Blue Cross Blue Shield not equal
A question was posed to Terry Kellog, a VP at Blue Cross Blue Shield or BCBS. Kellog was asked why BCBS still refuses to offer a product to any of its clients that extends health insurance benefits to the partners or children of the unmarried, primarily same sex couples.
Kellog offered a widely expected litany of economic and business related excuses, noting that Blue Cross in Alabama does not offer benefits to domestic partners, either heterosexual or homosexual, arguing that ultimately, BCBS of Alabama’s customers don’t want to pay the alleged costs for additional coverage.
Danny Upton, Executive Director of Equality Alabama, the state’s largest LGBT civil rights organization later said, the excuse by Blue Cross Blue Shield is unacceptable, considering the fact that 78 percent of the Fortune 100 largest corporations and 49 percent of the Fortune 500 offered health benefits to employee’s domestic partners.
Alabama’s “liberal” Congressman, Artur Davis concurred with Kellog. adding, much to some of the crowd’s surprise, that the LGBT community should not look to Washington or Montgomery, the state’s capital, for any sort of pro-activity that might affect change at Alabama’s largest insurer.
He also said that discussion of this issue would be driven by the clergy, and in Alabama, that more than likely would mean, outspoken Preachers who do no approve of gay lifestyles.
Congressman Artur Davis is the Alabama state chairman of Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for President. To some, Davis’ role as head of Obama’s campaign, begged the question as to whether or not Senator Obama might speak out against, or express disagreement with Davis’ assessment regarding exactly who has more influence over this exclusionary policy, which to some LGBT Alabamians appeared to be a punt by Washington to the preachers.
“It’s ridiculous that our alleged secular leaders would punt to un-elected religious clergy when it comes to an issue involving healthcare for all Americans” said Danny Upton, Executive Director at Equality Alabama, the state’s largest LGBT civil rights organization.
Equality Alabama’s Upton, who participated in the Democratic meeting said that after Kellog had offered his company’s excuse and Davis had said the Preachers would be the folks who decided if and when the gays would get domestic partner benefits, he just got up and left.
Upton says he felt let down and betrayed by the Congressman’s statement, that the very idea of asking preachers, the people who have told you all your life, that your very essence is immoral and wrong, to advocate for domestic partner benefits for same sex partners, was absurd.
The hope is that the Alabama Obama campaign chairman Davis’ shirking of leadership is not representative of the candidate for President. But the greater hope is that whomever wins among the Democratic Presidential Candidates, all who have all been marketing themselves as agents of change and progress, will take on the nuts and bolts realities of change for LGBT Americans, and once elected, take a stand, and not make the mistake that Congressman Davis made when he punted his position as a leader to the Preachers of Alabama and elsewhere.
Kellog offered a widely expected litany of economic and business related excuses, noting that Blue Cross in Alabama does not offer benefits to domestic partners, either heterosexual or homosexual, arguing that ultimately, BCBS of Alabama’s customers don’t want to pay the alleged costs for additional coverage.
Danny Upton, Executive Director of Equality Alabama, the state’s largest LGBT civil rights organization later said, the excuse by Blue Cross Blue Shield is unacceptable, considering the fact that 78 percent of the Fortune 100 largest corporations and 49 percent of the Fortune 500 offered health benefits to employee’s domestic partners.
Alabama’s “liberal” Congressman, Artur Davis concurred with Kellog. adding, much to some of the crowd’s surprise, that the LGBT community should not look to Washington or Montgomery, the state’s capital, for any sort of pro-activity that might affect change at Alabama’s largest insurer.
He also said that discussion of this issue would be driven by the clergy, and in Alabama, that more than likely would mean, outspoken Preachers who do no approve of gay lifestyles.
Congressman Artur Davis is the Alabama state chairman of Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for President. To some, Davis’ role as head of Obama’s campaign, begged the question as to whether or not Senator Obama might speak out against, or express disagreement with Davis’ assessment regarding exactly who has more influence over this exclusionary policy, which to some LGBT Alabamians appeared to be a punt by Washington to the preachers.
“It’s ridiculous that our alleged secular leaders would punt to un-elected religious clergy when it comes to an issue involving healthcare for all Americans” said Danny Upton, Executive Director at Equality Alabama, the state’s largest LGBT civil rights organization.
Equality Alabama’s Upton, who participated in the Democratic meeting said that after Kellog had offered his company’s excuse and Davis had said the Preachers would be the folks who decided if and when the gays would get domestic partner benefits, he just got up and left.
Upton says he felt let down and betrayed by the Congressman’s statement, that the very idea of asking preachers, the people who have told you all your life, that your very essence is immoral and wrong, to advocate for domestic partner benefits for same sex partners, was absurd.
The hope is that the Alabama Obama campaign chairman Davis’ shirking of leadership is not representative of the candidate for President. But the greater hope is that whomever wins among the Democratic Presidential Candidates, all who have all been marketing themselves as agents of change and progress, will take on the nuts and bolts realities of change for LGBT Americans, and once elected, take a stand, and not make the mistake that Congressman Davis made when he punted his position as a leader to the Preachers of Alabama and elsewhere.
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