GAY UNIONS MAY AFFECT BENEFITS: From USA Today

The gay marriage debate could mean first-of-a-kind changes to employee benefit plans.

In some states, change is already afoot, with some companies being required by law to offer health benefits to employees' same-sex spouses. ...

The possible impact:

* Benefits for married gay couples. Companies that don't offer domestic partner benefits might be required to provide health benefits to spouses of gay, married employees.

Currently, more than 7,000 employers offer domestic partner benefits, according to Human Rights Campaign, a gay political group.

* Fewer domestic partner benefits. If companies are legally required to provide health benefits to married gay couples, they might no longer provide them to same-sex couples who live together but aren't married. ...

* More access to leave, other benefits. In some cases, employers might have to allow employees in gay marriages to take leave to care for an ill spouse.

Health insurance costs also could increase as more people are covered. And companies also will face questions about what to do when a gay employee gets married in a state where such unions are legal, then returns and requests benefit coverage.

...Twenty-three percent of companies in 2003 offered domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples, unchanged from the year before, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. More than 30% offered domestic partner benefits to opposite-sex partners.

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posted by Eve at 5:02 PM | link

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