Vol. 73/No. 41      October 26, 2009

The article examined how a middle-class gay couple with a combined yearly income of $140,000 and two children would be affected. It stated that such couples would be forced to pay an additional $41,000 to $468,000 more over a lifetime.

This discrimination has its biggest impact on working-class gay couples for whom health insurance consumes a much larger proportion of their annual income, which is a lot less than $140,000.

Most major employers deny health insurance coverage for same-sex partners. The gay couple used as a reference in the article would pay between $29,000 to $212,000 more for health-care coverage over their lifetime compared to their heterosexual married counterparts. Those purchasing additional policies with lower premiums are often forced to spend thousands of dollars more in annual out-of-pocket deductible expenses.

Heterosexual spouses can receive additional Social Security payments if their partner’s benefits are higher than their own. Same-sex couples are denied this benefit. Employers do not have to provide survivor pension benefits to a same-sex spouse.

Laws banning gay marriage keep these discriminatory policies intact.  
 
 
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