UPDATE! On Alicia's gender confirmation surgery :)

Hi! ***IMPORTANT UPDATE***

I just wanted to send out an update and an ask. First, I want to send my deepest thanks to the multitude of generous people out there that donated to my go fund me thus far. You are all amazing, and hold a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, I need your help one final time. I am already down about $5000 since the start of my bottom surgery preparation process, including electrolysis. I found out today that United is refusing to fully cover my last round of electrolysis, leaving me $2500 short at a time when I have little money and have to move in a month. This is a very serious situation as that money was supposed to pay for my security deposit on a new apartment. As I just had my surgery, I cannot work a second job or teach summer school. I am stuck. I ask you for hopefully the last time for your help, as I can't quite help myself right now. Thank you so much. The original post is below.

Thank you so much!

Alicia Lee

My name is Alicia Lee Rhodes and I would deeply appreciate your help. I am a 38 year-old transgender special education teacher in Denver Public Schools, and I also volunteer to help GLBTQ youth and adults in the metro area via various organizations. I came out over three years ago and am in full pursuit of living my truth, which involves completing gender reassignment surgery. Unfortunately, procuring this care can be difficult and expensive and fighting with my insurance company has left me in an incredibly difficult financial position. I have included the details below, but I need roughly $5,000 and possibly as much as $10,000 or more to continue paying for my care and to avoid losing my surgical slot next April. I'm a teacher, and I simply do not make this kind of money.

As a teacher, I only have a small window each year during which I can schedule my surgeries to accommodate summer break. If I miss my window, I may have to wait another year or two. As a diabetic, the longer I have to wait for surgery, the less successful it will be. It has been my dream to have all of my surgeries completed before 40 so I can begin to fulfill my dreams of traveling, fostering children, and simply living a life that is not dominated by pain and recovery. I would love for my 40’s to be mine. Simple things. Once again, I kindly ask for your help :)

Electrolysis for GRS is prohibitively expensive, and it is incredibly difficult to get insurance to agree to cover it, even if it's part of your plan. Most personnel within Aetna do not understand how transgender care works, and those who do are immensely difficult to get ahold of.

In September, I initiated the process of gaining approval to get Electrolysis for gender reassignment surgery, as the procedure cannot be conducted without this prerequisite. After working with a gender care advocate for a month, I had been approved to see an out-of-network provider, as there had been a lack of providers in the area. This recommended provider ended up using the wrong electrolysis technique on me, resulting in me losing several months of my treatment timeline.

After I initiated the electrolysis process, my gender care specialist stopped returning my phone calls. You can imagine how terrifying this might be. I reached out not just to her department, but to several different health concierge services within Aetna during this time. None of them were able to connect me with her or provide informed assistance.

After filing several complaints and spending many days on the phone with various parties within Aetna, I finally got through to them after a nearly 7-month delay. During this conversation, I was informed that my previous agreement to see a provider outside of the network was not valid, as I did not sign a final piece of paperwork. When I checked my Aetna Inbox, no such information had ever been sent. Why my calls were never returned has still not been explained. If they had, this would have been solved in the fall, and I might not be in this predicament.

I have filed a complaint with Aetna, and have a social worker actively pursuing the case. I am currently applying for grants, but I have already paid out beyond what I can afford ($3250, which will NOT be reimbursed). At this time I do not know when, or if, Aetna will begin reimbursing me. They already tried to direct me to a clinic 50 miles from my home to get treatment, but they also do not practice the technique required by my surgeon. I cannot drive an hour to two hours each way for short appointments. That could prolong the process by years.

Aetna said it would take 15 to 30 days for out-of-network approval, then there is a month-long process to complete reimbursement. I do not have that kind of time. Electrolysis requires near-constant work and I cannot afford to take breaks from it, due to the narrow timeline that I am on. Because I lost several months on my electrolysis timeline due to improper treatment, I am on a condensed timeline that I cannot interrupt.

I am currently paying $1500 to $2000 out of pocket per month, and I am simply out of money. My hours at my second job have been cut, and I do not know when they will resume. Further complicating things, my insurance carrier switches in July. The money that I had saved to cover my electrolysis during the changeover (factoring in the new out-of-pocket and deductable) is now gone. Anything you can spare would be amazing! All extra funds (in a perfect world, there will be many) will be used either to cover surgical co-pays or returned to you with a debt of gratitude.

Thank you all for listening, and thank you for looking out for our community wherever you can!

Alicia Lee Rhodes