Extending healthcare for trans employees

Through Sun Life, one grocer’s new benefits plan provides extensive gender affirmation coverage

By Chris Powell

Neil Kudrinko When Westport, Ont., grocer Neil Kudrinko made the decision to come out last year, he fretted about how the news would be received, worrying it would have a negative impact on the business that bears his name. His fears were unwarranted, as people were wholly accepting of one of the town’s best-known figures—someone who provides playby-play for the local Perth Blue Wings hockey team, and whose store, Kudrinko’s, is a mainstay of the small village of 700 people. “There’s been nothing but positive feedback and support from my community,” says the married father of two teenage sons. “Nobody would have known had I chose not to say anything, but my thought was that it was an opportunity to create a more open and safe community for others.”

But as Kudrinko began making more contacts within the LGBTQ+ community, he also started learning more about some of the challenges they face, particularly around issues such as healthcare.

That was particularly true around obtaining benefits coverage for specific issues such as gender reassignment surgery, where the cost for female to male surgery can range from $10,000 to $12,000, and the cost for male to female surgery can be as much as $18,000.

The findings felt particularly pertinent to Kudrinko given the well-documented challenges faced by companies in attracting and retaining talent. “There’s no question that this new generation of workers are looking for progressive employers whose values match theirs,” he says.

So, when it came time for Kudrinko to renew his employee benefits program, he asked his long-time broker to look into what kind of coverage was available that specifically addressed the needs of the trans/non-binary community.

His new plan, which took effect on May 1, is currently offered through Sun Life Financial, which began offering gender affirmation coverage through extended health care plans in 2019. At the time, the company noted that while many medicare plans cover basic surgical procedures for transitioning, many don’t cover surgeries that feminize or masculinize someone’s features.

“We all know if a person’s physical attributes do not correspond to how one feels, it has impacts on [their] physical and mental health,” says Marie-Chantal Côté, senior vice-president, group benefits at Sun Life. “As we were looking at our product suite and ensuring we meet the needs of all Canadians, it was important for us to embark on this journey.”

Sun Life launched the extended health care plans in response to what Côté describes as “growing interest” from employers. “We have employers that have very diverse employee populations, and are looking to keep offering solutions that meet their diverse needs,” she says. Sun Life has seen a steady increase in the number of policies offering this coverage: 233% between March 2020 and March of this year.

Recent Census Canada data shows that only 0.33% of Canadians over the age of 15 currently identify as transgender or non-binary, but Kudrinko says he’s aware of two former part-time employees who have transitioned since leaving the store.

“Employees and businesspeople might think ‘I’ll never have anybody [requiring that type of coverage].’ But I run a grocery store in a village of 700 people. We weren’t actively going out trying to recruit people we thought were members of the LGBTQ+ community, but it just so happened we ended up with two employees that I know were trans,” he says. “Had they stayed as full-time employees, the support would have been there.”

Kudrinko prides himself on employee retention, with many of his 20 full-time employees having been with the store for many years. Offering programs such as these, particularly when complemented by a fair compensation package, go a long way to ensuring that employees stay with the company, he says.

“It’s not just that I’ve added benefits for trans people. I think it’s about equity in our healthcare system, and addressing a gap in the coverage, which is what benefits are supposed to do. It’s a signal to the queer community who are my customers and potential customers, saying ‘You’re welcome here, and we hope you’ll join us.’”