Some officials worry about health plan

By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Staff writer
Posted September 14 2005


Palm Beach County took a step Tuesday toward joining several Florida governments offering domestic-partnership registries for gay and lesbian couples who can't get married, as well as straight couples who choose not to.

But several county commissioners were skittish about a companion proposal to grant benefits including health insurance to the domestic partners of 6,000 county employees under the commission's control.

More than 3,200 Sheriff's Office and 750 Clerk's Office employees already have such benefits under decisions made by the independently elected officials who run those agencies. Half the Fortune 500 companies, as well as several governments in Florida and elsewhere, provide such benefits.

But Commission Chairman Tony Masilotti said he was concerned about cost and fraud.

Based on experience reported by other governments and businesses, the county's Risk Management Department estimated that offering domestic-partner health insurance would increase health coverage costs 1 percent to 2 percent or $450,000 to $950,000 a year. The high estimate is less than three one-hundredths of 1 percent of the $3.25 billion county budget.

Masilotti, citing his experience as a State Farm insurance agent, predicted it could cost $20 million a year.

He raised the specter of extensive fraud, offering a scenario in which a county employee might take a payment of $50,000 to falsely claim a domestic partnership with someone who has a condition that would cost $1 million to treat.

He said he wanted to know "if individuals have abused the system by inappropriately declaring someone as their partner? Do they rotate them in? Has anyone been caught for fraud? Does anybody sell those benefits?"

Several other commissioners then said they, too, needed more information to ensure that people who get benefits really are domestic partners.

Commissioner Karen Marcus was hesitant for other reasons as well. "Sometimes when you have young couples, there just needs to be a longer term relationship. They should get married," she said.

Commissioners Jeff Koons and Mary McCarty were the only unequivocal supporters who wanted to proceed immediately. They said private businesses wouldn't offer the benefits if they were terribly costly or there was a fraud problem.

Commissioners told county staffers to return quickly with answers. That way, if the benefits are offered, the program could be launched next month during the annual open-enrollment period for health plans.

There was consensus for Palm Beach County joining Broward County, Key West, Miami Beach and West Palm Beach in offering a domestic-partnership registry.

The proposal would grant registered partners the right to visit each other in hospitals and jail, make health-care decisions for incapacitated partners, decide on funeral and burial plans and participate in educational decisions involving a partner's children.

Rand Hoch, founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a gay rights organization, said the biggest users could turn out to be elderly heterosexual couples who don't want to get married because it could interfere with pensions or Social Security.

Commissioners also told the county staff members to work with the League of Cities in an attempt to secure support for a countywide ordinance that would be binding within cities, towns and villages rather than simply in unincorporated areas.

Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sun-sentinel.com or 561-832-2905.