As reported this week an article appearing in them.โ€”a Condรฉ Nast publication devoted to “the lens of todayโ€™s LGBTQ community”โ€”the Seattle-based international coffee brand Starbucks is said to have just adopted the โ€œmost comprehensive trans health policy in the world.โ€

According to the article, the new policy is a โ€œdirect parallelโ€ with the World Professional Association for Transgender Healthโ€™s (WPATH) international recommendations for trans healthcare. This is the result of Starbucks working directly with WPATH to create the new benefits package, expanding the companyโ€™s trans benefits that have included gender reassignment surgery since 2012. The new packages, called โ€œStarbucks Transgender Medical Benefits,โ€ extends to โ€œlifetime coverage for everything from hair graft and voice therapy to facial feminization and breast augmentationโ€”services considered vital for transgender healthcare but often listed as โ€˜cosmeticโ€™ and not covered by health insurance.โ€

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Per the article, Starbucks is the first company to approach WPATH about turning their Standards of Careโ€”a 120-page document list of care guidelines and provider recommendationsโ€”into a corporate policy. Much like with their findings that led the company to 100% pay equity, Starbucks is hoping to share these new policies created in tandem with WPATH with other employers looking to provide more trans-inclusive benefits.

For more information on the Starbucks Transgender Medical Benefits, the company’s announcement can be found here.

Zac Cadwaladerย is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.

Top image via Starbucks.

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