being gay and partner health insurance

[rm]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/health/09patient.html

I post this mainly for the heterosexually involved people (and/or non-Americans), who may only have a partial idea of what a clusterfuck this can be. The affidavit of the details of the relationship is particularly appalling to my mind (especially if you follow the link to see what's required).

Comments

[jkpolk.livejournal.com]

My company first offered domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples. Then apparently there was some sort of protesting? So they opened it for all couples as long as they are living together and in a relationship. They have the affadavit route.

I'm not sure whather they're recognizing the newly legalized marriages in some states as full marriage yet (i.e. no affadavit or other hoops). I would hope so seeing as the company is based in CT, but not sure.

[bare-bear.livejournal.com]

Wow. American health insurance is messed up to begin with (or seems to be, from this confused Canadian's point of view), but this seems stupid. I can't believe they consider the partners benefit as income and taxes them accordingly. I'm not surprised so many people are uninsured.

Granted, I'm not that well versed in Canadian tax laws and health care coverage myself, so maybe I shouldn't open my mouth about it.

Still, thanks for the link. I learn so much from your journal posts! :)

[abnormal-apathy.livejournal.com]

They do the same for heterosexual couples. My dad and his live-in girlfriend had the same tax issues with it.

[jendaby.livejournal.com]

It's so ridiculous. One of my first jobs here in NY was in the HR department at a major cultural/entertainment icon in Manhattan. Part of my job was to help people fill out their insurance paperwork, and I couldn't believe the hoops they had to jump through to have a same-sex partner covered!

I hope that some of the recent progress toward equal marriage for all will help to open people's eyes to how unfair this is.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

The exclusivity requirement made me SO MAD. But did I sign it? Yep. It's true, just not anyone's damned business.

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

I would feel really rather stuck if I were asked to sign it. I'm not in any exclusive relationships. I'd be lying if I said I were. I could have my health insurance terminated if I lie, though I could sue to be reinstated. If I didn't lie, then I couldn't obtain coverage. (When I had a domestic partner, she was a union member with good benefits through her job).

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

After over a year here, I'm *still* trying to figure out how much I pay extra for my partner's benefits - 'cause I want him to pay me back whenever he finally gets income of his own. THough the thing about him being a dependent (health insurance-wise) is interesting. I may qualify for that.

[jkpolk.livejournal.com]

My insurance was over twice what it is now when I had my ex on it. It's definitely worth finding out at the very least so you know where your money is going.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

...Lord, and I thought US health insurance was already screwy.

And it's not just that the odds are generally stacked against LGBT persons; it's that they're stacked arbitrarily, in a lottery that may vary with your company, your healthcare provider and your state.

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

thanks (http://tenacious-snail.livejournal.com/624056.html)

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Wow. That affidavit's problematic on multiple levels. Augh.

Suddenly I'm feeling even better about the letters I wrote at lunch (to my governor, the president, and state & federal reps) asking them to commit to LGBT equality, but worse about how badly it's needed. Yikes.

[kayleigh-jane.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm here via friends friends and I must say that this is so weird. That affidavit is awful and the whole system has no logic for me. Double taxing, being uninsured when unemployed, signing that your relationship is exclusive. I'm totally baffled.
I'm going to link you to an article written by an American on Dutch social welfare, including healthcare. Not to tease, but to show how it can also be done.

Going Dutch by Russell Shorto (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1)

To be clear, basic coverage costs about €100,- a month and is unrelated to your work or maritial status. If you have questions, ask!

[genders.livejournal.com]

Someone just sent me the link to this for unrelated reasons. I'm glad it's going sort of viral.

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

WHen I was still employed there, Microsoft offered partner benefits only if you were same-sex; straight folks were supposed to be married.

We recently tried to get me on opposite-sex dom partner's insurance. They wanted something certified. When we registered as partners (we still prefer to think of ourselves as "feral partners" though), we had a choice; use the state registry (whereby same-sex partners got State employee dom benefits), or pay a bit more and get a certified thingie. Since all we wanted was a vague legal notice as far as property rights, we took the cheap option. We then had to go to a notary public (we lucked into a hot dyke at Kinko's) who had to fill out three forms, because the one the insurance company wanted was no longer good in CA.

After all that, I *could* have had benefits - with a $5000 deductible (and that was *before* they knew I was disabled, which would probably send fees up). It was easier to go back on Medicaid, frankly - and I still sometimes think that I'd rather gnaw off someone's limb than do that paperwork.

If you're GLBT *and* have a disability or health issues, you're just triply screwed.

I ran a back-of-envelope calculation on how much we would save Federal-tax-wise if we were married and he could claim me as a dependent (I'm disabled and can't work). Came out to around $7K - and that's without even adding in the medical expenses, as I'd be a rolling deduction. Of course a chunk of that would go right back into health insurance.

Separate but not equal, my wheeled butt.

Maybe Obama's not pushing the same-sex marriage fight because he knows we're putting more money into the economy this way? Then again, I have a pretty good idea of what one lousy week of legal marriages in San Francisco did for the local economy here, which was a *lot*.

Although that exclusivity thing? It can hit heteros too. I've known folks who had a spouse with a green card who had to sign similar affidavits, and knew that if anyone "caught" them being polyamorous, green card partner could actually be deported. I don't know if that's any better or not.

Besides, the HRC loves that exclusivity crap. "We're an exclusive married Christian Republican couple just like you, only lesbians! We're not freaky at all, no sir, ignore those uncloseted sex fiends over there whp are not with us really."

[saharafic.livejournal.com]

Woah, how did I not know about the possibility of not paying taxes on the partner benefit?! that alone has hurt us over the past few years. Thanks for this!