Iowa's Same-Sex Marriage Changes

July 29, 2010

Notice for Delta Dental of Iowa Employer Groups Re: Iowa's Same-Sex Marriage Changes

Updated: May 5, 2009

Effective April 27, 2009, Iowa law was revised to allow same-sex marriage. The information below describes how the law may affect the administration of your Delta Dental group plan.

Fully-Insured Groups
It is Delta Dental's understanding that this law applies to fully-insured group plans. Delta Dental's standard language related to the description of a spouse in the group's benefit certificate is inclusive of any individual that is in a legally recognized marriage in the State of Iowa. Therefore, no changes are required to your Delta Dental benefit certificate. Should an employee be in a legally recognized same-sex marriage, the subscriber's spouse should be identified as a spouse and sent to Delta Dental using current enrollment processes.

Self-Funded Groups
Self-funded groups subject to ERISA are exempt from this law, but may choose to offer benefits to individuals in a legally recognized same-sex marriage. Delta Dental's standard language related to the description of a spouse in the employer group's Summary Plan Description (SPD) is inclusive of any individual that is in a legally recognized marriage in the State of Iowa.

Employers who choose not to offer dental benefits to spouses in a same-sex marriage will need to contact Delta Dental at 1-877-983-3582 or enrollment@deltadentalia.com to request a change to your employer group's SPD related to the description of a spouse.

If you have questions regarding how the same-sex marriage law affects your employer group dental benefit plan, including any tax consequences, you may want to seek legal counsel.

If you have questions about your dental plan, please contact Delta Dental at 1-877-983-3582.