Defending the Truth

Gay Georgia Man Wins Coverage Dispute With State Insurance Plan
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 5, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(Atlanta, Georgia) After pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, Georgia’s Commissioner of Insurance has agreed to allow Jon Lawson, a gay man, to purchase health insurance through a state plan designed to help people who are uninsured.
Although the plan only requires that an applicant is insured for 18 months before joining the plan, Commissioner John Oxendine’s office rejected Lawson’s application, claiming that he was ineligible because had been covered as a domestic partner through his previous insurance plan.
This is not the first time Commissioner Oxendine used his position to try to bar gay people from getting public health insurance, according to the ACLU.
After the city of Atlanta persuaded the Georgia Supreme Court that it was justified in providing domestic partner benefits to its employees, Oxendine tried to block the city’s plan by withholding approval of the change in policy. The city was forced to bring a lawsuit against him, which it ultimately won.
“I’m happy that the insurance commissioner did the right thing, not only in my case but for others who may be in the same situation,” said Jon Lawson, a 51-year-old Atlanta resident who was about to become uninsured after separating from his domestic partner who had provided his health insurance.
“Anyone who needs health insurance and meets the state’s requirements should not be denied under any circumstances.”
After breaking up with his partner of six years, Lawson, who worked for many years in the travel industry but is currently uninsured, discovered he was eligible for insurance under the Georgia State Insurance Assignment System.
The program was started to give people who have insurance but are about to become uninsured the opportunity to purchase insurance. Meeting all the qualifications, he applied for the program and provided proof that he was insured for the required previous 18 months.
Several days later, he received a call from Insurance Commissioner Oxendine’s office and explained that he was covered as a domestic partner under his former partner’s plan. The same day, he received a fax from the Assignment System Coordinator stating that he was ineligible for the program because, “The relationship of domestic partner is not considered a family relationship under Georgia law. ”
The ACLU then sent a demand letter, to Oxendine spelling out Lawson’s qualifications for the state insurance program and explaining that disapproval of his former relationship was not a valid reason to deny his participation in the program. Lawson received a letter yesterday from the plan notifying him that he is now insured under the plan.
“It’s very clear that the insurance commissioner’s office overstepped its authority just to try to disadvantage gay people,” said Matt Coles, Director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project.
“The Insurance Assignment System was put in place to help all Georgians, not just those which the commissioner

I don't understand how this kind of thing can be remotely legal.

First of all, the commissioner's job was not to decide whether or not the guy was eligible for family insurance under his partner's health plan ... but merely to see that the guy had been insured for 18 months - which he had been. Whether the commissioner thinks he SHOULD have been covered is not the issue - merely whether he WAS covered.

Stupid bigots.

Domestic partner benefits is still a new concept and not everbody can grasp it. However; you would certainly expect the insurance commisioner to fully understand it. I bet he is fat and attends a Baptist church. His wife is probably too fat and ugly to fuck. He's probably a closet gay too.

Actually Oxendine is a pretty decent guy. He's done a lot of good things for our insurance industry in this state. I would like to see a source for this story from a less biased source though. Because this story doesn't really make sense. It read like one of those "white people are being oppressed" stories that I read on Stormfront.

I don't anything about Oxendine - I was just trying to be funny.

Regarding Stormfront: Those people are nuts! Hell, they're even blaming Jews for World War II and the holocaust. I never understood how you could be so die-hard about your race to the point of thinking all other races are inferior. Moreover, according to those nut jobs, EVERY thing that is wrong with the world is the fault of the Jews who control everything. You don't choose your race. Dr. David Duke could have just as well been born black - ha!

this is a news article - not an op/ed piece

are you suggesting that the ACLU said they wrote letters, but didn't actually do it?

No, I'm suggesting that I would like to know "why" he was rejected without bias. As for the ACLU....They think we should allow gay men to screw in public restrooms. Not exactly a source I consider valid.

I like Stormfront. It's educational on some levels. The members look at things from a direction that I would never consider.

At least you get away from gay issues for the most part. On this board, all anybody wants to talk about is gay, gay, gay!

Yeah, they seem to have other fish to fry. It's limited my participation in my other thread for a while. Well, that and my new Wii.