Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants worked with its fully-insured employee health plans to provide coverage for medically necessary treatments for transgender employees and dependents -- meaning that the plans required regulatory appoval in each state. In addition, Kimpton now grosses up employees' income to offset imputed income tax from domestic partner health insurance.
Talent Management research intelligence_13 paradigm shifts_20 March 2024.pdf
Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group HRC Innovation Award 2010 Presentation
2. KIMPTON’S FOCUS ON EQUALITY
Considering Benefit Needs for All Kimpton Employees
3. Kimpton’s Focus On Equality
• Kimpton has always held diversity and inclusion
fundamental to its values
• In conjunction with KPRIDE, Kimpton began to integrate
diversity and inclusion into its benefit offerings
• Domestic Partner Benefits
• Tax Equalization (“grossing up”)
• As early as 2006, Kimpton sought to add transgender
benefits to its medical plan
4. The Process
• Kimpton worked through its broker, Gallagher
Benefit Services, and directly with its medical
carriers to establish transgender benefits
• In subsequent benefit renewals, Kimpton has
made the transgender benefit an essential
component of its benefits offerings
5. Breaking New Ground
• As result of Kimpton’s perseverance, Aetna
broke new ground
• In 2008, for the first time in Aetna’s history as an
insurer, Aetna began covering transgender benefits
on a fully insured basis
• Kimpton became the first employer to have the fully
insured benefit available through Aetna
6. Insurance Carriers Offering Transgender Benefits
• Kimpton established transgender benefits
through Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, and Blue
Shield of CA
• April 8, 2008, Kimpton amended its fully insured
medical plan to include transgender benefits through
Anthem Blue Cross
• October 1, 2008, transgender benefits available
through Aetna fully insured medical plan
• October 1, 2009, transgender benefits available
through fully insured Blue Shield of CA medical plan
7. Basis Used By Carriers
• Basis for Criteria
• Criteria and requirements were based on guidelines
established by the World Professional Association for
Transgender Health (WPATH)
• Previously known as The Harry Benjamin
International Gender Dysphoria Association's
Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders