Michigan High Court Rules Against Gay Partners' Health Benefits

Lansing, MI (AHN) - The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled 5-2 that local governments and state universities in Michigan are barred from offering health insurance to the partners of gay workers.

The ban would affect gay employees at the University of Michigan and other public-sector employers from 20 public universities, community colleges, school districts and local governments in Michigan that earlier covered at least 375 gay couples.

Some of the plans date back as the early 1990s. After the appeals court ruled in February 2007, universities and local governments rewrote their policies to try to comply with the gay marriage ban. This made the effect of Wednesday's decision unclear.

In order to be eligible for medical and dental care, the two adults have to live together for a certain amount of time, be unmarried, share finances and be unrelated, the Supreme Court ruled. It also added that the relation between a man and woman is the only arrangemdent recognized as a marriage by the law.