Lez Keep It Real

News is scarce today ladies, though I did find more than one article concerning the tight race between Obama and Hillary. I’m not in the mood to deal with politics today. I just don’t have the energy for it.

I did, however, stumble upon a well-written column by a senior at Northwestern University. While I was occupied with my own rant about gay marriage and Arizona’s misguided attempt to ban it altogether, Kristin Maun was busy writing this piece on another important issue — health insurance.

Young, Gay and Uninsured

While the hot topic issue in the gay community is marriage, I’m more concerned about health care and partner benefits. In a few months I will graduate college and lose the insurance I have. Neither my college health care plan nor my parents will be able to cover me.

It’s a frightening prospect to be without health care. While I am young and healthy now, I have had several health problems in the past, including a cancer scare that required surgery. I have started to worry about small things that never mattered to me before – what if I’m in a car accident? What if I get sick again? How will I pay my medical bills?

Health insurance is a problem for all young people. The US Census Bureau reported in 2006 that people between the ages of 18 and 24 are the least likely to have insurance. More than 30 percent of young people are without a health care plan.

Along with health care comes my concern for partner benefits. While there are a number of companies that provide benefits for gay partnerships, there is no guarantee. The American Civil Liberties Union reports 233 of Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner benefits – but that still means more than half don’t.

The partnership benefits provided by companies aren’t absolute. They are not portable and are lost when partners change jobs. The Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples also reports, “Partner benefits are subject to federal and state income tax, unlike benefits for married couples.” Domestic partner benefits are also subjected to greater scrutiny than unmarried heterosexual couples – same-sex couples often must sign affidavits that come with additional requirements such as shared financial responsibility.

Even if a company does provide partner benefits, there are no legal protections for me to care for my partner during a medical crisis. Hospitals can deny visitation rights to same-sex partners and refuse to allow partners to make medical decisions.

I remember how terrifying my hospital experience was when I was young and having surgery. Waiting to find out the results of biopsy and suffering through a painful recovery was the one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I was lucky to have a family and group of friends who were by my side through the entire ordeal – I don’t know how I could have gotten through it any other way. If my partner went through such a terrible experience, I would want to be there for them the same way.

I believe in gay marriage and will fight for it every step of the way. But when I think of my greatest political concerns and fears, nothing is more terrifying to me than standing in a hospital hallway unable to help myself or the woman I love. ~ 365gay.com

I’ve said this time and time again, but it’s worth repeating.

We need the rights and benefits we seek to exist and function as every other citizen of this country. It’s not a simple want … it’s a need. There is a distinct difference. Think about it.

365gay.com, northwestern, gay marriage, heath insurance, partner benefits, Kristin Maun