Starbucks Just Announced Something Major For Part-Time Workers: Expanded Fertility Benefits

Starbucks is acknowledging that fertility services are often expensive, and the company announced that it will provide workers with access to broader fertility benefits, starting this October. The coffee giant is strengthening its employee benefits this month to now reimburse for surrogacy and intrauterine insemination procedures that are not covered by health insurance. As Employee Benefit News (EBN) reports, per each qualifying event, workers can receive reimbursements of up to $10,000, with a lifetime maximum of $30,000.

Lifetime maximums for fertility benefits, the publication writes, are also increasing under Starbucks medical plans “to $25,000 from $15,000 for fertility services, and to $10,000 from $5,000 for prescription drugs.” Eligible workers for this include all full and part-time benefit employees who work at least 20 hours per week.

Starbucks initially wanted to update its Family Expansion Reimbursement program to assist workers whose needs are not fully met by health insurance, a spokesperson for the chain told EBN. “We made this change to assist partners whose needs may not be met by their healthcare insurance company, such as same-gender couples looking to become parents or individuals seeking fertility services,” the Starbucks spokesperson explained in an email.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the average IVF cycle costs $12,000, so these expanded benefits are aimed to ease the financial burden of employees. Other notable employers who offer fertility benefits to workers, EBN notes, include Microsoft, Cisco and MassMutual.

The spokesperson for the Seattle-based coffee chain also said to the outlet, “We are consistently evolving our benefits as we continue to listen and learn from our partners (employees). It has long been our belief that we put our partners first.” In addition to the fertility benefits, Starbucks also offers tuition reimbursement to those pursuing a bachelor’s degree, parental leave, employee and family sick time, and backup child and adult care.