Colorado Springs may offer DP benefits

The Colorado Springs, Colo., city council will consider allowing municipal employees to expand health care coverage to include an adult who lives in their home. The proposal would cover an adult child, parent, grandparent, or live-in partner, including a gay or lesbian partner. The council may vote on the proposal on Tuesday. No Colorado city has ever approved such a package, said Emma Arguelles, research associate for the Colorado Municipal League. "It's pretty rare, and it's very innovative," Arguelles said. "It would be a landmark for that to happen." A city employee would pay 100% of the premium. Only employees with at least two years' service would be eligible, and the added adult must have been a resident in the home for the past two years. The city expects that 100 employees would participate. Last fall the city council approved benefits for same-sex partners, and seven people signed up, costing the city $6,700. The program was short-lived, however. Just days after a new council took office last April, the council voted 8-1 to end benefits, which expired December 31.