Raising the Bar for Transgender-Related Insurance Coverage on the Corporate Equality Index
September 16, 2009 3:39PM
HRC Business Council
"Policy to Practice" is a two-week series of conversations and blog posts about what it takes to turn an inclusive employment non-discrimination policy into practice in the workplace. This post on transgender-related insurance coverage comes from HRC Business Council member Meghan Stabler.
http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/09/raising-the-bar-for-transgender-related-insurance-coverage-on-the-corporate-equality-index/The Corporate Equality Index provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large U.S. employers and their policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Earlier this year the HRC Workplace Project announced that the CEI criteria would change, including transgender coverage requirements.
Much has been said in the past about the criteria a business has to meet in order to achieve 100% on the CEI – particularly the transgender insurance requirements. Two of the five trans-related benefits were "short-term disability leave" and "mental health counseling," which in no way gave the transgender community confidence in a business' support for transgender care and coverage. However, by indicating that a company provided any one of the five, they would be rewarded with points that could help them achieve 100% on the CEI.
