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 Company
Cancels Domestic Partner Health
Insurance For 9/11 Survivor
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 24, 2008 - 1:00 pm ET
(Boise, Idaho) Robert Ryan was one of the lucky
ones, escaping the World Trade Center on 9/11 with his life. But he continues to
suffer from mental and physical problems that require regular medical care and
expensive medications.
His life partner Ralph Martinelli was a district
sales manager for Konica Minolta, based in New Jersey, and Ryan was covered as a
domestic partner under the company's health plan.
But that coverage came to an end after Martinelli
was transferred last year to Konica Minolta's Idaho operation.
Konica Minolta (KMBS) says it only offers
insurance to domestic partners or legally married same-sex partners in states
where those relationships are registered.
Martinelli and Ryan have been registered domestic
partners in New Jersey since 2005, and KMBS allowed Martinelli to cover Ryan
when the couple lived in New Jersey.
Idaho has no such registry.
Due to the cost of medical insurance, Ryan says
he may have to go without the care he requires if Konica Minolta continues to
prevent Martinelli from extending benefits to him.
"I’m still working at the same company,
doing the same job. Why shouldn’t I be able to cover my partner in Idaho
like I did in New Jersey? This would never happen to a married couple,"
said Martinelli.
"Konica wants everyone to think they care
about their gay employees, but the way Konica is interpreting its policy is so
restrictive that many employees are shut out of the coverage."
Typically, companies that wish to offer domestic
partnership benefits to employees living in states that do not recognize
same-sex relationships either accept a marriage, civil union or domestic
partnership certificate from another state, or have the employee submit an
affidavit attesting to the partnership.
Monday the American Civil Liberties Union sent a
demand letter to Konica's head office in New Jersey urging the company to
interpret its policy on domestic partner health insurance so that more employees
will have access to the insurance.
"Konica Minolta wants all the good will that
comes with providing domestic partner insurance, but they clearly don’t want
to have to provide the benefits. Otherwise they would never be
interpreting its policy in such a restrictive way," said Jack Van
Valkenburgh, Executive Director of the ACLU of Idaho.
"Companies have been providing domestic
partner coverage for many years now. The only possible reason for
interpreting the policy the way that Konica does is to make it harder for
employees to be able to provide coverage for their partners."
Martinelli said he and Ryan moved to Idaho so
that Ryan, who experienced mental health trauma as a survivor of the attacks of
September 11th, 2001, could find some relief away from the daily reminder of the
attacks.
On September 11 Ryan managed the insurance
licensing division at Morgan Stanley, and was in his office on the 74th floor of
the South Tower of the World Trade Center when the first airplane struck the
North Tower.
While he was evacuating, Ryan became separated
from the employees he supervised, and later was trampled by a crowd after the
second airplane hit his office building, only four floors above where he was
working that morning.
After the attack he was unable to work due to the
trauma, went on disability for one year, and spent his retirement savings to
stay afloat.
He met Martinelli in 2004 and the couple
registered as domestic partners in New Jersey the following year.
"Underlying all of this is the confusion and
mistrust engendered by terms like ‘civil union’ and ‘domestic
partnership’ as opposed to 'marriage,'" said Ed Barocas, Legal Director
the ACLU of New Jersey.
"Same-sex couples are asked to prove that
their relationships aren’t imaginary every time they move, and employers take
advantage of the lack of uniformity to treat people unfairly."
Konica Minolta has not responded to the ACLU
letter.
©365Gay.com 2008
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