76% of
straight Hoosiers would marry a person of the same sex to have better health
coverage
By Cooper
Mears, THG News
Here is the scenario:
You are a straight man.
You like your job but your cheesy company has a terrible health benefit package
with poor coverage. A single male friend of yours works a job with excellent
benefits. You could be on your friend’s health plan for the same price you are
currently paying, if only you go down to the local courthouse and get legally
married. Would you do it?
In a recent Gallup poll,
over 76% of single Hoosiers polled said yes, they would participate in a civil
union with a person of the same sex if it meant they would have a better health
plan.
More and more Hoosiers are
being squeezed by employers trying to increase profit margins by switching to
cheaper, lower-quality providers and making employees pay a higher percentage of
their health premiums. As a result, many Indiana residents are willing to do
just about anything to have decent health benefits.
“If gay marriage was
legalized, I would do it in a heartbeat,” said self-employed Greenfield resident
Todd McKinley, who currently is without health insurance, “Don’t get me wrong,
I’m not gay, I just want to be able to go to the doctor when I need to without
worrying about paying through the nose for it.”
“I don’t see anything
wrong with it,” said Indianapolis steamfitter Bryan Overton, “Just because you
have a marriage certificate doesn’t mean you have to be in love or bone each
other.”
Even though the majority
of straight Hoosiers support an amendment to our state’s constitution that would
allow gay marriage, the people who are against it make up a very vocal minority.
“Legalizing gay unions
would be an abomination,” says Brownsburg preacher Tim Elliott, “The state would
be endorsing immoral behavior. What’s next, polygamy, so people can save even
more money? Not everything should come down to dollars and cents!”
