Benefits for Transgender Employees and Dependents
Medically necessary treatments and procedures, such as those defined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders, should be included in employer-provided healthcare and short-term disability coverage.
Transgender people face many forms of discrimination in the provision of health insurance and healthcare. Unless an employer operates its own healthcare centers or clinics for employees, it has relatively little control over the provision of healthcare. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, in collaboration with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, provide resources for hospitals on transgender inclusion through the Healthcare Equality Index.
Employers, as consumers of group health insurance products, can advocate on behalf of the transgender people insured on their group health insurance plans. Employers should work with their insurance carriers or administrators to remove transgender exclusions and provide comprehensive transgender-inclusive insurance coverage.
- Health Insurance Discrimination for Transgender People
- Treatment Cost and Utilization
- San Francisco City and County Transgender Health Benefit
- Private Sector Implementation of Inclusive Coverage
- Insurance Availability
- Short-Term Disability and Leave Exclusions
- Partners and Spouses of Transgender Employees
Standards of medical care are instructive for employers examining potential utilization of benefits by transgender employees. The most commonly used standards are maintained by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
