PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Sarpy County commissioners have decided to extend health insurance benefits to spouses of gay county employees who have legally married in another state but live in Nebraska.
On Tuesday the Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 for the change. Under the previous policy, the same-sex couples were allowed health benefits if they were legally married in another state and lived in a state that allowed it, such as nearby Iowa.
The change goes into effect Feb. 1 through the county insurance provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield, which changed its policy Jan. 1 following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In June the high court negated a critical part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited the government from recognizing same-sex marriages.
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