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Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind

Full History - 2022 - 03 - 30 - ID#ts4e2c
65
AMA & FAQ: I am a former barista (Dec2018-Sep2021) who got (and still will be getting) gender affirming care through Starbucks (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Balisong_Witch
# Preface

I have gotten quite a few DMs about getting Gender Affirming Care (GAC) through Starbucks ever since the time I was actively working this job and posting about coverage through Reddit. As someone who personally struggled through the job itself and accessing/affording coverage of the procedures I need, I love nothing more than to provide other trans people with helpful information. I think it's especially frustrating that Starbucks doesn't seem to have any actively updated, accessible documentation on how its coverage works.

Here's what I know, please feel free to ask any questions or provide any relevant information.

# Background and Disclaimers

My relationship with Starbucks has been extremely turbulent to say the least. I am a nonbinary trans woman (they/them, xe/xyr) who worked at the company for nearly 3 years until I was fired back in September. I'm mentioning this specifically because I have experience through accessing benefits through COBRA. I also have a husband who currently works at Starbucks, and I plan on getting FFS through them once we're married.

At the time of writing, I have successfully gotten HRT, hair removal (Facial/Surgery Site), and bottom surgery through Starbucks coverage.

Everything I present to you is information provided to me by a Starbucks Advocacy representative, as well as personal experience from receiving coverage. ***Speaking of which, the most important thing you need to know is the Starbucks Advocacy Number. In the U.S., that's (866) 849-7103. Call them and ask for information regarding Transgender-related healthcare coverage, and they will redirect and assign you to someone who can help you throughout the entire process.***

***This post was made on March 30th, 2022, and I stopped receiving coverage as of March 1st 2022. Please confirm the information in the posts and comments with a Starbucks Advocacy representative before planning out your medical transition.***

# FAQs

**What do Starbucks plans cover?** Starbucks insurance plans cover most gender affirming procedures, including but not limited to: Bottom surgery (Vaginoplasty, Phalloplasty, and Metoidoplasty, both full and penile/vaginal preserving), Facial Feminization/Masculinization Surgery, Top Surgery, Breast Augmentation, Electrolysis/Laser Hair Removal, Voice Training, Body Contouring, and more. Please Call Starbucks Advocacy to ensure whether something you need is/isn't covered, as well as how it's covered.

**How do I get coverage?** You need to be enrolled in at least a bronze health insurance plan of some kind before receiving coverage. If you work \~20+ hours a week for your first 3 months after getting hired, you are eligible for coverage. You are also eligible after working \~20+ hours a week (520 hours in a single period) once the enrollment period approaches. Ask your manager or Starbucks Advocacy when enrollment period is.

**How does coverage work?** There are 2 ways Starbucks will cover your GAC: either through your currently enrolled insurance plan or through Starbucks' Supplementary Plan. Some gender affirming procedures, like bottom surgery, will be billed through your basic insurance plan, requiring you to pay deductible/out-of-pocket-maximum amounts. That being said, make sure you enroll into an insurance plan your preferred surgeon will accept if you're getting something covered by the basic health insurance plan, like bottom surgery.

Procedures like FFS/FMS and hair removal, however, are not covered by basic health insurance plans at this time of writing. Coverage is done through the Starbucks Supplementary plan instead. This plan usually requires a letter from a therapist stating you are in need of GAC. After working with your Advocacy rep and getting the procedure/care you need, your representative will receive your invoice, get it denied through your basic insurance plan, then 100% reimburse your invoice through the supplementary plan. I have only so far used the supplementary plan for hair removal\*\*, which is usually reimbursed via a check in the mail. I would assume the reimbursement would be sent directly to the surgeon/healthcare provider for things like FFS/FMS.

*\*\*See "How much have you personally had to pay for your gender affirming care through Starbucks?" for information on hair removal coverage*

**Can I still get coverage through the supplementary plan if I get fired or leave Starbucks?** Yes. If you leave Starbucks or get fired, you will still be on your insurance plan until the end of the month. If you enroll in COBRA extensions (which can be expensive but worth it if you get a procedure like FFS/FMS), you will still be covered by the Starbucks Supplementary Plan.

**I want to help my domestic partner/spouse with their transition. Can I get them covered through the supplementary plan at Starbucks?** Yes. If you enroll your partner into an insurance plan through Starbucks, they are eligible for GAC coverage through their basic enrolled plan and the Starbucks Supplementary Plan.

**Am I eligible for paid leave while I recover from my gender affirming procedure(s)?** Yes. Starbucks covers paid leave through a third party called Sedgwick. I currently do not have the phone number for Sedgwick, but you can ask your Advocacy representative for it as well as any information on getting paid leave through it. From what I've heard, Sedgwick only covers 60% of an average of your previous paychecks. As always, confirm this with your Advocacy Representative, or Sedgwick itself.

**Am I eligible for paid leave while I take care of my partner who underwent a gender affirming procedure?** This depends. You are entitled to paid time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act, but only after working for Starbucks for a year. Consult your representative and the U.S. Department of Labor website for more information: $1

**When should I tell my manager that I will be taking time off?** I will say that I'm more biased as someone whose manager was discriminatory against me while I worked at Starbucks. You only really need to tell Starbucks Advocacy and Sedgwick about your planned medical leave 2+ months in advanced, or as soon as you can tell them. I would alert your manager 4-6 weeks in advanced, but otherwise keep quiet about any upcoming gender affirming procedures.

**How much have you had to pay for your gender affirming care through Starbucks? Any tips for saving money for procedures?** I was able to get a year's worth of weekly electrolysis 100% reimbursed, both for my face and surgery site.\*\* If you need hair removal, I highly recommend having $500-$1,000 saved up before starting the process, as I had about that amount give or take circulating in checks.

For bottom surgery, I had Blue Cross Blue Shield Silver and got my procedure done in San Francisco. I ended up paying $5,300 (my out of pocket maximum) for the surgery itself. The entire thing, including rent/food, travel, parking, the procedure, etc. cost me a little over $10,000. This may vary depending on the surgeon you choose, the procedure you're having, and which city you travel to.

My best advice is to enroll in a 401k plan ASAP. If you work for Starbucks for more than a year, you'll be able to borrow or withdraw from your 401k as well as sell Starbucks provided company stock to pay for larger procedures. Please do this wisely, as there are taxes associated with both and a 10% early withdrawal penalty from your 401k plan. ***I am not a professional, so please do your own research and use your own discretion in regards to withdrawing/borrowing from your 401k plan and selling stock.***

My other piece of advice is to look into the possibility of working a 2nd job while working Starbucks 20-25 hours a week. Starbucks was my only job for most of the time I worked there, so a lot of the time I was underscheduled and covering at 30+ stores during my employment just to make ends meet. It definitely helps a lot if you can find another part time job that pays more and/or is less stressful while you get coverage through Starbucks.

*\*\*(Hair removal is generally reimbursed 100% through the supplementary plan. Your representative might have you cover hair removal for bottom surgery through your basic insurance plan. But, if something was causing problems, like your surgeon failing to provide you with a letter approving coverage for hair removal, it's possible your representative will put coverage through the supplementary plan.*

*Something else to note, when a med spa/electrologist/laser technician sends an invoice for hair removal, it doesn't specify where the electrolysis/laser hair removal was performed. You could, hypothetically, state that you need some other, unrelated hair removal to your representative, and then get it done somewhere else on your body.)*

# This is all the information I can provide off the top of my head. AMA, and please cross check any information in this post or in the comments with a Starbucks Advocacy Representative at (866)849-7103!
bobbysangtheblues 6 points 1y ago
Aww you’re so sweet this is a helpful resource!
WanderingRube 5 points 1y ago
My therapist just told me that she's comfortable writing the letter, so I'm at the point of needing to contact the benefits/advocacy department. This was the entire reason I got this job, and it's been pretty rough, but being able to afford laser/electro and ffs will be worth it, and gcs soon, but with ffs, that's what will get me to passing and feeling a reduction in anxiety sufficient to socially and publicly live the life I want. Thank you for the info.
Balisong_Witch [OP] 2 points 1y ago
You are absolutely welcome! Please feel free to reply to this post or DM me if you have any questions later!
rlb1415 3 points 1y ago
💕 thank you so much!!!! I’m actually in need of this as I just came to terms with myself being transgender and I need all the help I can get.
1NRA1NB0WS 2 points 1y ago
This is literally everything I need to hear right now. Thank you
Molybdenium42 2 points 1y ago
Hi! I’ve actually gotten specifically bbl and breast augmentation, and I was wondering if you would know whether Starbucks covers multiple procedures whether they’re revisions or not?
Balisong_Witch [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Hey there!


I actually don't have any experience getting revisions through the supplementary plan, sorry! AFAIK, I haven't heard of any specific gender affirming procedures or revisions being explicitly excluded from coverage. I'd recommend calling the advocacy number and asking a representative about it.
kcp19822 2 points 1y ago
First off, thank you for posting this. I am a trans woman who has been at Starbucks since December and have just now become eligible for insurance and have just begun my claims process with insurance for FFS.

I wanted to add that, at least in my case, it took well over 3 months to qualify for coverage. The benefits guide does a decent job explaining how initial eligibility works but it can get confusing. Basically what happened in my case was that because I started on December 6, my hours worked that whole month did not count towards my eligibility (BEN hours as Starbucks calls it) Only in January did my time start being counted towards my BEN hours.

I would also like to point out that depending on a variety of factors, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get anywhere near 20 hours per week despite what your manager may tell you. I work a second job which affects my availability and more than once I have had to pick up less than desirable shifts just to get my hours in. I’m talking about working opening shift and then going to my other job then coming back later in the evening to cover someone’s closing shift.

All that said, I am definitely not trying to deter anyone from taking advantage of Starbucks’ trans-inclusive benefits! Just realize that it will likely be a grind and you may need to fight for every hour. Case in point: my upcoming weeks schedule has me working one four hour shift.

Other than the constant battle for hours and being tired all the time, I mostly enjoy my job and it can be a way to meet a lot of cool people, save for the occasional Karen. The advocates are extremely helpful which is a lot more than I can say for my other employers insurance who covered my GRS.
MadiDollTS 2 points 1y ago
Is there anyone here who would be able to call their trans advocate and see if this post is accurate about Starbucks ending supplemental coverage for things like FFS due to it now being covered under the primary health plan? I would do it myself, but I was only just hired and my start date isn't for a month so I don't have numbers or anything yet. I'm freaking tf out over here so I would be greatly appreciative if someone could help me out by asking and reporting back.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Transgender\_Surgeries/comments/trfxdk/as\_of\_october\_1\_starbucks\_insurance\_will\_change/
GeeSuspended 3 points 1y ago
I've posted in that thread as well, but unfortunately the answer I got today was "maybe" 🤷‍♀️ like they don't know, or at least that's what they're telling people (there was a similar post made a while back due to someone hearing similar from a surgeon's office but when I called then they were just like, oh it's internet hype so don't believe it).

We'll definitely find out at earliest when it's open enrollment, so early August, but at least by October 1st. Starbucks's plans run from October 1st to September 30th, so maybe you can get your surgery covered by the supplemental plan before then but I'm not entirely sure with your start date and everything.

It has me majorly depressed and almost in crisis-mode, I was kind of waging my life on finally being able to afford life-saving surgery and now it's not looking like an option on top of all my wasted time. I think it's likely that the basic plans Sbux offers would cover it, since they're based out of Washington State which has good coverage for surgeries through their state's Medicaid. It kind of fucks over everyone less fortunate though lmao
Balisong_Witch [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Hey there! My representative actually has mentioned on and off that Starbucks coverage may change so that it won't cover FFS through the supplementary plan anymore once basic insurance plans start covering it. She had no idea when this would take effect though. This would be really awful considering how FFS is a huge draw for Starbucks' supplementary plan.


I would also *really* hope that at the very least, Starbucks wouldn't force you to take out of network coverage for every surgeon outside of WA who doesn't take insurance as the OP of this post suggests. This would ruin a lot of people's medical transition, not to even mention that even if FFS surgeons will gravitate to in network coverage, a lot of people working for Starbucks can't really afford a couple thousand dollar out-of-pocket-maximum on top of travel costs.
Amber_Weird 2 points 1y ago
Also current Starbucks partner who has gone through this all here.

A lil more information to provide/confirm what you said here.

I live in a state where there is no legal recognition of a domestic partner and insurance considers us domestic partners because we share bills, have a joint bank account, and are together on our housing accommodations.

Had FFS covered by the supplemental plan and my surgeon did work with insurance to bill them directly, but some surgeons may not do this. My only out of pocket costs was travel and a BnB, I think under 2k.

I was able to get a provider for bottom surgery that does not work with insurance (McGinn) to be billed as in network to Aetna. I had to pay all of it up front and seek reimbursement, the hospital bill hit my out of pocket maximum so I was reimbursed McGinns fee 100%, the hospital worked with me so my out of pocket cost was under 2000$ between what was left from the hospital and the Gaia house.

I was able to use sick time to go on leave to take care of my partner for her surgeries and to take her to her follow up appointments.

The Lyra benefit helped me to get my letters for coverage but I had to pay a billable hour to both of my providers because Lyra does not cover writing letters.
Balisong_Witch [OP] 3 points 1y ago
Thank you so much for sharing!
Balisong_Witch [OP] 1 points 1y ago
hey, if anyone is still seeing/referencing this, I just wanted to update:


Due to disability and financial hardship, I'm no longer on track to get FFS. I will not be able to answer questions based on personal experience for getting supplementary plan procedures.


Furthermore, I have been confirmed to by a reporter that Starbucks is stripping its supplementary plan. It's still uncertain what this would look like, and Starbucks itself hasn't publicly confirmed this yet, but I thought I'd put this here so it's less of a surprise if this does happen.


I wish you all the best!
Standard-Horse6085 1 points 1y ago
Do you anything about amazons ffs coverage?
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
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