How Plume is making gender-affirming care accessible across the U.S.

LGBTQ: In the last year, there have been over 100 bills introduced or passed in 41 states that seek to limit the rights of transgender people, with a substantial amount of legislation aimed at trans youth's access to gender-affirming care. Gender-affirming care is medical and mental healthcare that helps affirm individuals' gender identities with treatments such as counseling and hormone therapy.

Plume Clinic , a telehealth platform that works specifically to provide hormone therapy for the trans community, is on a mission to expand access despite the political landscape, says Jerrica Kirkley, MD , co-founder and chief medical officer at Plume.?"I'm a trans person myself, so I have seen both sides of the curtain on what it can be like as a trans person trying to access healthcare in this country. But we know gender-affirming care is life-saving care."

Read: How Plume is making gender-affirming care accessible across the U.S.

HOME OWNERSHIP: In the face of a possible recession, inflated housing prices and still-increasing interest rates, homeownership is moving further and further away for many Americans. Is?employer assistance?part of the solution??Sixty percent of employees said that they wanted their company to add, improve or expand on homeownership assistance benefits, according to SoFi . These benefits could entail giving employees the option to dedicate a portion of their income to future homeownership, where employers can match employees' contributions.?Can this make a difference for younger employees in particular?

Read: Why homeowner assistance will become a must-have benefit amid inflation and rising mortgage rates

HEALTHCARE: When Roe v. Wade was overturned earlier this year, bodily autonomy and safety were put into question for millions of Americans. For Kaitlin Soule, a family therapist and mother of three, it also marked the moment she knew she had to share her story. Soule had an abortion in 2016. She had given birth to two daughters 15 months apart, and Soule's second daughter was only seven months old when she became pregnant again. Soule knew she couldn't experience another pregnancy so soon.?

"By having an abortion, I was meeting my needs," says Soule. "This decision on Roe v. Wade could cost women their mental health, financial security, agency, power and life. It could cost everything." She shares her story and what employers can do to support individuals seeking this kind of care.

Read: Two moms share their experiences with abortion care