--- title: "Transgender Health Benefits Expand—at Starbucks and Beyond" id: "43211" type: "post" slug: "transgender-health-benefits-expand-at-starbucks-and-beyond" published_at: "2018-07-03T15:55:29+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T22:16:32+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/07/03/transgender-health-benefits-expand-at-starbucks-and-beyond/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/07/03/transgender-health-benefits-expand-at-starbucks-and-beyond.md" excerpt: "Starbucks recently announced a plan to pay for a number of medical procedures for transgender employees that would not otherwise be covered by traditional health insurance. The move by the coffee chain, which was assisted by an association, reflects increased..." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "age inclusion" - "AssociationsNow" - "health benefits" - "Leadership" - "transgender" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Transgender Health Benefits Expand—at Starbucks and Beyond [Recent controversies aside (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/40579520/inside-starbucks-anti-bias-training-day-employees-talk-about-their-experience) , Starbucks has long fostered a reputation as a progressive employer. The latest such example on this front is the company’s [addition of comprehensive healthcare coverage (opens in a new tab)](http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/news/109997/starbucks-to-pay-for-surgeries-for-its-transgender-employees/) for transgender employees, reflecting a trend that’s likely to pick up in the coming years beyond the coffee chain. The company, which teamed with the [World Professional Association for Transgender Health (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wpath.org/) (WPATH) to build out the benefits offering, now covers procedures such as voice therapy, hair transplants, and facial-feminization surgery. These procedures go beyond gender reassignment surgery, which the company has covered since 2012, and into procedures that many healthcare plans don’t cover. [According to a news release (opens in a new tab)](https://news.starbucks.com/news/they-are-lifesaving-starbucks-offers-expanded-benefits-for-trans-people) , WPATH Immediate Past President Jamison Green says that Starbucks is the first company in the world to work with the association on turning the group’s recommendations into benefits. “Starbucks was not afraid to ask all the right questions and demand that people get the best possible care,” Green stated. ### A Trend With Growing Interest While Starbucks is a trendsetter, it’s not the absolute first to go to these lengths. [As Fast Company notes (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/40590804/finally-employers-are-expanding-trans-inclusive-benefits) , the issue is gaining more attention in corporate America, with companies like Intel investing in transgender health benefits as part of a large push toward diversity. That shift didn’t come immediately for many companies, however—as the magazine noted, many companies have shown support to LGBTQ issues but left the issue of transgender medical care off to the side. But the tide is starting to shift, in no small part thanks to advocacy work of organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, [which has prioritized trans-inclusive policies (opens in a new tab)](https://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-inclusion-in-the-workplace-recommended-policies-and-practices) . Last year, HRC’s Corporate Equality Index [reported (opens in a new tab)](https://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-releases-annual-corporate-equality-index-609-companies-earn-perfect-sco) that 459 major employers had adopted inclusion guidelines focused on supporting transgender workers during their transition. One point that HRC and similar groups are making in support of assisting transgender employees is that the cost is relatively small, as transgender individuals make up a small percentage of the overall LGBTQ population in the U.S. (and an even smaller percentage of the workforce as a whole), and such procedures have a lower price tag than those for other major medical procedures. Julie Stich, the vice president of content for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, in comments to *Fast Company*, characterized the benefits as both cost-effective and inclusive. “Offering transgender-inclusive health benefits is a way for employers to remain competitive in attracting talent without breaking the bank,” she told the magazine. (nito100/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#age inclusion](https://associationsnow.com/tag/age-inclusion/) [#health benefits](https://associationsnow.com/tag/health-benefits/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#transgender](https://associationsnow.com/tag/transgender/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoThe Impact of Delayed Retirement on Your Association’s Bottom-LineFebruary 26, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/02/26/the-impact-of-delayed-retirement-on-your-associations-bottom-line/) - [VideoCelebrating Black History Month: Hanif Smith Shares His StoryFebruary 1, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/02/01/celebrating-black-history-month-hanif-smith-shares-his-story/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F07%2F03%2Ftransgender-health-benefits-expand-at-starbucks-and-beyond%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !