Kroger, Largest U.S. Supermarket Chain, Offers Transgender Workers Full Health Benefits

The country's largest supermarket chain Kroger will now offer its transgender workers full benefits, including surgery and drug therapy for gender reassignment, as part of its employee health plan.

The move is especially significant given Kroger's size and impact: the Cincinnati-based retailer is the fifth largest private employer in the U.S., with some 400,000 workers on its payroll across 2,500-plus stores.

Kroger is now the largest retail chain to offer trans-inclusive health coverage to its workers. The $37 billion (market cap) company joins a growing list of high-profile employers that provide at least one such plan, including Apple Inc., Gap Inc. and General Motors Co.

The company made its announcement, below, on its internal social networking site on Friday. The move was first reported by hometown paper the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"We made this decision after consulting with our GLBT associate resource group, the Alliance of Kroger," said spokesperson Keith Dailey:

We are excited to announce that The Kroger Co. has added transgender health benefits for eligible employees enrolled in an Anthem BCBS administered plan offered under the company-sponsored health insurance plan.

For the last several years, the company’s GLBT associate resource group, The Alliance of Kroger (AOK), has made a dedicated effort to work with executive leaders and the Total Rewards leadership team to secure these benefits for our associates.

Beginning January 1, 2016, medical procedures including surgery and drug therapy for gender reassignment will be covered up to a $100,000 lifetime maximum for eligible associates and their dependents.

The country's largest private employer by far, Walmart, does not yet offer a trans-inclusive health plan for its 1.4 million U.S.-based workers. Neither do McDonald's or Yum! Brands, the latter being the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. These two fast food giants employ just under 1 million workers between them.

While moves like Kroger's could help tip the scales, transgender workers continue to face discrimination when it comes to securing equal benefits. As Fusion noted, there are no laws banning health insurance discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in 41 states.

And still, in 2015, 3 million gay and transgender adults live in states that offer no protection from workplace discrimination.

For more resources on LGBT employment and healthcare rights state by state, see the Human Rights Campaign.

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