Gay Friendly Health Insurance Massachusetts MA
Reader’s Question:
My partner is asthmatic, so he regularly needs medical attention. The only problem is that the company where he works for here in Massachusetts doesn’t offer health insurance. Can I have him included in the health insurance that my company provides for me?
Josh
Boston, MA
Even though health insurance policies may be extended to spouses, generally it is not within the requirements that are mandated by law for companies to offer any form of health insurance policies to their employees and the employees’ spouses or domestic partners. This is according to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. At the same time, the companies are also not required to offer to extend to their employees’ spouses and domestic partners any form of health insurance even if they do offer this to their employees. Providing health insurance policies to employees is typically the company option. I believe this is also why before applying for a job, a person must check if the company gives competitive benefits to their employees.
Even though this is the case, a large number of employers have recently been offering health insurance policies as part of a competitive roster of benefits to attract more employees. We have to be reminded that in order for employers to attract and keep efficient employees, they will have to take good care of them. Hence, one of the steps they take in taking care of their employees is to provide not just a competitive compensation package but as well as health insurance that is sure to take care of their employees and their employees’ family. This coverage also includes unmarried partners.
Now, what you have to do in order to know if your partner can be included in your coverage is to ask people from the human resource department of your company there in Massachusetts. This people are the ones organizing your benefits, leaves and everything that has to do with the employees. I am sure that they can give you some information.
Tags: Gay Friendly Insurance, health insurance
Health Insurance Coverage Cambridge, Massachusetts MA
Filed under: Health insurance agent, Instant health insurance
Reader’s Question:
My partner has health insurance coverage from the company where he works here in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Does this coverage also work for me even though we are not married?
Dante
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dante, generally, employers are not required by any law to offer health insurance coverage to their employees, spouses and domestic partners. In the same way, those employers that offer health insurance coverage to their employees are also not required by any law to extend the health insurance coverage to the domestic partners. When I say domestic partners here, it includes same-sex couples and unmarried opposite-sex couples. These provisions are under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
It is always the prerogative of the employers whether they would offer health insurance coverage to their employees or not, or whether those that offer health insurance to their employees would extend the same coverage to their employees’ partners. But throughout the recent years, the number of employers who offer domestic partner benefits is already rising. I think this is to attract more employees with a competitive benefits plan.
Furthermore, in some states, there have already been laws passed which are in favor of the domestic partnership rights. There already are laws in some states granting same-sex couples almost all the benefits that married opposite-sex couples enjoy. But as far as I know, provisions governing health insurance are still in the process of being written, and no one knows yet what shall be under them.
For you to know if you are going to be covered as well by the health insurance offered to your partner by his company, I suggest that you tell your partner to discuss this with the people in his company there in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who are in charge of this benefit. I am sure they can give him answers.
Tags: health insurance