Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson urged county leaders Tuesday to offer health-care benefits to employees' financially dependent relatives, friends or domestic partners - otherwise known as adult designees - her voice cracking as she spoke of households not yet reached by insurance.
"I would hope my colleagues would embrace and support this," she said.
But Wilson ran into resistance Tuesday from Republican Mark Crockett, who cast the decisive vote in July 2005 to defeat her benefits package for domestic partners.
Despite his earlier support of an adult-designee program - "I'd be happy to co-sponsor it. It seems like a fine idea," he said in April 2007 interview - Crockett now appears lukewarm.
"I am really eager to figure out how to extend health benefits without necessarily doing it in a way that creates groups of people or is limited," he said. "I feel pretty limited."
Crockett said his position - unlocking health-care benefits for as many people as possible - hasn't changed. Wilson's proposal sounded good in principle last April, he said, but the current text is too restrictive.
The Republican-led County Council delayed for one week a decision on the measure.
A visibly discouraged Wilson vowed to battle for expanded health benefits even if her proposal - patterned after Salt Lake City's adult-designee initiative - fails next week.
But the Democrat still hopes to bridge the partisan divide that doomed her domestic-partner insurance program in a 5-4 council vote almost three years ago.
Her latest proposal makes no mention of sexual orientation. Instead, it provides insurance to adult designees and their children - so long as that designee has lived with a county employee for at least a year and proves financial co-dependence.
"As much as I care about getting coverage for gay and lesbian partners," Wilson said, "I also care very much for the health [insurance] crisis in this county, in this state and in this nation."
According to Wilson, the program would cost the county about $290,000 a year.
jstettler@sltrib.com
Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson's proposal would extend health insurance, dental care and other benefits to county employees' "adult designees" - a term that includes relatives, friends and domestic partners - and to those designees' children. The employee and designee must:
* Live together for at least 12 months.
* Demonstrate that they are financially co-dependent.
