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Ernst & Young Becomes First Big 4 Firm to Equalize Health Insurance Costs for LGBT Employees

Nice job, E&Y. Hope to see the other Big 4 follow suit.

Ernst & Young and its affiliates have begun reimbursing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees for any additional federal and state taxes they incur for their same-sex domestic partners’ medical benefits in the U.S., starting Jan. 1, 2012. E&Y is joining a small but growing number of employers around the country in offering this benefit to their LGBT employees. However, E&Y said Monday it is the first of the Big Four accounting firms to offer the perk, which is meant to underscore the firm’s commitment to LGBT inclusiveness and perhaps serve as a recruiting tool.

For those interested, The New York Times' Bucks Blog has a running list of employers that reimburse LGBT employees for the extra tax incurred. It all started with Google in July 2010 and it seems to be gaining momentum, with companies including Microsoft, Yahoo, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley all adopting the policy in January 2012.