Does Starbucks Pay for Transgender Surgery? (What is Starbucks Healthcare Policy for Transgender Employees?+ More Information)

Starbucks has gone out of its way to ensure equality for all. This has been seen in its expansive healthcare insurance in recent days. Does Starbucks pay for Transgender surgery?

Yes, it does. Starbucks is among the retailers that offer a wide range of healthcare benefits to its transgender employees. I am all for equality and enhancement of personhood. When I heard that Starbucks was providing gender reassignment surgeries in its health cover, I nodded in agreement. We are not going to dwell on the issue of transgender as this post is aimed at exploring the transgender surgery healthcare policy by Starbucks’ health insurance. By the end of this post, you will have all the answers you need about the Starbucks Healthcare policy for transgender employees, what is covered in it, and the Starbucks gender transitioning guidelines.

What is Starbucks Healthcare Policy for Transgender Employees?

The Starbucks Healthcare policy for transgender employees is a health insurance cover that pays for all surgeries on the transition from one gender to the other. The Starbucks healthcare policy for gender reassignment has been there since 2012. However, Starbucks decided to expand these benefits to cover other procedures that were not covered by the health insurance policy. For instance, a transgender female was able to have a gender reassignment surgery under the Starbucks health insurance policy, but it did not cover breast reduction, facial feminization, or hair transplant. It was a good deal, but not good enough. If you choose to do something, it is always good to do it to the fullest. In other words, just complete what you started. If you are going to be truly inclusive, go all the way to the end.

Starbucks shared my sentiments in 2018 when it decided to cover all the procedures including those that were considered cosmetic. In an interview, the vice president of Starbucks Ron Crawford said that Starbucks was not just inspired by the need to be fully inclusive in their health insurance, but also from powerful conversations with transgender employees on how to help them fully transit and become who they truly are.

The confusion that surrounds the issue of transgender is eliminated by the inclusive health insurance policy. I mean, what benefit is it for someone to have gender reassignment surgery only to leave behind a huge part of one’s full transition? For instance, there are women with facial hair; it’s natural and they have embraced it, but I imagine that a transgender person wants to fully erase the past and become who they truly are. As Ron Crawford said, it was the right thing to do. The future is bright for transgender employees at Starbucks.

Why are there Gender Transition Guidelines at Starbucks?

The gender transition guidelines cover best practices for transgender employees, their managers, coworkers, and anyone who may be directly involved in the place of work gender transitioning. The guidelines are meant to protect the rights of the transgender person as well as ease the transition for other employees who are directly involved with the transitioning person. Transgender people have the right to express themselves according to the identity they best feel comfortable in. The guidelines dictate that this right should in no way affect the professionalism of the individual in matters of customer interactions.

The majority of us are comfortable with the genders assigned at birth, but we cannot turn a deaf ear to a significant number of individuals who are not. Some may want to have a gender reassignment surgery, while others will only change their mannerisms, dress code, or jewelry. Whatever the case, these guidelines are in place to ensure that these people go through it all as comfortably as possible.

The guidelines state that transgender employee has the responsibility to ensure that their transition is smooth. This is done by informing the key personnel of the intention to transition. If an employee approaches a manager and shares that they want to transition, the senior personnel must support the individual. If you are the manager and are unfamiliar with the process, ask the employee to educate you. Remember that there is a nondiscriminatory policy at the company.

Final Thoughts

The transitioning process and all the costs of the procedures are covered by the Starbucks healthcare policy. The policy is a commitment by Starbucks to be inclusive in all areas. The gender transition guidelines have been in place for over a decade. They provide a safe environment for those transitioning rid of any biases and discrimination.

FAQ SECTION

Why Starbucks expanded its transgender benefits.

The reason is to attract a diverse workforce that equals the community it serves. A move like this is likely to attract talented transgender individuals who would equally attract transgender customers.

Does the Starbucks transgender healthcare policy reimburse travel expenses?

Yes, it does. You will be reimbursed for all the travel costs involved in the transitioning process.