Two of Nashville’s largest private employers plan to do away with benefits for domestic partners starting in 2017. Vanderbilt University and hospital chain HCA say they will no longer cover unwed couples. Employers around the nation are changing their policies following the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage.
In a statement, Vanderbilt says the decision to cut domestic partner benefits is based on the Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.
“Because same-sex marriages are now performed and legal in all U.S. states, married same-sex couples are eligible for the same benefits and tax advantages as other married couples,” the statement says.
National survey data shows 70 percent of employers are rethinking benefits for unmarried couples in 2017, which gives couples time to get married if they choose.
“You know, our thinking is, we already offer married couples benefits, so why would we continue this?” says Bruce Elliott, who handles HR for the Society for Human Resource Management based in Washington D.C. (continue reading at NPR)