Support Eri's Gender-Affirming Medical Care & Recovery

Hi, I'm eri (or Erin) and I'm asking for your help in gaining access to a pair of Gender-Affirming Care procedures.

After months of struggling with my insurance provider and benefits provider to get coverage for semen cryopreservation only to be denied, and continued struggles to get my insurance provider to recognize that tracheal shaves must be covered under Illinois law, I'm at my wits end and desperately asking for help. Every day that passes without progress is additional terror on my mind and body, and finding a route forward without getting help from my community now seems impossible.

I first asked to start Hormone Replacement Therapy back in 2006, and finally got to begin that journey in 2022. However, in late 2023 I stopped taking hormones so I could regain fertility and preserve specimens that would allow our family to continue to grow in the coming years. Now, after over half a year of letting testosterone ravage my body once again, I'm stuck; I cannot afford to continue with cryopreservation paying out of pocket, and I cannot resume HRT without completing my cryopreservation schedule.

As a trans woman in the US, access to essential care is often restricted and gatekept by insurance companies who will look for any reason they can find to avoid paying out on their policies--even if state laws state that this care is required to be covered. Many procedures that are explicitly required to be covered under national medical guidelines can be deemed "Elective" or "Non-Medically Necessary", requiring the patient (in this case, me) to pay out of pocket. Even if insurance companies reverse these decisions on appeal, the appeals process can take months, putting the burden of covering the cost up-front on trans people. This financial burden can be untenable for some procedures, closing the door to much-needed medical procedures.

Some of these procedures will also necessitate a recovery time during which I will be unable to work. As a bartender, I do not have access to PTO or medical leave to cover my lost wages while recovering. Help from my community of friends and neighbors will help give me the stability needed to recover fully and not rush back to work before I am healed, which may risk aggravating the surgical site or causing infection.

Any help that you're able to provide is deeply appreciated; every step along this helps get me closer to alleviating the dysphoria that wracks my body daily. Thank you all so much ❤️❤️