Under California law, a registered domestic partner of a group insurance member must be offered group life coverage:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
California Insurance Code Section 381.5 requires group life insurers to cover registered domestic partners on the same terms as spouses. Insurers must treat registered domestic partners and their dependents the same as spouses and dependents for group insurance eligibility. The rule ensures domestic partners are not denied coverage that would be available to married couples, and it applies to both employer-paid and employee-paid group coverage. The same treatment extends to dependents, so a partner's children are covered on the same basis as the children of married employees under the group plan.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Coverage for a domestic partner must be on the same basis as a spouse's coverage, which may include an employer contribution; there is no rule forcing the member to pay alone.
- C) Marriage is not required; the statute specifically protects registered domestic partners regardless of marital status. Registration as a domestic partner, not marriage, is what triggers the statute's protection in California group plans.
- D) Domestic partners are eligible under group coverage itself; the law mandates group policies cover them, so an individual policy is not required. Group coverage is mandatory for domestic partners, so an individual policy is unnecessary and contrary to the rule.
Memory hook
Domestic partner = spouse for group coverage, on the same terms, no marriage needed.