For trans people, the process of becoming their authentic selves can be a long one, which for some people may involve gender affirming health care.
It can also be a costly journey, with procedures such as voice surgery not covered under government health plans.
To close this gap and support transgender employees and their dependents in Canada and the US, Scotiabank is enhancing the benefits coverage to support a person’s gender affirmation journey to include some health care procedures which have historically been categorized as cosmetic.
This move will alleviate the financial burden associated with these procedures, which can be crucial to help trans people feel comfortable in their own body, said Erik McKoy, a Scotiabank facilitator in Ottawa who began his transition about three years ago.
“This could actually be the difference between being able to have surgery and not, to actually finally being able to be in your own skin or not,” he said. “That's how big that is.”
While most provincial and territorial health plans cover some basic gender affirmation health care, many surgeries are not covered and several are not available to be performed in certain provinces.
Scotiabank in 2019 added out-of-province or country referral coverages to its core benefits plan to help provide some financial support to cover non-medical expenses (such as transportation and hotel) for employees or dependents while undergoing medical treatment that was approved and paid for by their government health plan.
And in June 2019, the Bank signed onto the United Nations LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business, with the aim of addressing discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans & Intersex People.
After consulting with employees and parties external to Scotiabank, it was clear that trans people living and working in Canada and the US continued to face benefits barriers, such as the identification of which transitioning procedures are considered eligible for coverage.
Some of the feedback received was that what was deemed to be cosmetic under an existing, narrow definition was so much more than that, said Dominic Cole-Morgan, Scotiabank’s Senior Vice President of Total Rewards and a leader for diversity and inclusion at the Bank.
The Bank revisited what it was offering in terms of benefits to remove barriers and foster an atmosphere where employees are further encouraged to be their whole selves, he added.
“It's about creating the environment where all our employees are able to fulfill their full potential and thrive, because we’ve remove those barriers, or we removed elements which were detracting them from embracing life in the fullest way. What we want to do is create a sense of belonging for all our employees.”
The enhanced benefits offering will build on existing plans to include coverage for health care including, but not limited to, electrolysis, rhinoplasty, voice training/surgery, and facial feminization/masculinization, for employees and dependents, effective June 1 of this year.
“As a society we have made strides for different communities, but the trans community has been left behind to a certain degree and hasn’t experienced the progress that others have,” Cole-Morgan added. “It’s important to think about removing those barriers and ensuring that we level up, rather than leave any communities behind.”
Scotiabank is taking a leadership position by extending the benefits in this way, said Salah Husseini, project director for The Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality (PGLE), a coalition of organizations working to drive global LGBTI equality and inclusion.
It will have a “knock-on effect” that will drive this industry, and others, in that same direction, said Husseini, who is also associate director for human rights at BSR, a global organization of sustainable business experts.
“It’s a competitive market in terms of hiring and employing the best people. So, I think it does send a message to other companies that if you want to demonstrate that you are an inclusive and welcoming workplace, these are the types of things that companies can offer and employees are going to be looking for. I think it does raise the bar and will push peers and competitors of Scotiabank and other multinationals to follow suit.”
McKoy considers himself lucky. For example, his voice changed naturally with hormone therapy and his male chest reconstruction, or top surgery, was covered by his provincial health plan.
However, Scotiabank’s new offering could allow him to access other health care as part of his gender affirmation journey, such as masculinization of the torso, that would have been financially out of reach.
“Sometimes, when you look in the mirror, it’s tough,” McKoy said. “I can compare it to sometimes feeling like you’re not good enough. It’s not always easy for everybody to turn that off. I would have to make a lot of very, very major sacrifices in my life to be able to afford a surgery like that.”