Feb 24, 2010 7:40 pm US/Pacific
New Health Reform Won't End Tax On Gay Couples
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
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Daniel Kfouri/AFP/Getty Images
On Thursday, President Barack Obama will meet with leaders of both parties over health care. But there's a notable exclusion in the latest health reform proposal.
John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney are like many couples, who are doing their taxes this week. But even though they're legally married in California, they're forced by the IRS to check the box that says "single."
And if that isn't insulting enough, they will also have to pay income tax on their health care benefits. Since John is on Stuart's health policy, the government considers that income. That will cost them over $2,000 in extra taxes this year. Straight couples do not have to pay a tax on health care benefits.
"These are American values. And Stuart and I together for 23 years, we work hard, we pay our taxes, we're totally willing to pay our fair share. But we don't want to pay a tax simply because we're gay," Lewis said.
That so-called "Gay Tax" would have disappeared under the health care plan that was debated earlier this year in Washington. But that version is not where the President and Congress will begin Thursday.
"The House version of the bill had a specific provision that prevented discrimination based on sexual orientation, when it comes to health care. And that's what allows domestic partners, married persons, same sex couples to be included and to include their loved one, to protect families and to make sure everybody's covered with health care," said San Francisco attorney Deb Kinney, who has been following this closely for her many lesbian and gay clients.
"In the Senate version it's gone. And that's where they're starting again. They're starting with the Senate version," Kinney said. "I'm very disappointed. You know, the whole point of the health care bill is to protect people and to protect families. And we're families."
Lewis and Gaffney have already called the White House and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, trying to get LGBT protections back on the table, and they're urging their friends to do the same.
"You know, I don't know why fairness would be stripped out of the health care bill. It cant be a good reason, but whatever the reason we take it as a call to speak up as any family would do," Gaffney said.
Also not part of Thursday's discussion is an earlier provision that would have allowed people with HIV to have access to Medicare sooner. Gay rights advocates hope they can get these benefits put back in the final bill.
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