Insurance Reimbursement
Increasingly, insurance companies are recognizing the medical necessity of permanent hair removal as part of gender-affirming care.
We encourage clients to call their insurance companies to learn if their plans might reimburse their cost of electrolysis.
Can you bill my insurance?
Goddess Electrolysis is contracted with BCBS-MN.
This includes commercial and Medicaid members.
Goddess Electrolysis can submit claims directly to BCBS-MN.
Please note, if you have not reached your deductible, you will be responsible for the cost of service. This amount will count toward your annual deductible. If you have reached your deductible, but not reached your Out of Pocket Maximum, you will likely have a co-insurance cost that you will pay at the time of service.
If you have Blue Plus (Medical Assistance through Blue Cross), or have reached your annual Out of Pocket Maximum, your full cost of electrolysis will be covered by your insurance company.
I have _____________ insurance. How do I get reimbursed?
While we can't get involved with your insurance company, we can share what we've learned from clients navigating this process.
Here are some things that might support you if you are seeking insurance reimbursement...
A Prior Authorization (PA) is a common letter that doctors (or nurses!) send off to insurance companies on behalf of their clients.
Getting a PA approved is usually the key to getting reimbursed!
If you are interested in working with us, you may want to begin the process of getting a PA approved now.
To do this you will need a medical professional (it could be your primary care provider, a nurse in their office, your endocrinologist, your surgery center, etc.) to send a PA request off to your insurance company. You'll want to include the diagnostic and business codes located at the end of this page.
We have found that, even when a client's policy clearly states that gender-affirming hair removal is covered, claims submitted by the client may get denied if they are processed without a prior authorization on file. Should a claim be denied once a prior authorization is already approved, the appeal process is generally much simpler and more efficient.
I don't have BCBS-MN. I have different insurance. Can you bill my insurance?
No. Unfortunately, at this time Goddess Electrolysis is only contracted with Blue Cross of Minnesota.
Ideally you'll have an easy time getting information and learning how to submit claims.
Look for the member services number on your insurance card. When you call, explain that you are planning to begin medically necessary hair removal as part of gender transition. Tell them you are medically diagnosed with "Gender Identity Order, unspecified" (F64.9 in the ICD-10) and you need hair removal as part of [preparation for sex reassignment surgery] / [treatment of gender dysphoria caused by facial hair as part of transitioning to female]. *
You may be told hair removal isn't covered by your plan. For many insurance companies, covering electrolysis is a very new thing, and employees often don't understand the
policies around it.
Keep going!
If you're willing to hassle with your insurance company you may find that they will in fact cover your hair removal costs.
*We know this language is outdated and untrue for many folks in our community. Regrettably, using this terminology is often a necessary step in getting clear information from an insurance company that is not designed with trans folks in mind.
While we might not be able to change this (yet), once you are a client at Goddess Electrolysis, we will always use language that feels best for you during your work with us.
Information to Include on Prior Auth.
Your medical provider will likely need the following info to complete a Prior Authorization on your behalf...
CPT 17380 (Hair Removal / Electrolysis)
DX F64.9 (Gender Identity Disorder, unspecified)
Goddess Electrolysis LLC
2627 27th Ave Ste 202
Mpls MN 55406
Tax ID 86-3834822
NPI 1871167502
Getting approved for more than you need is always better than not enough.
We recommend asking them to write the P.A. for 300 hours of electrolysis.