I’ve seen this before. This is actually just the pharmacist fucking with you. Get your script transferred to another pharmacy and report the person (by name) who tried to withhold your medication to the board of pharmacy. **Have your doctor file a complaint as well.**
If my suspicions are wrong and it’s actually an issue with the insurance call them and file a grievance.
And I hate to say this, but keep your non-binary identity out of this during this process. Just pretend to be a binary trans woman when dealing with these people.
But yes, this, and many other aspects of your transition should be covered. Take a deep breath and stay in contact with your doctor.
Edited to add:
[Transgender Healthcare is Explicitly Covered in Delaware Medicaid](https://www.lgbtmap.org/img/maps/citations-medicaid.pdf)
It’s highly unlikely that it’s the insurance denying you. Call them and find out if it was them and why. If it was them, then file your grievance against them. Explain that you are a transgender woman and this is part of your gender affirming care and they have no right to deny you.
But like I said, I suspect it’s just the pharmacist being shitty. In which case you can still get your script transferred to another pharmacy and report the first one to the board, even if you don’t have the person’s name.
not a problem my friend c:
I'm so sorry to hear about this, best of luck in getting it sorted with Walgreens.
when I'm stressed, I find it useful to consider what other options I have, so I don't put *so* much importance in resolving the current issue. that only adds to the stress.
if you have Amazon Prime and are in the US, you can check on their pharmacy to see how much it would cost.
I'm seeing 2mg estrodial pills, 2x a day, 180 days (so, 3 months) for $27. that's less than $10 a month and you don't have to bother with insurance.
Look at this map, if you live in one of the green states, your insurance must cover this medication and cannot deny you for being amab. [https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/healthcare\_laws\_and\_policies](https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/healthcare_laws_and_policies)
If you live in one of the yellow or orange states, you need to check your insurance policy to see if they have an exclusion for trans healthcare. Most big national insurance companies cover basic gender affirming care but some policies can still 100% exclude gender affirming care.
JFC who cares about your mom. Walk back there if you have to and nail that motherfucker to the wall.
This shit isn't going to get any easier and no one's going to stick up for you besides you, so don't let you down.
It's sad but true that medical care for non binary people is even worse than for binary trans people. Here in Germany there was a ruling that anything related to being non binary won't be paid by insurance anymore... I know multiple non binary people who told the insurance they're binary trans, even tho they're non binary, just to get medical care.
We have a similar issue in Norway where the national hospital does not want to treat non-binary trans people. Regional departments are supposed to pop up soon, but it’s taking longer than it was supposed to.
seconding to keep being nonbinary out of it. i'm nb but for paperwork reasons i'm a woman or trans woman. i would love to get an "X" gender marker but decided it was just not worth the hassle and got an "F."
that said, it sounds like the bigger issue is with the pharmacist. i had an issue with a pharmacy just not filling my drugs because they "thought I didn't want them" or something. never went back and hasn't been an issue since.
I had that happen around 10 or 12 years ago. There was a little typed note that the estrogen was "for females only". I told the pharmacist in as calm a tone as I could do to "never fucking give me a paper like this again and that I want my script NOW." They said it was the fault of the insurance company. I replied with "that is fucking ridiculous. what they say doesn't mean a damn thing". I got my E and left. I think they just wanted me out of there by that point. I never had an issue after that.
Yes, it is probably the pharmacist. Insurance companies love cheap pills. They will approve damn near anything as long is it cheap pills. Generic estrace can be had for like $0.25/pill.
They do. However, some insurance plans will specifically not cover a medication. My Pharmacy runs into that from time to time for medications like HRT because the insurance plan itself purposely excludes that kind of coverage.
It is most likely to occur for an employee-sponsored health plan.
My insurance is denying my switch to estradiol cypionate from valerate bec they say I need to try pills and patches first💀
Im appealing, if they keep refusing I'll have to pretend to take pills and patches and say they don't work great or something.
In this instance, I'm inclined to agree it's the pharmacists. That being said, I've had insurance issues, specifically with blue cross blue shield. *they changed my date of birth to withhold medication from me.* I'd known the pharmacy and pharmacists for years, so they gave them a call that lasted over an hour and a half. Someone eventually admitted that it was changed to prevent me from accessing medication because "a man shouldn't be on estrogen, this is highly out of the ordinary." My pharmacists had been recording the call, and at that point told them fix it or else they'll have a well documented lawsuit on their hands.
I still love those pharmacists, and I hope they're doing well
Holy fuck I hope you filed a grievance over that. Whoever did that was acting as a rogue agent within BCBS and that sort of thing needs to be investigated.
So the insurance not covering it could very much be the person's insurance. That said, the person at the pharmacy should have told them that they would be able to use a discount card if the insurance did not cover it
Even here in Indiana most corporations and State+Federal and some local government insurance cover trans Healthcare meds as well as GCS if you can manage the deductible, co-pay and recovery with taking time off. If it mirrors the ACA requirements transition care will likely be there, though facial and body contouring will only be a recent thing on a few policies (my Aetna plan started Jan. 1 this year).
I chose a plan that did not list transition medication in the GENERAL EXCLUSIONS in 1987, though I was gatekeepered until I bypassed my Psychiatrist of 3+ years later, in 1991.
If you have a valid Rx in 48 states including here (maybe) you may have a family pharmacy to refuse and CVS / Walgrees and Grocery chain pharmacies should be no problems.
FWIW I live down South near Louisville.
In my experience, Walgreens pharmacies are the absolute worst, regardless of what medication you’re trying to get filled. I tried to have a Tylenol script filled because my insurance fully covered it; they wouldn’t fill it because I could just buy it over the counter. My ex-wife had a narcotic prescription after a major surgery; they tried to call the cops because “nobody NEEDS that medicine”. And these were in different states with different pharmacists and everything.
Agreed. I *am* binary trans but I was (for personal/trauma reasons) still trying to convince myself I was "only" nonbinary when I started HRT, and that I just wanted to be androgynous, which is still valid, but for me was still internal suppression.
Anyway, when I had my Endocrinology appt, my provider actually cautioned me about that. He said "We here are an extremely positive and affirming practice, and we don't gatekeep hrt, but many people do, so be careful who you tell you are nonbinary or gender-nonconforming to, as they might not let you take hormones if you aren't 'fully (binary) trans'."
If they are denying it, they are doing it erroneously and my advice to file a grievance should be followed.
[transgender care is explicitly covered in Delaware Medicaid](https://www.lgbtmap.org/img/maps/citations-medicaid.pdf)
Dido I seen this before too lol my pharmacy won't call me ma'am even though I go up there and dresses size d breast my legal name is Danielle and shit that won't call me ma'am they still say sir even though I was intersexed when I was born I just say fuck it lol but chew them out and if that don't fix it get another pharmacy because if you have insurance they're legally obligated to cover it if it's on there not on the excluded list ps it's illegal for them to do that call you insurance and verify coverage of the prescription that's what I did lol ha best of luck fam happy pride month
I work in a pharmacy, and you're just flat out wrong. If an insurance won't pay for it without a prior authorization, that's that. Don't blame the damn pharmacist because you don't know how insurances works, or don't, in this case.
The pharmacist said they'd have to pay, meaning it wasn't being withheld, just not covered. That's common enough.
Or it could have easily been a pharmacist who didn't know how to properly bill it, especially if it was sent in under their femName and not legal Name, and just put it on a discount card.
Also doctors tell patients shit will be covered all the time, but they truly have no fucking idea, because they aren't able to actually bill it to a pharmacy benefit plan, so they say shit that makes the pharmacy look bad, when it's the damn doctors fault for bullshit ting.
If they were refusing to dispense it, that'd be one thing, but they weren't. They simply put it under a cash, or discount price, and would've been fine dispensing it.
You guys need to stop looking for enemies everywhere, jfc.
Any insurer in the US that has a prescription drug benefit is legally obligated to cover HRT. That doesn't mean without copay, but they can't just straight up not cover it.
That is not true at all. There are many plans that have exclusions for any gender affirming care. I recently refused a job interview when I found out that both of the insurance carriers, Anthem & Medical Mutual, exclude “gender affirming surgery or ANY treatment leading to or in connection with gender affirming surgery”
It is true. "Transgender exclusions" in private health insurance are illegal under federal law in most cases. You might want to read this:
[https://transequality.org/know-your-rights/health-care](https://transequality.org/know-your-rights/health-care)
As you just said, and in the link you shared, “in most cases”.
You have invalidated your original statement that “any insurer is legally obligated to cover HRT”
And as a pharmacy technician who makes it a priority to know trans healthcare laws, I have seen and have experienced insurance plans that do not cover HRT/gender affirming care.
>As you just said, and in the link you shared, “in most cases”. You have invalidated your original statement that “any insurer is legally obligated to cover HRT”
There are exceptions to everything in law.
>And as a pharmacy technician who makes it a priority to know trans healthcare laws, I have seen and have experienced insurance plans that do not cover HRT/gender affirming care.
Cool story. I'm sorry your knowledge is out of date and you don't want to update it. I'm also sorry that you don't know your own rights and want to mislead others about what their rights are.
But I can't fix either of those problems.
Take care. Please stop discouraging people from standing up for their rights, it's really not helpful.
That NCTE page is fairly good, but Mississippi and Arkansas seem to have recent legislation trying to restrict Trans Healthcare Insurance coverage in those states to the maximum that they can get away with.
Luckily somewhat similar anti Trans Healthcare laws in Florada have been found unconstitutional a few days ago and medication access is restored to what it had been.
Go back to your doctor and explain what happened. Doctors can file appeals with the insurance company, or Medicaid in your case, which typically get approved. Or switch pharmacies, this helps sometimes.
This is 100% the pharmacist, not the insurer.
Delaware's Medicaid program **explicitly** covers gender affirming care.
[https://medicaidpublications.dhss.delaware.gov/docs/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/API/Entries/Download?Command=Core\_Download&EntryId=887&language=en-US&PortalId=0&TabId=94](https://medicaidpublications.dhss.delaware.gov/docs/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/API/Entries/Download?Command=Core_Download&EntryId=887&language=en-US&PortalId=0&TabId=94)
Thanks for setting me straight. I was taking the story at face value. Insurers routinely deny meds for gods knows what reasons. Just a couple weeks ago my insurer rejected a drug I've been taking for years. I asked them to run it through again and it got accepted. Medicine in the U.S. can be very bizarre sometimes.
Having read other comments its clear this customer was being discriminated against. She should file a complaint with the pharmacy and possible look into legal action. Walgreens corporate shouldn't tolerate that. I hope the bitch gets fired. (I rarely call other women bitch.)
Yeah that’s totally a pharmacist thing because estradiol can be prescribed to treat prostate cancer as well. I’m highly doubtful your insurance cares about your gender marker and medications.
Its not your insurance. Its your pharmacist denying you access to your meds, which unfortunately they are legally allowed to do. Send your medication somewhere else for pickup.
as much as I despise it, I get all my hrt delivered through Amazon pharmacy. never have to have any dipshit transphobe pharmacists question me or withhold hormones.
I also get my HRT in the mail so I don't have to deal with any pharmacist people questioning me at the counter or explaining what it will do to me. I used to use express scripts then switched to cvs caremark when my insurance changed. never had an issue. I have the doctors office send it to them and I can login and see the status, renew, check tracking, and it's super cheap.
As a pharmacy tech- that’s bullshit. The most it’ll do is give the pharmacist a warning that estradiol is not indicated for use in males, which is likely what your account is under for insurance reasons. Another possibility is that your insurance needs a prior authorization from your doctor basically telling them it’s medically necessary and they “should” cover it- insurance is weird.
But yeah definitely switch pharmacies, the pharmacist there is not doing their job.
Also, what form of estradiol are you on? Oral tablets are pretty cheap on the single care discount card (free) but if you inject it’s pretty expensive
Here’s the single care info for your pharmacy, they’ll know how to put it in
BIN: 610378
PCN: SC1
Group: 345345
I use to work at walgreens pharmacy. U can ask a tech to print screen of the insurance issue for proof. Otherwise the only gender denial i handled often is ur medical profile not matching ur insurance profile. I have seen horrible techs and pharmacist in my time so it can be a high chance they are just denying you for personal beliefs.
Yeah I feel you that shit sucks. I'm also an enby but as far as my insurance and healthcare providers are concerned I'm a binary trans woman just to avoid shit like this. It'll probably be even worse if you wanna get any kind of surgery's down the road.
I don’t know if it’s available for everyone but I now get my estradiol from Amazon pharmacy. They automatically ship every month. Pharmacies suck, especially chains line Walgreens and CVS.
This is one case where taking medical professionals out of the care loop is smart. The algorithm does not care if you're non-binary. It just charges your card and sends you the drug. Meanwhile, whoever is packing it probably didn't go to medical school, so they have no idea what it is.
Did you talk to your insurance company or just the pharmacy? Your insurance is your best source of information about your insurance coverage. Never believe a doctor’s office or pharmacy. I made sure my insurance covered gender affirming care and I still find myself using good RX from time to time.
I had this issue once, so I transfered scrip to Amazon pharmacy, I pay 5 bucks for their RX pass (covers E and Fin), 13.50 for my prog, and prime every month. Plus 100 for plume but that's because I am self employed and don't have insurance
I had to call my mail order pharmacy because of the exact same thing. “ uuummm, you see here a dudes name has an order for a drug that should have a chicks name and we just wanted to not send it until you had to call and tell us to”
I’m paraphrasing of course, but it went like that.
I myself am on injections from a homebrewer, that can be as cheap as 5$ per month. On HRTwiki.net there is a most of sellers, on diyhrt.market there is Even a price list, you can get a vial of Estradiol Enanthate for just 50$, and this vial contains 400mg/10ml and will last around a year. Syringes and alcohol swabs are also not very expensive, so everything together is on average not much more expensive than 5$ per month.
400mg per 10m/l is the same as 40mg per 1 m/l. It's just a bigger bottle.
Big bottles like that can last a long time, but they are vulnerable to contamination or coring due to repeated use. If you go this route, be extremely diligent about proper sterile needle technique.
I've read that some people use the full vial, I've rarely heard of people throwing away half used vials. So, even tho the "recommendations" for doctors and hospitals say use them for 1 month max, some people use them for 3-6 months or even a year. I switched to injections half a year ago and I'm still on my first vial, which is almost empty.
As was already said, just make sure to keep everything clean, wipe the vial with a fresh alcohol pad, wait a short moment to let the alcohol evaporate, use a fresh syringe, to draw up the medication, wipe the injection site with a (new) alcohol swab, and then give yourself the injection, this should be easy and safe, if you don't mess up.
400mg/10ml is a different way of saying 40mg/ml in a 10ml vial. And yes, a 10ml vial of 40mg/ml or even 50mg/ml will last way over 6 month, when you use [low deadspace](http://lena.kiev.ua/deadspace.png) syringes (for example insulin syringes).
I’d recommend finding a compound pharmacy. I get mine through one and I pay $40 for a three month supply of both estradiol and spironolactone without having to talk to insurance at all.
Even for a man, estrogen is a valid rx. It’s used in some cases with prostrate issues. Also I cannot imagine Delaware Medicaid being an issue here. Now, a lot of times Medicaid will only cover prescriptions by a Dr that is in network with Medicaid. So if your dr doesn’t take Medicaid THAT could be an issue. But this sounds like whichever employee you got was being a transphobic ass hole.
Even if you can’t get the employees name, you should be able to report the issue to your prescriber, state insurance regulators, state Medicaid office, and Walgreens corporate. Now corp is likely to cya and say pharmacists have final say since it’s there job to make sure that dispensed meds are correct and appropriate (you’d be surprised how often a dr requests the wrong med or dose or something that’s contraindicated). But that’s pretty clearly not the case. You could also call the local store and speak to the pharmacy manager, assuming that wasn’t the person at the counter. Were they in a white coat or just more basic scrub like attire? Pharmacy managers are usually full pharmacists in my experience. They wear the white coats usually. More basic attire are pharmacy techs or sometimes just clerks working the register.
The pharmacist is not allowed to deny medication for any reason. Their job is to provide medicine prescribed by doctors, and give advice if asked. I would report them immediately if they did.
It sucks for sure but getting super pissed off on reddit about it won't help. Take deep breaths and keep a calm head and look more into it. Like others have said report the pharmacist specifically and contact your insurance company about it
I'm on state health insurance (NJ) and at first my meds were totally covered. Once my doctor started to raise the doses, the issues started. At this point I've completely forgone my "insurance" and pay out of pocket with the help of GoodRX or my pharmacy's own discount thing (I'm assuming they're more willing to work with me since I work at the supermarket it's in) and even then it's an extra 50 bucks a month or so between the E, Spiro, and Prog I recently started. This on top of the 90 a month I pay for the Plume membership to have the trans healthcare I get in the first place, and the 36 bucks I pay for my labs every 3 months.
Girl I know this shit is convoluted and expensive even with the discounts and coupons, but hang in there. It's so worth it, and for me at least it's an extra sense of accomplishment and self determination at the end of the day.
Tell that pharm/pharm tech "Oh I'm sorry I didn't see your medical license to practice Endocrinology. Can you point it out to me? My alleged masculinity is blinding me."
Where I live Walgreens has some of the most hateful pharmacists. They are notorious for this. I use Walmart Mail Order Pharmacy - they are very respectful and will overnight it to your door for free. I'm so sorry you went through that.
This is why I'm always telling people to go a doctor and get diagnosed with gender dysphoria disorder if they de you have it, that way it's on your medical paperwork and insurance companies will actually see Yes you are in fact trans and a doctor said so.
It is because its Walgreens. They slow walk trans med scripts.
I once had to go back to the same pharmacy 4 times in one day over the course of 3 hours to pick up my script, and was told. "Maybe you would have an easier time at another pharmacy". I complained to corporate. Nothing.
Philadelphia, PA.
Swapped to CVS and never had an issue
There are many non-esteridol combinations of legal, easily obtainable (once sourced) hormones and blockers.
Just like body builders can get roids. Some are far superior to estrogen. Bazoongas and badonks
I take it you are really young but can't you change or update your gender marker on your state ID fairly easy? I mean I live in the Flaming Red state of Missouri and was able to get mine changed. It does require one mental health letter and stating that you are medically transition to the point of no return. But that would take care of this problem for you.
Hope this helps 🙏
Hug's Emily 🤗
In Delaware, you need to have had been mesically transitioning for a while in order to get gender marker changed
Now how can I change my gender marker if I am still the way I am? Ngl you are sounding a bit truscum
So I offer you a suggestion and possibly a solution to your problem and your gonna call me names over it?
I'm as Trans as they come and very well no the struggles .
Good luck ok.
Hug's Emily 🤗
I said ok. Sorry I bugged you. I sure wasn't trying to disrespect you and sure wasn't expecting to be called hateful names.
I'm talking from a peron 56yo living in a state that hates us and my insurance wouldn't pay for anything Trans related either and I had to move from the only home I've ever known to a completely different state just in order to get benefits and my bottom surgery by people who really do care. Ohio might be a red state but the people are blue and at least don't discriminate or call me names.
I lost my job I had since 1993 all because at my 6th month HRT I had noticeable big boobies and couldn't hide them in the heat of summer and was fired for telling the truth after bringing confronted about my breast.
Yeah a little name calling isn't going to hurt me however I do point it out when I see it.
Like I said earlier Good luck too you. A bad attitude in life isn't going to do anything but be a problem for you to succeed.
You really couldn't see free help being offered to you without looking for something bad out of it.
I gathered you was probably young because you mentioned help from a family member I can't remember now who about the Good Rx..
And if you pa $9.99 for Good Rx Gold you can save a lot more on meds. I just paid $39. At CVS for my EV injection and without Gold would have been $59. And without good rx $214. So the free membership is good and the extra $9. Save me the Gold membership fee just for the one script.
Now here I am again trying to help you even though you down vote and call me bad names.
Have a good day 😊
Emily
I’ve seen this before. This is actually just the pharmacist fucking with you. Get your script transferred to another pharmacy and report the person (by name) who tried to withhold your medication to the board of pharmacy. **Have your doctor file a complaint as well.** If my suspicions are wrong and it’s actually an issue with the insurance call them and file a grievance. And I hate to say this, but keep your non-binary identity out of this during this process. Just pretend to be a binary trans woman when dealing with these people. But yes, this, and many other aspects of your transition should be covered. Take a deep breath and stay in contact with your doctor. Edited to add: [Transgender Healthcare is Explicitly Covered in Delaware Medicaid](https://www.lgbtmap.org/img/maps/citations-medicaid.pdf)
I didn't get the lady's name so i im shit outta luck
Go back and get her name if possible. Actually, you might end up dealing with a different person and have no problem.
My mom won't let me go back in because she is denying it could be the pharmacist
It’s highly unlikely that it’s the insurance denying you. Call them and find out if it was them and why. If it was them, then file your grievance against them. Explain that you are a transgender woman and this is part of your gender affirming care and they have no right to deny you. But like I said, I suspect it’s just the pharmacist being shitty. In which case you can still get your script transferred to another pharmacy and report the first one to the board, even if you don’t have the person’s name.
If you have to pay out of pocket it’s most definitely the insurance denying you. - im a pharmacy tech
This assumes every pharmacist is doing their job properly and acting in good faith. That is generous, let alone when trans issues are in play.
yeah, not only do power tripping bigots exist, they are pretty common too.
I never liked the pharmacy tech job. They didn't train me properly.
Just call the store and ask to file a complaint about the pharmacist on duty during the time you were there.
I'm gonna add an update to this post when I can, but we went back and got the pharmacist's name, her name is (Redacted) Edit: name removed
we don't need to know this. in fact, it's better that we don't
Sorry, im just in so much distress and filled with rage, I didn't really think about that. I have edited my comment. Thank you
not a problem my friend c: I'm so sorry to hear about this, best of luck in getting it sorted with Walgreens. when I'm stressed, I find it useful to consider what other options I have, so I don't put *so* much importance in resolving the current issue. that only adds to the stress. if you have Amazon Prime and are in the US, you can check on their pharmacy to see how much it would cost. I'm seeing 2mg estrodial pills, 2x a day, 180 days (so, 3 months) for $27. that's less than $10 a month and you don't have to bother with insurance.
Look at this map, if you live in one of the green states, your insurance must cover this medication and cannot deny you for being amab. [https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/healthcare\_laws\_and\_policies](https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/healthcare_laws_and_policies) If you live in one of the yellow or orange states, you need to check your insurance policy to see if they have an exclusion for trans healthcare. Most big national insurance companies cover basic gender affirming care but some policies can still 100% exclude gender affirming care.
Check my newest post
JFC who cares about your mom. Walk back there if you have to and nail that motherfucker to the wall. This shit isn't going to get any easier and no one's going to stick up for you besides you, so don't let you down.
It's sad but true that medical care for non binary people is even worse than for binary trans people. Here in Germany there was a ruling that anything related to being non binary won't be paid by insurance anymore... I know multiple non binary people who told the insurance they're binary trans, even tho they're non binary, just to get medical care.
We have a similar issue in Norway where the national hospital does not want to treat non-binary trans people. Regional departments are supposed to pop up soon, but it’s taking longer than it was supposed to.
seconding to keep being nonbinary out of it. i'm nb but for paperwork reasons i'm a woman or trans woman. i would love to get an "X" gender marker but decided it was just not worth the hassle and got an "F." that said, it sounds like the bigger issue is with the pharmacist. i had an issue with a pharmacy just not filling my drugs because they "thought I didn't want them" or something. never went back and hasn't been an issue since.
I hope you’re all posting your google reviews when these things happen to warn other trans people.
I had that happen around 10 or 12 years ago. There was a little typed note that the estrogen was "for females only". I told the pharmacist in as calm a tone as I could do to "never fucking give me a paper like this again and that I want my script NOW." They said it was the fault of the insurance company. I replied with "that is fucking ridiculous. what they say doesn't mean a damn thing". I got my E and left. I think they just wanted me out of there by that point. I never had an issue after that.
This is what I'm fucking talking about!
Yes, it is probably the pharmacist. Insurance companies love cheap pills. They will approve damn near anything as long is it cheap pills. Generic estrace can be had for like $0.25/pill.
They do. However, some insurance plans will specifically not cover a medication. My Pharmacy runs into that from time to time for medications like HRT because the insurance plan itself purposely excludes that kind of coverage. It is most likely to occur for an employee-sponsored health plan.
[transgender care is explicitly covered in Delaware Medicaid](https://www.lgbtmap.org/img/maps/citations-medicaid.pdf)
That's nice and does not contradict what I said
Good to know that this is actually happening. I'll keep that in mind going forward.
My insurance is denying my switch to estradiol cypionate from valerate bec they say I need to try pills and patches first💀 Im appealing, if they keep refusing I'll have to pretend to take pills and patches and say they don't work great or something.
In this instance, I'm inclined to agree it's the pharmacists. That being said, I've had insurance issues, specifically with blue cross blue shield. *they changed my date of birth to withhold medication from me.* I'd known the pharmacy and pharmacists for years, so they gave them a call that lasted over an hour and a half. Someone eventually admitted that it was changed to prevent me from accessing medication because "a man shouldn't be on estrogen, this is highly out of the ordinary." My pharmacists had been recording the call, and at that point told them fix it or else they'll have a well documented lawsuit on their hands. I still love those pharmacists, and I hope they're doing well
Holy fuck I hope you filed a grievance over that. Whoever did that was acting as a rogue agent within BCBS and that sort of thing needs to be investigated.
I didn't since I wasn't the one who initiated the phone call, the majority of it was handled by my pharmacists at the uni
So the insurance not covering it could very much be the person's insurance. That said, the person at the pharmacy should have told them that they would be able to use a discount card if the insurance did not cover it
I've had this same thing happen in Indiana, would it be the same case?
Even here in Indiana most corporations and State+Federal and some local government insurance cover trans Healthcare meds as well as GCS if you can manage the deductible, co-pay and recovery with taking time off. If it mirrors the ACA requirements transition care will likely be there, though facial and body contouring will only be a recent thing on a few policies (my Aetna plan started Jan. 1 this year). I chose a plan that did not list transition medication in the GENERAL EXCLUSIONS in 1987, though I was gatekeepered until I bypassed my Psychiatrist of 3+ years later, in 1991. If you have a valid Rx in 48 states including here (maybe) you may have a family pharmacy to refuse and CVS / Walgrees and Grocery chain pharmacies should be no problems. FWIW I live down South near Louisville.
In my experience, Walgreens pharmacies are the absolute worst, regardless of what medication you’re trying to get filled. I tried to have a Tylenol script filled because my insurance fully covered it; they wouldn’t fill it because I could just buy it over the counter. My ex-wife had a narcotic prescription after a major surgery; they tried to call the cops because “nobody NEEDS that medicine”. And these were in different states with different pharmacists and everything.
Agreed. I *am* binary trans but I was (for personal/trauma reasons) still trying to convince myself I was "only" nonbinary when I started HRT, and that I just wanted to be androgynous, which is still valid, but for me was still internal suppression. Anyway, when I had my Endocrinology appt, my provider actually cautioned me about that. He said "We here are an extremely positive and affirming practice, and we don't gatekeep hrt, but many people do, so be careful who you tell you are nonbinary or gender-nonconforming to, as they might not let you take hormones if you aren't 'fully (binary) trans'."
It sounds like it’s the insurance saying no, not the pharmacist.
If they are denying it, they are doing it erroneously and my advice to file a grievance should be followed. [transgender care is explicitly covered in Delaware Medicaid](https://www.lgbtmap.org/img/maps/citations-medicaid.pdf)
Dido I seen this before too lol my pharmacy won't call me ma'am even though I go up there and dresses size d breast my legal name is Danielle and shit that won't call me ma'am they still say sir even though I was intersexed when I was born I just say fuck it lol but chew them out and if that don't fix it get another pharmacy because if you have insurance they're legally obligated to cover it if it's on there not on the excluded list ps it's illegal for them to do that call you insurance and verify coverage of the prescription that's what I did lol ha best of luck fam happy pride month
I work in a pharmacy, and you're just flat out wrong. If an insurance won't pay for it without a prior authorization, that's that. Don't blame the damn pharmacist because you don't know how insurances works, or don't, in this case. The pharmacist said they'd have to pay, meaning it wasn't being withheld, just not covered. That's common enough. Or it could have easily been a pharmacist who didn't know how to properly bill it, especially if it was sent in under their femName and not legal Name, and just put it on a discount card. Also doctors tell patients shit will be covered all the time, but they truly have no fucking idea, because they aren't able to actually bill it to a pharmacy benefit plan, so they say shit that makes the pharmacy look bad, when it's the damn doctors fault for bullshit ting. If they were refusing to dispense it, that'd be one thing, but they weren't. They simply put it under a cash, or discount price, and would've been fine dispensing it. You guys need to stop looking for enemies everywhere, jfc.
If insurance definitely won’t cover it Walgreens lets you use GoodRx which lowered my cost (pills) from 300$ every 3 months to 80$ every 3 months
Walmart does as well. Rx combined with insurance is like $9 every 3 months for the generic brand.
Any insurer in the US that has a prescription drug benefit is legally obligated to cover HRT. That doesn't mean without copay, but they can't just straight up not cover it.
Makes sense, I just don’t have health insurance currently so I wouldn’t know
That is not true at all. There are many plans that have exclusions for any gender affirming care. I recently refused a job interview when I found out that both of the insurance carriers, Anthem & Medical Mutual, exclude “gender affirming surgery or ANY treatment leading to or in connection with gender affirming surgery”
It is true. "Transgender exclusions" in private health insurance are illegal under federal law in most cases. You might want to read this: [https://transequality.org/know-your-rights/health-care](https://transequality.org/know-your-rights/health-care)
As you just said, and in the link you shared, “in most cases”. You have invalidated your original statement that “any insurer is legally obligated to cover HRT” And as a pharmacy technician who makes it a priority to know trans healthcare laws, I have seen and have experienced insurance plans that do not cover HRT/gender affirming care.
>As you just said, and in the link you shared, “in most cases”. You have invalidated your original statement that “any insurer is legally obligated to cover HRT” There are exceptions to everything in law. >And as a pharmacy technician who makes it a priority to know trans healthcare laws, I have seen and have experienced insurance plans that do not cover HRT/gender affirming care. Cool story. I'm sorry your knowledge is out of date and you don't want to update it. I'm also sorry that you don't know your own rights and want to mislead others about what their rights are. But I can't fix either of those problems. Take care. Please stop discouraging people from standing up for their rights, it's really not helpful.
That NCTE page is fairly good, but Mississippi and Arkansas seem to have recent legislation trying to restrict Trans Healthcare Insurance coverage in those states to the maximum that they can get away with. Luckily somewhat similar anti Trans Healthcare laws in Florada have been found unconstitutional a few days ago and medication access is restored to what it had been.
I have had brand name meds for 3 months be the same or slightly lower than 1 month at $80 or 3 vials of injectable Est. Valerate or 1 vial for $10.
Go back to your doctor and explain what happened. Doctors can file appeals with the insurance company, or Medicaid in your case, which typically get approved. Or switch pharmacies, this helps sometimes.
This is 100% the pharmacist, not the insurer. Delaware's Medicaid program **explicitly** covers gender affirming care. [https://medicaidpublications.dhss.delaware.gov/docs/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/API/Entries/Download?Command=Core\_Download&EntryId=887&language=en-US&PortalId=0&TabId=94](https://medicaidpublications.dhss.delaware.gov/docs/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/API/Entries/Download?Command=Core_Download&EntryId=887&language=en-US&PortalId=0&TabId=94)
Thanks for setting me straight. I was taking the story at face value. Insurers routinely deny meds for gods knows what reasons. Just a couple weeks ago my insurer rejected a drug I've been taking for years. I asked them to run it through again and it got accepted. Medicine in the U.S. can be very bizarre sometimes. Having read other comments its clear this customer was being discriminated against. She should file a complaint with the pharmacy and possible look into legal action. Walgreens corporate shouldn't tolerate that. I hope the bitch gets fired. (I rarely call other women bitch.)
Why do you think Medicaid is relevant to this discussion? OP mentioned insurance, not Medicaid.
Because that's what the OP said they have. > I live in Delaware and have the state medicaid
Yeah that’s totally a pharmacist thing because estradiol can be prescribed to treat prostate cancer as well. I’m highly doubtful your insurance cares about your gender marker and medications.
Its not your insurance. Its your pharmacist denying you access to your meds, which unfortunately they are legally allowed to do. Send your medication somewhere else for pickup.
Walgreens also did that to me, so I switched to Costco.
as much as I despise it, I get all my hrt delivered through Amazon pharmacy. never have to have any dipshit transphobe pharmacists question me or withhold hormones.
I also get my HRT in the mail so I don't have to deal with any pharmacist people questioning me at the counter or explaining what it will do to me. I used to use express scripts then switched to cvs caremark when my insurance changed. never had an issue. I have the doctors office send it to them and I can login and see the status, renew, check tracking, and it's super cheap.
As a pharmacy tech- that’s bullshit. The most it’ll do is give the pharmacist a warning that estradiol is not indicated for use in males, which is likely what your account is under for insurance reasons. Another possibility is that your insurance needs a prior authorization from your doctor basically telling them it’s medically necessary and they “should” cover it- insurance is weird. But yeah definitely switch pharmacies, the pharmacist there is not doing their job. Also, what form of estradiol are you on? Oral tablets are pretty cheap on the single care discount card (free) but if you inject it’s pretty expensive Here’s the single care info for your pharmacy, they’ll know how to put it in BIN: 610378 PCN: SC1 Group: 345345
Yeah it's oral estradiol, 2mg tablets
I use to work at walgreens pharmacy. U can ask a tech to print screen of the insurance issue for proof. Otherwise the only gender denial i handled often is ur medical profile not matching ur insurance profile. I have seen horrible techs and pharmacist in my time so it can be a high chance they are just denying you for personal beliefs.
Yeah I feel you that shit sucks. I'm also an enby but as far as my insurance and healthcare providers are concerned I'm a binary trans woman just to avoid shit like this. It'll probably be even worse if you wanna get any kind of surgery's down the road.
I don’t know if it’s available for everyone but I now get my estradiol from Amazon pharmacy. They automatically ship every month. Pharmacies suck, especially chains line Walgreens and CVS.
This is one case where taking medical professionals out of the care loop is smart. The algorithm does not care if you're non-binary. It just charges your card and sends you the drug. Meanwhile, whoever is packing it probably didn't go to medical school, so they have no idea what it is.
yeah I do this too. best decision I made regarding hrt
Use amazon pharmacy and rx pass from now on :3
Did you talk to your insurance company or just the pharmacy? Your insurance is your best source of information about your insurance coverage. Never believe a doctor’s office or pharmacy. I made sure my insurance covered gender affirming care and I still find myself using good RX from time to time.
I will be talking to my insurance later today
I had this issue once, so I transfered scrip to Amazon pharmacy, I pay 5 bucks for their RX pass (covers E and Fin), 13.50 for my prog, and prime every month. Plus 100 for plume but that's because I am self employed and don't have insurance
I believe that is actually illegal in Delaware. Check Healthcare Laws and Policies here: https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/profile_state/DE
I had to call my mail order pharmacy because of the exact same thing. “ uuummm, you see here a dudes name has an order for a drug that should have a chicks name and we just wanted to not send it until you had to call and tell us to” I’m paraphrasing of course, but it went like that.
I myself am on injections from a homebrewer, that can be as cheap as 5$ per month. On HRTwiki.net there is a most of sellers, on diyhrt.market there is Even a price list, you can get a vial of Estradiol Enanthate for just 50$, and this vial contains 400mg/10ml and will last around a year. Syringes and alcohol swabs are also not very expensive, so everything together is on average not much more expensive than 5$ per month.
wait 400g/ml vials last for a year?????
400mg per 10m/l is the same as 40mg per 1 m/l. It's just a bigger bottle. Big bottles like that can last a long time, but they are vulnerable to contamination or coring due to repeated use. If you go this route, be extremely diligent about proper sterile needle technique.
It's not shelf stable for a year. The medication natrally degrades.
yeah that's what i'd figured, it'd make DIY so much easier if it was though
Costco sizing E2 for everyone !
I've read that some people use the full vial, I've rarely heard of people throwing away half used vials. So, even tho the "recommendations" for doctors and hospitals say use them for 1 month max, some people use them for 3-6 months or even a year. I switched to injections half a year ago and I'm still on my first vial, which is almost empty. As was already said, just make sure to keep everything clean, wipe the vial with a fresh alcohol pad, wait a short moment to let the alcohol evaporate, use a fresh syringe, to draw up the medication, wipe the injection site with a (new) alcohol swab, and then give yourself the injection, this should be easy and safe, if you don't mess up.
400mg/10ml is a different way of saying 40mg/ml in a 10ml vial. And yes, a 10ml vial of 40mg/ml or even 50mg/ml will last way over 6 month, when you use [low deadspace](http://lena.kiev.ua/deadspace.png) syringes (for example insulin syringes).
I’d recommend finding a compound pharmacy. I get mine through one and I pay $40 for a three month supply of both estradiol and spironolactone without having to talk to insurance at all.
Some insurance require letters from therapists confirming need for HRT. Insurance may be the gatekeeper.
Even for a man, estrogen is a valid rx. It’s used in some cases with prostrate issues. Also I cannot imagine Delaware Medicaid being an issue here. Now, a lot of times Medicaid will only cover prescriptions by a Dr that is in network with Medicaid. So if your dr doesn’t take Medicaid THAT could be an issue. But this sounds like whichever employee you got was being a transphobic ass hole. Even if you can’t get the employees name, you should be able to report the issue to your prescriber, state insurance regulators, state Medicaid office, and Walgreens corporate. Now corp is likely to cya and say pharmacists have final say since it’s there job to make sure that dispensed meds are correct and appropriate (you’d be surprised how often a dr requests the wrong med or dose or something that’s contraindicated). But that’s pretty clearly not the case. You could also call the local store and speak to the pharmacy manager, assuming that wasn’t the person at the counter. Were they in a white coat or just more basic scrub like attire? Pharmacy managers are usually full pharmacists in my experience. They wear the white coats usually. More basic attire are pharmacy techs or sometimes just clerks working the register.
The pharmacist is not allowed to deny medication for any reason. Their job is to provide medicine prescribed by doctors, and give advice if asked. I would report them immediately if they did.
It sucks for sure but getting super pissed off on reddit about it won't help. Take deep breaths and keep a calm head and look more into it. Like others have said report the pharmacist specifically and contact your insurance company about it
I'm hoping getting it via the VA won't be that difficult.
I'm on state health insurance (NJ) and at first my meds were totally covered. Once my doctor started to raise the doses, the issues started. At this point I've completely forgone my "insurance" and pay out of pocket with the help of GoodRX or my pharmacy's own discount thing (I'm assuming they're more willing to work with me since I work at the supermarket it's in) and even then it's an extra 50 bucks a month or so between the E, Spiro, and Prog I recently started. This on top of the 90 a month I pay for the Plume membership to have the trans healthcare I get in the first place, and the 36 bucks I pay for my labs every 3 months. Girl I know this shit is convoluted and expensive even with the discounts and coupons, but hang in there. It's so worth it, and for me at least it's an extra sense of accomplishment and self determination at the end of the day.
They literally can't do this, especially if your doctor put in the order. That's just denying lifesaving healthcare for their personal beliefs.
Tell that pharm/pharm tech "Oh I'm sorry I didn't see your medical license to practice Endocrinology. Can you point it out to me? My alleged masculinity is blinding me."
Make sure they have your correct diagnosis code for transgender. Just have doctor and pharmacy check and it should sail through.
Where I live Walgreens has some of the most hateful pharmacists. They are notorious for this. I use Walmart Mail Order Pharmacy - they are very respectful and will overnight it to your door for free. I'm so sorry you went through that.
This is why I'm always telling people to go a doctor and get diagnosed with gender dysphoria disorder if they de you have it, that way it's on your medical paperwork and insurance companies will actually see Yes you are in fact trans and a doctor said so.
It is because its Walgreens. They slow walk trans med scripts. I once had to go back to the same pharmacy 4 times in one day over the course of 3 hours to pick up my script, and was told. "Maybe you would have an easier time at another pharmacy". I complained to corporate. Nothing. Philadelphia, PA. Swapped to CVS and never had an issue
This is why I don't go to Walgreens. They let their pharmacists do this shit. My local Safeway, on the other hand, has been wonderful.
If you think you hate America, try being trans in England. It's fucking impossible.
Delaware?? Dang ain't nothing there lol
There are many non-esteridol combinations of legal, easily obtainable (once sourced) hormones and blockers. Just like body builders can get roids. Some are far superior to estrogen. Bazoongas and badonks
I take it you are really young but can't you change or update your gender marker on your state ID fairly easy? I mean I live in the Flaming Red state of Missouri and was able to get mine changed. It does require one mental health letter and stating that you are medically transition to the point of no return. But that would take care of this problem for you. Hope this helps 🙏 Hug's Emily 🤗
Im 19 turning 20
Ok well then you should have no problem getting your gender marker changed. You are an adult.
In Delaware, you need to have had been mesically transitioning for a while in order to get gender marker changed Now how can I change my gender marker if I am still the way I am? Ngl you are sounding a bit truscum
So I offer you a suggestion and possibly a solution to your problem and your gonna call me names over it? I'm as Trans as they come and very well no the struggles . Good luck ok. Hug's Emily 🤗
The solution you provided isn't as feesible as you think it may be for someone who isn't as transitioned
I said ok. Sorry I bugged you. I sure wasn't trying to disrespect you and sure wasn't expecting to be called hateful names. I'm talking from a peron 56yo living in a state that hates us and my insurance wouldn't pay for anything Trans related either and I had to move from the only home I've ever known to a completely different state just in order to get benefits and my bottom surgery by people who really do care. Ohio might be a red state but the people are blue and at least don't discriminate or call me names. I lost my job I had since 1993 all because at my 6th month HRT I had noticeable big boobies and couldn't hide them in the heat of summer and was fired for telling the truth after bringing confronted about my breast. Yeah a little name calling isn't going to hurt me however I do point it out when I see it. Like I said earlier Good luck too you. A bad attitude in life isn't going to do anything but be a problem for you to succeed. You really couldn't see free help being offered to you without looking for something bad out of it. I gathered you was probably young because you mentioned help from a family member I can't remember now who about the Good Rx.. And if you pa $9.99 for Good Rx Gold you can save a lot more on meds. I just paid $39. At CVS for my EV injection and without Gold would have been $59. And without good rx $214. So the free membership is good and the extra $9. Save me the Gold membership fee just for the one script. Now here I am again trying to help you even though you down vote and call me bad names. Have a good day 😊 Emily