Blue Cross & Blue Shield is the largest provider of healthcare benefits in Alabama, providing coverage to 3.6 million people. With over 4,000 workers, Blue Cross & Blue Shield is also one of the largest employers in the state. Ironically, many of the company's own employees are unable to obtain health insurance for their partners and children. Why? Because Blue Cross & Blue Shield does not extend health insurance coverage to the dependents of GLBT employees and customers.
I support EQUAL BENEFITS for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender workers.
The overwhelming majority of the Fortune 100 largest corporations offer health benefits to employees' domestic partners.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield lags behind other Alabama insurers such as Aetna, Careington, CIGNA, Healthcare Advantage, HealthSpring of Alabama, Sierra Health and Life Insurance Company, UNICARE, and United Healthcare that already offer health benefits to employees' domestic partners and other dependents.
Offering domestic partner benefits is in the interest of the company and its investors, allowing Blue Cross & Blue Shield to compete with other providers that offer insurance products to the GLBT community and enhancing Blue Cross & Blue Shield's efforts to retain talented GLBT employees who might otherwise leave in search of a more equitable benefits package.
Offering domestic partner benefits is the right thing to do to end the significant and unfair disparities in compensation for employees performing the same job functions.
Therefore, I support the adoption of a comprehensive, company-wide policy to ensure the equitable treatment of the domestic partners of both employees and customers of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama.
Signed by:
[Your name]
[Your address]
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