Under California law, an employer's group life insurance plan covering spouses of employees must also:

Why A is correct

Under CIC §381.5, group life insurance policies delivered or issued in California that provide coverage for an employee's spouse must also provide equivalent coverage for an employee's registered domestic partner. The law treats registered domestic partners the same as spouses for purposes of group insurance coverage. This means an employer cannot deny or restrict group life coverage for domestic partners when spouse coverage is offered. Equivalent coverage means the same benefits, conditions, and eligibility as spouse coverage, with no premium surcharge based on partnership status.

Why the other options are wrong

• Charging higher premiums based solely on domestic-partner status would violate the requirement of equivalent coverage stated in Section 381.5. This option therefore does not match the facts presented in the question and is not the correct answer to select.
• The statute specifically requires coverage for registered domestic partners, so excluding them based on marital status is not permitted. This answer describes a different situation from the one in the question and is therefore incorrect under the facts given here.
• Group life coverage, including domestic-partner coverage, does not require medical exams; requiring one would be inconsistent with the group plan's structure. This choice does not fit the arrangement described in the question, so it is clearly not the right option to choose.

Memory hook

Married or registered partner, both get the same group life rights.