Same-Sex Couples Inch Closer Towards Sharing Benefits in Mexico City Mayela Sanchez - Global Press Institute
go to original May 22, 2013

Same-sex couples are a step closer to being able to share social security benefits after one government agency changed its policy in May 2013. Same-sex marriage has been legal for three years in Mexico City. But delays in Congress to revise the social security laws continue to leave spouses without access to each other’s benefits.

MEXICO CITY - Lawyer Jaime López was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2008. But he did not have health insurance to cover his treatment.

As a sole practitioner, López did not have access to any public social security services available in Mexico through its two social security agencies. The Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social offers these benefits to employees of private companies, and Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado offers them to government employees.

David González, López’s partner of 10 years, had health insurance through IMSS and tried to enroll López as his beneficiary. But IMSS denied their request because they were not married. The laws governing the social security agencies extend benefits to only spouses and concubines.

By that point, López had already had his left kidney surgically removed to prevent the cancer from spreading.

Read the rest at Global Press Institute
 

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