12 ▼ M ptom bcr 1. 1999 T just out Acupuncture «Chiropractic «Massage Counseling «Naturopathic Medicine m news (503) 2 3 0 -0 8 1 2 CIRCLE HEALTHCARE CLINIC : ^ It's no big deal Brooke Winter, L.Ac. Jan Corwin, DC Kip M. Hard, DC Valerie M. Lyon, MS, LMT After months or years in place, city and county benefits packages fo r same-sex domestic partners are drawing no complaints Suzanne Scopes, ND Elizabeth Carlson, DC, LMT ▼ by Inga Sorensen Simone Koos-Gibbs, BS, LMT t’s been more than a year since medical benefits were extended to same-sex domes tic partners of city of Portland employees. 316 NE 28th Street • Portland, Oregon 97232 . -.v w C v v . Choosing the right mortgage is as important as choosing the right home! M ortgage C o m p a n y ♦ m Lynn l)efrees Mortgage Loan Officer Office (503) 245-SOM) Residence (503) 097-SI79 Pager (503) 299-0777 O wn Y our O wn L o ft • Unique Lifestyle • Attractive Price ($80,000 to $200,000) • Frozen Property Tax ($103 to $240 per year fo r lOyrs) • Soaring 11 to 14 ft ceilings • Video Monitored Security CONDOMINIUM 1314 N W Irving St. Portland I “And I’m happy to report that I have not received one complaint during that time,” says Ruth Cusack, benefits manager for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Risk Management. “When there was initial discussion about extending ben efits, some people voiced their opposition, but since the benefits were approved it’s been a non issue.” As of Aug. 1, says Cusack, health coverage had been extended to the domestic partners of 119 city employees, 27 of whom are in same-sex partner ships. There are an estimated 5,000 city employ ees. In June 1994, the Portland City Council ex tended health benefits to same-sex and unmarried heterosexual domestic partners when it approved labor agreements containing the provision with various unions; at the same time, the council adopted a resolu- |||§ ^ § £ tion extending domestic partnership ben efits to unrepresented city workers. Opponents of the plan, including members of the Oregon Citizens Alli ance, maintained the move was an as sault on “traditional family values.” Oth ers expressed concern that extending benefits to unmarried partners would be an additional burden to taxpayers. But David Shaff, who works with the city’s Personnel Bi reau and Office of Finance and Accounting, says the estimated | $224,000 annual cost of extending the health benefits has been offset com pletely by reductions in other benefits, including an increase from $5 to $10 in the cost of a Kaiser office visit. “I also want to point out that none of those receiving domestic partnership coverage is in my large-claim pool [em ployees whose health care costs are in excess of $25,000 a year],” says Cusack. “Some people had said they were wor ried that partners living with AIDS might pose a financial burden, but that has not been a problem. To be honest, it’s the folks who are being treated for cancer, diabetes or heart conditions that wind up in my large-claim pool.” To qualify for domestic partnership coverage, an employee must sign an affidavit stating that the employee and the domestic partner have shared a residence for at least one year and are responsible for each other’s common welfare, including finan cial needs. Additionally, the partners must have a “close personal relationship” and cannot be related by blood. (Legally married couples, however, don’t have to live under the same roof to receive cover age—a scenario, says Cusack, that is more com mon than you may realize.) Portland modeled its plan after that of the City of Seattle, which initiated domestic partnership coverage in 1991. According to Shaff, most of the contracts make domestic partners eligible for medical, dental, vi sion and life insurance benefits. However, the Portland Police Association, which represents the bulk of the police force, has negotiated an agree ment in which the word “spouse” and “domestic partners” are interchangeable. “The word ‘spouse’ shows up three or four places in their contract. In this case, that also means domestic partners,” says Shaff. “That means that those covered by the Portland Police Association’s contract will receive a handful of spousal benefits that employees covered by other contracts do not currently receive,” he says. Those benefits include up to five days paid leave to care for a sick family member, paid fu- neral/death leave, retiree and survivor benefits for the domestic partner, and up to $5,000 paid funeral expenses if one’s spouse is killed in the line of duty. “It’s a little ironic that the Portland Police Association has this, given that when you think of the police you think of all these macho guys who may be gay but would never let you know it,” says Shaff. “It’s kind of funny when you think about it.” Cusack says she has received only positive feedback from employees: “And quite frankly, from a recruitment perspective it’s important we do this. We want to attract the best people we can.” She adds, “Mayor Katz has always addressed this as a health care issue—not a moral issue. When employees come to me and say they’d like their partner to be put on the plan, if s because their partner doesn’t have any health coverage. This is not about politics.” Another local government agency, Metro, has extended coverage to same-sex partners. Lisa Godwin, spokeswoman for Metro Executive Mike Burton, says “three or four” employees have ap plied for domestic partnership coverage for their same-sex partners. According to Godwin, domestic partnership benefits for the regional government’s estimated 1,500 employees have been available to unmarried heterosexual couples since 1983, but same-sex partners only became eligible in March 1995, a few months after Burton took office. “Extending the coverage to same-sex couples was important to him,” she says. “We haven’t had any negative response.” Similar to the City of Portland guidelines, Metro employees seeking domestic partnership benefits must sign an affidavit signifying their commitment to one another. Despite strenuous objections from some quar ters, the Multnomah County Board of Commis sioners unanimously approved a union package that extended medical coverage benefits to same- sex partners back in 1992, making it the first public employer in Oregon to do so. “People are used to the idea. It’s just no big deal," says Cusack.