Some Businesses Plan To Require Same-Sex Couples To Marry To Qualify for Health Coverage

Some employers that at one time offered health coverage for same-sex domestic partners plan to require same-sex couples to be married to qualify for health benefits for their partners. Businesses have the legal right to set eligibility standards for benefits they offer to their workers, but some states prohibit employers from excluding same-sex couples. Employers that are changing their benefits policies for domestic partners say that because same-sex couples are now legally able to marry in some states, they no longer need to provide the domestic partnership accommodation in those states.

• "Once, Same-Sex Couples Couldn't Wed; Now, Some Employers Say They Must" (Appleby, Kaiser Health News, 1/20).