BREAKING: Dallas County OKs health insurance for domestic partners

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins

The gay and straight domestic partners of Dallas County employees will soon be eligible for a $300 monthly subsidy from the county to help pay for health insurance.

The County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 along party lines Tuesday morning to offer the subsidy to employees who have same- or opposite-sex domestic partners who do not have insurance through other means.?The subsidy will be equal to the amount the county contributes to an employee?s health insurance.

County Judge Clay Jenkins, and Commissioners Dr. Elba Garcia and John Wiley Price, who comprise the court?s Democratic majority, voted in favor of offering the domestic partner subsidy. Republican Commissioners Mike Cantrell and Maurine Dickey voted against it.

Jenkins and Garcia, who spearheaded the initiative, had initially hoped to offer domestic partner benefits through the Public Employee Benefits Cooperative, a multi-county partner agency, but other members ? including Denton and Tarrant counties ? would not allow it.

Those who enroll in Dallas County?s subsidy program will have to sign a domestic partner affidavit, and provide two forms of proof that they have lived together for six months, such as a lease agreement or joint bank accounts. Other requirements mandate that partners must be at least 18 and not be married.

The official projected cost is under $100,000 per year ? though based on the experiences of other government entities including Parkland hospital, the actual price tag is likely to be only a fraction of that amount.

Under the plan, Dallas County becomes the third county in Texas to offer DP benefits after Travis County and El Paso County. The city of Dallas has offered domestic partner benefits since 2004.

More to come ?

? John Wright

Related posts:

1. El Paso County becomes 2nd in Texas to offer domestic partner benefits
2. Republican commissioners speak out against domestic partner benefits
3. Dallas County weighs health-insurance vouchers for unmarried partners
4. Dallas County unlikely to add DP benefits
5. EQTX pushes for Dallas County commissioners to approve DP benefits

Source: http://www.dallasvoice.com/dallas-county-approves-health-insurance-vouchers-domestic-partners-10130389.html

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