A few hours after I posted an item about Kansas City Police Department yesterday, spokesman Rich Lockhart let me know the information might be misleading.
According to a police memo last week, the department is cutting domestic partner benefits in an effort to save $421,000 in a particularly tight budget year.
While such benefits allow same-sex couples to get shared health insurance, plenty of straight pairs take advantage, too. A domestic partnership, I now know, can be any man and woman living together, as well as a gay or lesbian couple.
And, apparently, the KCPD cut hit heteros the hardest. Lockhart tells me in an e-mail that only one of the eight members affected by the PD's decision is gay.
Nettie Alford, vice president of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Kansas City, says it still sends the wrong message when it comes to equality, though. "The issue still goes back to the fact that, even though the city has a domestic partnership registry and we're making all these strides, here's people serving the city who don't have the same benefits," she says.
Not to mention, she adds, those straight folks living in domestic bliss have the option of marriage to get back on the rolls. Until state or federal law changes, the partners of gay and lesbian cops will be out of luck -- and health insurance.
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Something isn't right with these numbers.
Group health insurance premiums are based on number of persons covered and family status of those covered.
If 8 people cost $421,000 - Doing the math: that's $52,625 a year each or health insurance premiums of $4,385 A MONTH. No Way!
There's more to this story.
Is the KCPD medical insurance plan self-funded? If so, then BCBSKC is just the administrator (the claims-processor).
Carolyn: Sorry for bagging on you in the thread for the first article you wrote on this topic. I see the correct information is now presented. I quit reading the Star because of their biased journalism and was beginning to think the Pitch was going that way. I stand corrected and you have renewed my faith. It still sucks that Blue Cross can get away with tagging the police department with a $421,000 surcharge to add domestic partner coverage. I can't envision how they justify it.
And Johnathan the KCPD has way more gay/lesbian cops than one and have for years. Do a little research and you'll find they even have a transgender who is doing just fine. Evidently only one (I heard it was two) gay officers needed coverage for their partner. Even if it was just one gay cop affected come one, why should the taxpayers be hit with $421,000 so one gay officer can have insurance for his partner.
Hmm, yea those opposite sex partners can easily remedy their problem with a quicky marriage. But the gays, the ones whom it seems the program is for are screwed. Why throw all that money away on people who don't really need it if budget cuts ruin it for the ones it was meant for?
PD politics is weird shit. I wouldn't want to work there, damn sure wouldn't want to be gay and work there.
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