies, as well as cities, are actually self insured. They may contract with an insurance company to administer their plan but all monies go out of and come into the companies pockets. That means the company itself gets to decide what is or is not covered based on company policy. I do not know about FedEx, but IBM's employee insurance will cover SRS and I believe that the city of San Francisco does also.

With insurance that does not specifically cover transition costs sometimes it will depend on how liberal your doctor or therapist is with their diagnosis. For example, I am not being treated for Gender Identity Disorder. I am depressed (requiring therapy) plus I have elevated blood pressure, a mildly enlarged prostate and hypergonadism, all of which have medicines that are typically prescribed for them that just happen to have desirable (for me) side effects.

[lizlizzie]

One other thing: our marriage not only survived this, but Kat and I are happier than ever and we just celebrated our 16th anniversary. Karen

Karen, congrats to you and Kat - :cheers:. I hope one day my SO and I will celebrate our 16th and it will be a whole lot better than our 10th, which we spent apart.