Health Benefits For Gay Couples Fall Short

In 1991, P. Oktor Skjaervo, Khan professor of Iranian, was frantically searching for a hospital for Robert Grayson, his partner of 20 years.

Most hospitals had turned down Grayson, who had slipped into AIDS-related dementia.

"My partner was already covered [by Blue Shield] but he'd wanted to go to Beth Israel, which he couldn't," Skjaervo says. "I could have [gotten him in] with domestic partner benefits."

Grayson died in 1992. If he had survived two more years, he could have been covered by the domestic partner benefits program that Harvard implemented in 1994.

The plan entitles same-sex couples employees say they do not have the luxury toturn down the program because their partners donot receive their own benefits.

Jenny Rathburn, a library assistant at HoughtonLibrary, was a member of the committee thatcreated the policy.

Her partner, Margaret Fennell, received nohealth benefits from the social work agency whereshe worked. Fennell suffered daily from ragingmigraine headaches.

Today she is covered by Harvard's domesticpartner benefits program. Her migraines recur onlyonce a month thanks to biofeedback therapy and newglasses, which she could not afford without theplan.

"I don't know what we would have done ifsomething [major] had happened [before 1994],"Rathburn says. "We're just really grateful to havethis policy."

Rathburn says she is not surprised that manyfaculty members have turned down the plan.

"The partners of Faculty members are in jobsthat give them benefits," she says. "They'reFaculty, we're secretaries. It's a class issue."

Still, Rathburn adds that just because thereare only a handful of faculty and staff takingadvantage of the plan does not make it is any lessimportant.

"We always knew that the number [who wouldapply] would be tiny," she says. "But even thoughthe number would be small, we worked hard [to getit], because it was very important for those fewpeople."

But ultimately, many gay and lesbian employeessay the domestic partner benefit plan is only apartial fix in the absence of national, universalhealth care.

"Expanding the ranks of those who have accessto health care via employment is a good thing, tobe sure," says Ann Pellegrini, assistant professorof English.

"But it is a stop-gap measure. Why shouldaccess to health care be linked to employment,financial statements, mortgages and leases?" shesays

Jenny Rathburn, a library assistant at HoughtonLibrary, was a member of the committee thatcreated the policy.

Her partner, Margaret Fennell, received nohealth benefits from the social work agency whereshe worked. Fennell suffered daily from ragingmigraine headaches.

Today she is covered by Harvard's domesticpartner benefits program. Her migraines recur onlyonce a month thanks to biofeedback therapy and newglasses, which she could not afford without theplan.

"I don't know what we would have done ifsomething [major] had happened [before 1994],"Rathburn says. "We're just really grateful to havethis policy."

Rathburn says she is not surprised that manyfaculty members have turned down the plan.

"The partners of Faculty members are in jobsthat give them benefits," she says. "They'reFaculty, we're secretaries. It's a class issue."

Still, Rathburn adds that just because thereare only a handful of faculty and staff takingadvantage of the plan does not make it is any lessimportant.

"We always knew that the number [who wouldapply] would be tiny," she says. "But even thoughthe number would be small, we worked hard [to getit], because it was very important for those fewpeople."

But ultimately, many gay and lesbian employeessay the domestic partner benefit plan is only apartial fix in the absence of national, universalhealth care.

"Expanding the ranks of those who have accessto health care via employment is a good thing, tobe sure," says Ann Pellegrini, assistant professorof English.

"But it is a stop-gap measure. Why shouldaccess to health care be linked to employment,financial statements, mortgages and leases?" shesays