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as a result of being denied the right to a civil union, homosexual couples are denied:
-Denial of hospital rights to partner.
-Adoption, Custody, Immigration, Social Security, and Property Transfer rights are denied to partner.
A financial look at the extra costs a gay couple suffers from:
MONEY LOST FOR GAY COUPLES:
Health insurance:
Heterosexual Worker: Spouse gets employer-provided group health coverage worth about
Gay or Lesbian Worker: Nothing
value of benefit: $250/month.
Dental insurance
Heterosexual Worker: Spouse gets coverage
Gay or Lesbian Worker: Nothing
value of benefit: $42.27/month
Vision
Heterosexual Worker: Spouse gets eyeglasses and contacts under vision plan
Gay or Lesbian Worker: Nothing
value of benefit: $6.34/month
Life insurance
Heterosexual Worker: The employer provides a $5,000 life insurance plan
Gay or Lesbian Worker: Partner gets benefit only if he is named as beneficiary.
value of benefit: $5000
Bereavement leave
Heterosexual Worker: Up to three days paid time off for death of a spouse or a member of spouse’s family
Gay or Lesbian Worker: No time off is guaranteed for the.
value of benefit: $480 yr
Pension
Heterosexual Worker: If employee dies before retirement, spouse automatically gets $800/month pension plus two
week's pay for each year employee worked
Gay or Lesbian Worker: Partner would get the severance pay, but not the pension
value of benefit: $800/month.
Social Security
Heterosexual Worker: if employee died, a spouse upon reaching age 60 could receive benefit
Gay or Lesbian Worker: partner is ineligible
value of benefit: $492 month
Club memberships
Heterosexual Worker: Example: A tennis club where married couples pay $2,500 initiation and $101/month.
Gay or Lesbian Worker: Two unmarried people each pay $2,000 and $91/month, nearly double the family
membership.
value of benefit: $1,500 initiation / $71 month
Auto Club Road Service
Heterosexual Worker: Married couples pay $55/year
Gay or Lesbian Worker: Two unmarried people each pay $44.
value of benefit: $33 month
Total amount extra cost for gay worker:
$55,890 less for the gay worker -
nearly $6,000 less each year!
Moreover, if the gay worker outlived their partner by ten years, they could lose $8,000 in pension payments, and
would never get $4,920 of their partner's Social Security benefits.
source: San Franisco newspaper
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