Salt Lake County
Council to Vote on Partner Benefits

Salt Lake County Council member Jenny Wilson has introduced a health insurance plan that would expand coverage to, among others, the partners of gay and lesbian county employees. Wilson told the Salt Lake City Tribune that she is modeling her plan after the city's current policy, which was passed two years ago.

Her proposed policy is not limited to gay and lesbian couples, who have no marriage or civil union rights in Utah. Under her plan, any "adult designee" who lives with a county employee and is financially interdependent would be eligible for benefits. Including other qualified beneficiaries may sway the majority Republican council, according to the report. Seventy-eight percent of the Salt Lake City program's adult beneficiaries are not gay or lesbian partners.

"This is a reasonable and fair way to get more people covered," Wilson told the Tribune.

Wilson is one of four Democrats on the nine-member council. (The Advocate)