The National
Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) unveiled a new
section of their insurance education website that includes
tips and advice for domestic partners last month.
"[The]
NAIC is recognizing the tremendous diversity of life
situations in every community," Director of
Insurance for the state of Illinois Michael McRaith
said of the new section of the Insure U website.
The NAIC's
research reveals that of the approximately 770,000 domestic
partnerships in the US, 49% have no formal documentation
providing evidence of their relationship. The website
encourages the sharing of such insurance policies as
home and auto as one way to help protect individuals
in domestic partnerships in the event of an accident or
loss.
McRaith stressed
the importance of being educated about insurance
options. "As consumers, we spend a lot of time trying
to decide what car to buy, what house to buy, instead
of educating ourselves about the insurance
we're paying," he said. "You need to be
an aggressive, informed consumer."
The new
information on the website also includes tips that
may help save money, like a discount offered by some
auto insurers for domestic partners who are in a
long-term, committed relationship.
McRaith admitted
that the needs of same-sex couples can be "a little
bit different right now" from those of straight
married couples when it comes to matters like children
and inheritance. While he's optimistic about
marriage equality, he stressed that "in the meantime,
we need to know how to protect ourselves through
insurance." (Hannah Clay Wareham, The
Advocate)