Oregon Health Plan: The Oregon Health Plan is the state’s Medicaid program for low-income people. You can apply online if you haven’t already been denied coverage.

Individual marketplace: HealthCare.gov, run by the federal government, helps you shop for and enroll in affordable health insurance. What you pay is based mostly on your income. You can enroll early November through mid-December or after certain life-changing events, such as losing your previous health insurance.

Medicare: This federal program is for people 65 and older and certain younger people with disabilities. Medicare.gov can help you find a plan.

Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program: This Oregon network of trained volunteers helps Medicare patients of all ages get coverage.

Seniors and People with Physical Disabilities Offices: This Oregon agency, a branch of the Department of Human Services, can help you find services.

Find an agent or application assistant: Visit the Oregon.gov help page to find someone near you to help you find the right coverage.

Help from health insurance agents and Medicare agents is free, but some insurance agents get a commission for recommending an insurer’s plan. For free unbiased help, look for Medicare volunteers and community partners on the Oregon.gov help page.

Recommended community partners: These organizations have expertise in transgender and gender-nonconforming health:

• Cascade AIDS Project offers help to anyone.
• Outside In, which helps homeless and marginalized youths, has a trans services coordinator: 503-535-3828.
• Project Access Now helps vulnerable communities access health care.

These tips can help you navigate the claims process with your insurer:

• If your insurance is through your employer, contact your company’s benefits specialist or human resources manager.
• Have an advocate nearby or on call, ready to help you handle the stress.
• Be prepared to be misgendered. Many insurance companies don’t train their call-center staff on etiquette for transgender and gender-nonbinary patients.
• Have your group number, plan number and, if you have an online account with your insurer, your username and password.
• Research your plan and be prepared to explain your benefits package. Know what’s included and excluded. Call-center staffers don’t always distinguish well among the insurer’s various plans.
• You may need to ask for a supervisor. Be patient and polite, and remember they’re humans on the other end of the line.
• If you’re told you need a certain form, ask to have a blank copy emailed to you. Use the company’s name for any form, which can help representatives work faster.

These tips can help:

• Don’t despair. You can appeal.
• If you get an operator who can’t help, calmly ask for someone else.
• Don’t accept partial payment. A partial payment can be appealed.
• If you’re insured through work, ask your human resources manager or benefits specialist for help.
• If your employer has a policy on nondiscrimination, inclusion and diversity, you can use it to appeal.
• Find out if your plan has an explicit policy on parity.
• Some claims are denied more than once, even when a procedure is covered.
• If your doctor or benefits specialist finds a successful appeal for the same procedure, remove identifying information and include it with your appeal. This can help you avoid multiple denials.