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)
