Trans and Gender Diverse Youth Care

That’s okay! We work with many youth and families at all stages of understanding themselves. As care teams, our goal is always to do what is best for our patients’ long-term wellbeing. There is no need to be certain of an identity before seeing our providers – our aim is to provide information and resources. We know that each family and each young person we see is different in their care needs, and therefore will have different expectations and timelines for care. These are essential aspects of our patient-centered model of care, and grants us a wide range of flexibility in partnering with our patients and families on creating a plan that works for everyone. Having an appointment with one of our providers is not a commitment to medical intervention; we think of these appointments as an opportunity to gather and share information, and to have a conversation about what you/your child need to be as comfortable and healthy as possible.

Not necessarily. Fenway does not require patients to have their primary care at our health center sites in order to receive other medical care, however, your health insurance may require you to do so. Contact the member services phone number on the back of your insurance card if you have a question on whether you can receive specialty care at one primary health center if your primary care provider is located at another center. For people insured by MassHealth or Medicaid/Medicare, you will likely be required by those insurance plans to change your primary care to Fenway if you want any medical services here.

Some insurances will require a referral from your primary care provider to your Fenway provider in order for your visits to be covered. We typically recommend obtaining a referral for 6 visits over the course of one year when obtaining a referral for gender affirming care. For more information on referrals, click here!

We have created a dedicated resource with information about name and gender marker changes for people in Massachusetts, which you can find below.

• Fenway Name/Gender Marker Update

If your child was born outside of Massachusetts, or if they have documents to update that are not included in the resource above, we recommend using the NCTE: ID Documents Center  for additional information.

Some families find it helpful to have legal assistance and/or consultation while changing names and gender markers. The Transgender ID Project is a collaboration between GLAD, Ropes & Gray LLP, and the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition to assist trans and gender diverse people in New England with changing their name and/or gender on federal and state documents. 

• Pop-up Transgender ID Project
  

Insurance coverage and benefits are specific to the plan a person has – all insurance coverage is not the same even within the same insurance company (Blue Cross, Aetna, Tufts, etc.). In order to get information about your/your child’s personal coverage benefits, call the member services phone number listed on the insurance card to ask about coverage for the specific services or medication(s). You have a right to request a copy of your policy that covers any gender affirmation medical treatments. You may want to bring the information you learn or the policy copy to the medical visit to talk about what it means. If you have more questions about insurance, or if you do not have insurance, call and ask for an appointment with Financial Services at 617.927.6000.

For additional information about understanding what your insurance covers, and what to do if your insurance does not cover gender affirming services, we recommend the NCTE: Health Coverage Guide.