Purpose of Letter Assessments
Currently, insurance companies may require a letter from a mental health professional providing documentation of personal and treatment history, medical necessity, and eligibility for hormones or surgeries. GHC recognizes that this is a form of gatekeeping and will continue to provide this service in order to alleviate barriers to receiving gender affirming care caused by the medical-industrial complex.
Types of Gender Affirming Medical Care
Hormones
Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy (GAHT) may consist of feminizing (estrogen, progesterone, and spironolactone) and masculinizing (testosterone) hormones. Some transgender people take hormones as a part of transitioning to become more aligned with their gender identity.
Top Surgeries
Top surgery is another name for chest masculinization procedures such as 1) Double incision mastectomy, 2) Peri-areolar, 3) Inverted-T/T-Anchor, and 4) Keyhole. Also, breast augmentation surgeries assist in body feminization.
Lower Surgeries
Lower or "bottom" surgery is another name for gender confirmation surgery. It refers to the surgical procedures performed on the genitals to affirm gender identity such as vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty, labiaplasty, orchiectomy and scrotectomy, metoidioplasty, and phalloplasty procedures.
Hormone Blockers
Hormone blockers, also known as puberty blockers - GnRH agonists or suppressors, help delay unwanted physical changes that don't match someone's gender identity.
"I needed information on how to get gender affirming surgeries covered by my insurance. With a few emails and text messages with the people at Gender Health Center they told me everything I needed to know and more..."
Community Member Sasha