So due to an OPM order, health insurance plans available to federal government employees are no longer going to cover any form of treatment for gender dysphoria, because that’s the kind of year this is.
Do any other Americans who take prescription drugs not covered by their insurance have tips for cost-saving measures?
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Fuck. I hadn’t realized this. I’m really sorry.
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The general advice is to check Mark Cubans site, which is good on some things, and also talk to your pharmacy. They may have their own discount plan.
Sorry that you need to worry about this.
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I’m so sorry. We are living the worst timeline.
I’m not sure how expensive your med is, but some companies have deductible assistance plans (basically, you pay, then they reimburse you so it counts toward your deductible, but you’re not paying long-term). There is usually an annual limit.
There are also low income assistance programs, but I don’t know much about them yet. My doctor mentioned it as a possibility we could explore if need be.
Lastly, GoodRx does discounts for some things if Mark Cuban’s site doesn’t have them.
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Costco - get a price check on cost without and with membership. I am pretty sure you don’t need to be a member to use the pharmacy (but conform that).
Good Rx
Check with local LGBTQA+ groups - they may have leads
Check with your doctor
Mexico or Canada might be sources to get the drugs (and at likely a better price). Mexico may let you stock up (which is only useful if they have a long shelf life).
Are any of the drugs used to treat any other condition? Like androgen blockers are used to treat alopecia (hair loss - doesn’t need to be extreme hair loss)
HIMS or HERS - might have some of the drugs and online doctors to prescribe. Not sure of cost.
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Can confirm that you aren’t required to be a member to use the Costco pharmacy, but if you are a member, it might give additional discounts. It’s been a while since I used them.
Costco (and most other pharmacies) post a PDF listing their drug prices. I believe this is (or was) a federal requirement, and my local grocery store pharmacy also has a PDF with their prices. It was really useful when I was shopping around for the prices for my cats heart medicine. This might save you a bunch of calling around.
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Yes - more discounted price if you are a member. Then you can figure out if the membership would pay for itself
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For IVF out of pocket, I got estradiol 2mg x90 (3x/day) for about $30 with GOODRX free tier at CVS. And Letrozole also for about $30 (14 day supply). I believe these are also commonly used for HRT? And if using it often, GoodRx membership might make sense… since my use was temporary I didn’t bother.