My letter to my employer regarding the coverage of transgender surgeries.
Tomorrow, I’m going to my store’s HR office to make my case about having the company cover transgender surgeries for its employees. I’d like to know what you all think.
My name is Sophia, and I’m transgender.
I am here today to speak on behalf of not just myself, but those like me. I am here to request that Wegmans insurance plan begin covering care for transgender employees. I would not be here asking this if I did not think Wegmans was the kind of company that could do this for their employees. There are many employers that do cover these procedures, however these tend to be large tech companies. While those tend to be fantastic employers, many transgender people do not have the skills or education to work in such jobs.
Recently, Massachusetts has passed a law that bans insurance companies from excluding transgender care in their plans. While this is a monumental step, it is still just that: a step. Ending exclusions does not help those who have health insurance, but have specific plans that only allow for emergency care. I speak from experience on that regard. Mass Health has also allowed for the coverage of transgender surgeries, however Mass Health is very difficult for many of us to get onto, and many of us would prefer not being jobless and/or homeless simply to get access to the care we need.
Additionally, while this is advantageous for employees living and working in Massachusetts, it does not help the employees in states like New York, Virginia, or Pennsylvania. Wegmans is committed to the happiness and safety of their employees, and this is no different. Gender dysphoria is something all trans people face in their lives, and it can leave incredibly damaging mental impacts on them, sometimes leading to suicide. Covering these surgeries will save lives and lead to happier employees.
These services will only be used by a small number of Wegmans employees, likely numbering in less than 2% (a generous figure) of the overall population. There is also no need to worry about these services being abused by those outside of the trans population since many of these procedures require authorization from therapists and doctors before they are allowed to be pursued.
The surgeries themselves are very expensive, many costing $20,000 or more. Many workers in retail jobs simply cannot afford these, as they make that much money in an entire year. There are an incredibly wide range of procedures; transgender women may seek out facial feminization surgery, orchiectomy, and/or vaginoplasty; and transgender men may seek out mastectomy, hysterectomy, and phalloplasty. Not all trans people need to seek out these surgeries, but having the access to them will make things easier.
Many grocery store and retail chains do not offer services of this sort to their employees. I know Wegmans is an industry leader, and adding this will only strengthen that belief. Thank you for taking the time out to hear my case.
