DOMA Plaintiff to Finally Get Health Benefits

A federal employee who sued to obtain health benefits for her partner will soon finally get what she has long sought.

In a reversal of its previous course, the Obama administration reportedly has asked Blue Cross Blue Shield to offer Karen Golinski's wife, Amy Cunninghis, full benefits.

A judge in the Golinski case had ruled in February that the Defense of Marriage Act, which had blocked access to the benefits, was unconstitutional. House Republicans, who are funding a defense of DOMA, have already appealed the ruling, but the Obama administration doesn't appear to be waiting.

The House Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner, are picking up where the Obama Department of Justice left off when it declared that it would no longer defend DOMA in legal challenges like the one from Golinski.

Tara Borelli, a Lambda Legal lawyer representing Golinski, told The Washington Post that the couple has "been waiting for years for this equal treatment.” And although the administration's decision applies only in this case, Borelli pledged to press on until other same-sex couples receive equal benefits.