By Jayne O’Donnell | USA TODAY
In what the largest U.S. gay rights group calls a “historic move,” Walmart told employees Monday that it would extend its health and other benefits to “domestic partners” of employees, including partners of the same sex.
The largest U.S. employer made the announcement quietly in a postcard it sent to employees that listed five other changes in benefits, including a new vision plan.
Research by the Human Rights Campaign shows 62% of Fortune 500 companies already offer domestic partner benefits. But the Supreme Court’s June decision overturning part of a federal law that denied federal benefits to legally married same-sex partners has heightened attention on same-sex benefits.
The move comes as other employers are changing coverage to be more restrictive in the face of increased costs under the federal health care law known as Obamacare. UPS and the University of Virginia last week announced plans to no longer offer coverage for employees’ working spouses if they are eligible for coverage by their own employers.
Statement by Kaine Fisher, director of Rose Law Group Family Law Dept.: Kudos to Wal-Mart for being one of the first to proactively take action in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent gay marriage decisions. I’m sure we’ll see many more large corporations follow suit in the months to come now that the path has been forged by this retail juggernaut. Wal-Mart is one of the largest private employers in the world (with more than 2 million employees) and has multi-national operations. This decision is monumental in terms of the statement it has made and in terms of the vast number of people it impacts.
Statement by Laura Bianchi, head of Rose Law Group Estate Planning/Asset Protection Dept.: Congratulations Walmart for being among the first to take the necessary steps to ensure equal treatment for all of its employees. I have no doubt this will have a positive effect on so many of Walmart’s gay and lesbian employees, as well as their families.
Statement by David Weissman, employment and health care law attorney: At a time when many companies are reducing employee medical benefits due to rising health care costs and the anticipated impact of the Affordable Care Act, it is refreshing to see a major corporation that is actually expanding its benefit program. Moreover, this certainly sends a positive message about the company’s support for equality in the workplace, both for same sex couples and opposite sex, unmarried domestic partners. Hopefully, this will provide quality health insurance at affordable prices for the domestic partners of Walmart employees, and provide a viable alternative to obtaining insurance through the exchange marketplace.
If you’d like to discuss family law, contact with Kaine Fisher, director of Rose Law Group Family Law Department, kfisher@roselawgroup.com.
If you’d like to discuss estate planning, contact Laura Bianchi, head of Rose Law Group Estate Planning/Asset Protection Department, lbianchi@roselawgroup.com
If you’d like to discuss employment or health care law, contact David Weissman, dweissman@roselawgroup.com
