Annie Haley and Bonnie Duritsky have been in a committed, loving relationship for 18 years. Annie is a special education teacher for Toledo Public Schools, and Bonnie is a stay at home mom. Together they raise twins, Bane and Olivia, with the help of “Busia,” Bonnie’s mother Joan. They are one of the nearly 170 couples registered on the City of Toledo’s Domestic Partnership Registry. A glimpse into their home is one into the quintessential modern family—rambunctious kids hungry for dinner, dogs barking, bills and school.
They say registering as domestic partners reaffirms their love and validates their children’s lives, because being registered makes it easier to handle certain things for their kids. However, Bonnie suffers from health issues that make it difficult to work outside the home. Annie’s health insurance covers the children, but her coverage does not recognize Bonnie. Tears come to their eyes as they explain the dread of a possible health emergency. With different health insurance policies, and not being legally married, they could be kept from being present next to a hospital bed, not permitted to provide the kind of medical decision making for each other that millions of married and domestic partners around the country are allowed.
“There’s always a fear,” says Bonnie, “Imagine the person that you cared about most in the world, and the relationship you had with them was so integral to your existence, then if something happens to them, what do you do?”
“Bonnie is my wife,” says Annie, “I want to be able to take care of her and help her out.”
Ringing the bell
On May 1st, Mayor Mike Bell introduced legislation before Toledo City Council to extend healthcare benefits including prescription drugs, dental, vision, life insurance, and declaring an emergency to employee’s registered domestic partners. According to the Mayor’s office, he was previously not aware that domestic partners were not covered. When it was brought to his attention by Equality Toledo, his administration reacted quickly. Toledo was the first major city in Ohio to establish a Domestic Partnership Registry in 2007. Couples on the registry can use it as proof of their committed relationship for adoption agencies or to access domestic partner benefits offered by employers.
Opponents of the ordinance raise concerns about budgetary costs especially in a time when local governments are pushing for austerity. The city just finished heavy negotiations with unions asking for many concessions. The major budget problem with offering benefits to city employee’s domestic partners is that the initial estimated costs show the budget increasing from $52,000 to $500,000 to cover these benefits. The unknown amount and high estimate is mainly because it is still uncertain how many employees will actually take advantage of the benefits.
Councilman Rob Ludeman has been the most outspoken of the opposition, citing not only moral concerns, but also emphasizing the lack of clarity when it comes to cost. He was unavailable for comment for this article.
For City Councilman Steve Steel, opposing the ordinance because of budgetary reasons should not be an issue. If a current city employee were to get married or have children that would change their coverage, and the city is prepared for those circumstances without the cries of budget strain. “There is a contingency plan built into the healthcare budget. It’s always fluid,” Steel said. “The fact that we extend healthcare benefits to our employees based on the changing healthcare needs of their family shouldn’t be limited by the type of family.”
Across the region
As city council battles over this issue citing fiscal, moral and civil liberty concerns other cities, counties and institutions already have adjusted their healthcare benefits to cover domestic partnerships. Ohio’s Three C’s, Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati all extend coverage to domestic partners. Major employers in the region, like the University of Toledo, BGSU, the University of Michigan, Owens Corning, the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce and Lucas County all extend the coverage. According to language in the proposed ordinance before city council, “Currently, 21 states and over 200 local governments, at least 98 Fortune 100 companies, 442 Fortune 500 companies, and approximately 9,000 other private companies, non-profit organizations and unions provide health insurance and other benefits to their employees’ domestic partners.”
The right to buy in
Although Annie and Bonnie are not city employees, they both agree it would speak volumes in support for the local LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender) community and set a precedent in the area for the city to recognize the inequalities faced by families of domestic partnerships, whether homosexual or heterosexual. Annie and Bonnie see it as a possible boon for the local economy, by attracting talented, hard-working domestic partners who don’t want to worry about their family’s healthcare.
“For those of us on the registry, we are not asking for the opportunity to have free health care. People need to remember that. We are not asking for special privileges,” Bonnie says, “We are simply asking for the opportunity to pay for the same benefits” afforded to traditionally married partners.
“And the same responsibility of other citizens,” Annie chimes in.
“Yeah,” Bonnie confirms, “We are asking for the opportunity to buy into health insurance. We are asking for the opportunity to do what everyone else can do. How is that not cost effective?”
