Open enrollment for health insurance coverage for 2019 starts November 1, 2018 and ends December 15, 2018! For gender diverse folx it is important to follow a few recommendations when applying for health insurance to decrease “data matching issues”.
1. Use the name that is on your social security card.
2. Use the gender marker that matches most of your legal documents.
HealthCare.gov has a informative resource page for gender diverse and transgender people applying for health insurance.
Other important resources to preview before November 1 include:
1. The Washington State Office of Insurance Commissioner Transgender Medical Coverage Rights which reviews healthcare coverage rights of transgender and gender diverse patients.
2. The Washington State Health Care Authority Transgender Health Program which reviews healthcare coverage rights for Medicaid patients in Washington state.
3. The Center for Excellence in Transgender Health at UCSF also has a brief summary of health insurance coverage issues for transgender and gender expansive people.
On November 1 start shopping the plans. “Before you enroll in a plan, you should always look at the complete terms of coverage that are included in the “Evidence of Coverage,” “Certificate of Coverage,” or contract of insurance. This contains the full explanation of which procedures and services are covered or excluded under each plan. Plans might use different language to describe these kinds of exclusions. Look for language like “All procedures related to being transgender are not covered.” Other terms to look for include “gender change,” “transsexualism,” “gender identity disorder,” and “gender identity dysphoria.”
You can access the full terms of coverage through a plan’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage. If you’re still not sure about how services would be covered or excluded, you should contact the plan’s issuer directly by phone.” If you have difficulty navigating this process, call the Washington Health Planfinder Application Assistants at 1-855-923-4633, the plan provider itself, or Ingersoll Gender Center at (206) 849-7859.
