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Unmarried Partner Benefit Issue Returns

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By MIKE SALINERO

msalinero@tampatrib.com

Published: January 17, 2009

TAMPA - Kevin Beckner, Hillsborough County's first openly gay commissioner, is about to reopen the potentially explosive issue of giving health care benefits to the unmarried domestic partners of county employees.
Beckner requested that commissioners discuss the issue Thursday at their regularly scheduled meeting. The last time the issue came up, in April 2004, a split commission instructed County Administrator Pat Bean not to take any steps to offer the coverage.

Beckner, who won election to the commission in November, said Friday that the issue will not come to a vote next week but a discussion will take place on whether the coverage is a viable option to offer county employees.

He said most Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partnership benefits. He also said studies show that doing so contributes little or no cost to the insurance program.

Studies also show that most people who take advantage of the benefits are opposite-gender couples, Beckner said. The county's employee group health care plan allows participation by employees, retirees and dependents of each. Dependents are defined as spouses and children. Changes to the eligibility rule must be approved by the county commission.

Bean said covering domestic partners would probably cost the county more but she didn't know how much.

"I have to believe it will cost more because we'd be adding people" to the coverage, she said.

Beckner's gambit drew immediate fire from Commissioner Mark Sharpe. He said expanding government spending while the county and nation are mired in a financial crisis is "irresponsible."

"We sit on the edge of economic collapse, and our government should be focused on tightening our belts and curbing spending," Sharpe said.

Bean said Beckner asked her to bring the issue forward Thursday.

"I said I didn't think I could do that; I was directed by the board not to," Bean said. "I explained that to him. He said he would proceed to take it to the board."

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio signed an order extending city health benefits to gay and other unmarried partners of city employees in April 2004, shortly before the county rejected the idea.

Reporter Josh Poltilove contributed to this report.

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