The City of Pittsburgh has extended its medical insurance coverage to include surgical treatments for full gender affirmation surgery.
The benefit, which was announced by Mayor William Peduto on 19 October 2017, will apply to all city employees and their dependents who are enrolled in the city’s medical insurance plan.
Employees can already access mental health and hormonal therapy benefits through the medical plan.
The city predicts that the cost impact of the benefit enhancement will be minimal, although it does not have data on how many employees will take advantage of the option for gender affirmation surgery.
The benefit was announced in conjunction with Pittsburgh achieving a 100% score in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) annual Municipal equality index, a national rating system for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) inclusion in municipal law and policy across 506 US cities.
Peduto said: “We are very, very proud of this 100% rating from HRC, which we’ve been working hard to reach through all four years I’ve been in office.
“This proves again the welcoming and open spirit Pittsburgh city government has for its [employees] and their families. I want to thank the city personnel department and our LGBTQIA+ advisory council for all their work on this important matter.”
