Igor Volsky at ThinkProgress:
This morning, federal employees who are insured through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program received an email from Aetna advertising their new pet insurance plans. “In these challenging economic times, it’s good to know you can get some financial protection for unexpected illness and injury to your pets,” the e-mail reads before listing the many benefits:The insurance is a handsome perk for those who can afford it, but what’s illuminating about the ad is that while federal employees can buy pet insurance “in these challenging economic times,” LGBT workers are still prohibited from purchasing policies for their partners or spouses by the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) — a federal law which denies federal benefits to legally married same sex couples.
DOMA is another discriminatory federal law that President Obama is still defending in court, even though he has claimed repeatedly that he wants to see it repealed. Yet he’s done nothing to advance its repeal.
And, whatever happened to the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO). How many times did we hear that legislation was going to pass this year?
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