Pittsburgh's employee medical benefits will now cover sex change surgery

Pittsburgh's employee medical benefits for the first time will provide coverage for sex change surgery, Mayor Bill Peduto announced Thursday.

Peduto, who was joined by Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman and Pennsylvania's Physician General, said the city has considered offering the benefit for years. Pittsburgh's medical package for the last few years has offered mental health and hormonal therapy benefits to transgender employees.

“We want to be able to provide quality healthcare to all of our employees,” the mayor said. “It helps us to get good employees within the city, and certainly we want to be able to allow everyone to live their life to their full potential. By doing this, we're guaranteeing our employees have that ability.”

The Mayor's Office estimates the financial impact would be minimal because the city has so few transgender employees. The coverage extends to dependents of city employees, as well.

Pittsburgh officials estimate the city will spend $65 million on all healthcare benefits this year for roughly 3,300 employees and dependents, including health, dental, vision and coverage for retirees.

Officials from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, praised the city for enacting inclusive policies.

Pittsburgh scored 100 — a perfect rating — in the Human Rights Campaign's 2017 Municipal Equality Index. The organization rated 506 cities across the United States. Sixty-eight scored 100, including Philadelphia and Allentown, Pa.

Scores are based on such things as nondiscrimination laws, offering equal benefits to LGBTQ employees and its relationship with LGBTQ residents.

“This city today has sent a message that we treat everyone equally and we protect everyone equally,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “Not all cities can say that.”

Griffin said it also sends a message to companies seeking to do business in Pittsburgh.

“...Increasingly, businesses all across this country as they're looking to move locations, or where to move a corporate headquarters or where to expand an operations facility, they're looking to how their cities and how their states treat all of their citizens,” he said.

Levine, the state's physician general and acting secretary of health, said the state has enacted laws protecting LGBTQ residents, but has a long way to go. Levine said she had a sex change while working at the Penn State College of Medicine, which has a nondiscrimination policy.

“You have to be aware in most places in Pennsylvania that if I transitioned as a physician they could have fired me,” she said. “In most places in Pennsylvania if I go and ask to buy a house or rent an apartment they can say ‘Oh, I've seen you on TV. You're the transgender physician general. We're not going to sell you that house or rent you that apartment.' That absolutely has to change.”

Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-765-2312, bbauder@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobbauder.