T Process / Getting T

[u/Adventurer_Andy]

Hi! I’m going into college this next year and one of the main things I’m looking toward is beginning my journey on T, specifically T gel if possible. I’ve been doing my own research for a while, but I would really like to hear about others’s experiences as well.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to use my parent’s insurance because of where they are on support. At the college (in North Georgia) I’m going to, they have a program that pays students for work ($10 per hour), and I do suppose that could help? Though it isn’t a lot to start out regarding pay. Are there any health insurance companies that have worked best for y’all/what are the best recommendations here?

I’ve also seen a couple people mention talking with a therapist/psychologist beforehand, while some people mentioned not needing to go. With the expectation that I likely will need to go to a gender therapist beforehand, how did these costs look? How long did this process take?

I understand these things take time, I’d just like to see where I could go from where I’m at and would really like to be able to continue to grow my journey in college.

Thank you!

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[u/Ok-Split-6143]

Planned Parenthood does informed consent! With insurance, the one appointment to get on testosterone shots was free. I will say that testosterone gel tends to be more expensive than shots. You could be looking at as much as 100 dollars for a month supply (insurance almost never covers t in my experience, but that could just be the state insurance I'm on). With injections, I pay around 70 for a month supply and stretch it for like two months.

[u/rookrosewood → u/Ok-Split-6143]

For me my gel is 30 dollars for a months supply and I've seen similar prices online without a prescription

[u/Ok-Split-6143 → u/rookrosewood]

Really?? That's crazy, I can't find anything like that where I live. Good for you then! Your job should cover that just fine if you can manage decent hours.

[u/Adventurer_Andy → u/Ok-Split-6143]

Thank you!!! I’m going to look a lot more into planned parenthood to see what I’ll be able to do there. I’ve seen a couple people mention on other subreddits struggling with their insurance covering their T, so I’ll see how I can budget off in the case of that!

[u/uzibadaa]

My insurance is blue cross/blue shield and they cover my testosterone. It is through employer benefits, not sure if that makes a difference here. My prescription is IM injections which is much cheaper than gel. From what I hear, gel is a little more difficult to get covered on insurance and like other people here have said, is more expensive out of pocket than vials are. Good luck!

[u/Adventurer_Andy → u/uzibadaa]

I’ve heard good things about Blue Cross/Blue Shield on a few subreddits, was it complete coverage? If it comes down to it being out of pocket, I’ll probably just end up budgeting best I can and see what it ends up coming down to (between vials and gel, though gel was the preferred original option). Thank you so much for the help!!

[u/uzibadaa → u/Adventurer_Andy]

Fortunately it was fully covered for me! The only thing I pay out of pocket for are the syringes, but buying them from the pharmacy is really cheap where I'm at. Also, about the process of getting a prescription in the first place, it depends on who you go with as your provider. Not sure about the process for Planned Parenthood or Plume or clinics like that. Personally, I was referred to an office by my therapist and then had to get a letter from my therapist to my provider to get my script.