Hey all!
Sorry I have been MIA. Full time work + Full time grad school + Newborn = no fun.
Everyone is doing great. A is adjusting to life as a SAHM, and Miles is amazing! He is doing the tripod sit-up thing on his own now...it is crazy how fast he is growing up.
I am going a little nuts with all of the writing I have to do this semester, and that is where y'all come in. I am writing a paper for my healthcare law class about gay families and health insurance. I am comparing "marriage-equity" states to "non-equity" states as well as looking at laws pre and post DOMA repeal. I was wondering if any of you would be willing to share how you have been affected specifically when it comes to health insurance.
For example for us: prior to DOMA A was covered under my insurance, but the taxable benefit made it cheaper for us to go to the health insurance marketplace (in MA) for her coverage. We could not have FSA/HSA/COBRA but now we can.
I feel like I have been in liberal MA for too long and I am starting to forget all of the crappy pre-doma repeal stuff from my non-equity states. I am also having a hard time researching pre-repeal because everything I am finding has been updated. Who wants to help my out by complaining about your current situation or your pre-June situation.
Thanks team!!
Re: Who wants to help me with my homo work?
The only downfall was that, pre DOMA, I could not cover her under my FSA. I'm looking forward to being able to have her on it starting in January.
Me: 30 DW (aka C): 29
Together since 2/15/11 ~ Legally married in NY on 9/29/12
***CP mentioned***
We've been working on baby #1 since July 2013 using Open ID donor sperm. 8 IUI attempts with 5 actual IUIs and one chemical pregnancy. We have one fresh IVF cycle under our belts as well as a FET. I have endometriosis and a uterine septum that was corrected via surgery in November 2013.
11/14/14 - Second HSG shows that tubes are still clear and ute is looking good.
12/6/14 - Started BCPs in prep for IVF #2
12/22/14 - Saline u/s and endometrial scratch (All was clear and OUCH!)
1/2/15 - Began stimming for IVF #2
****All Welcome!****
We are Mommas to four fur babies - 3 dogs and 1 cat.
Post-DOMA, we bit the bullet and put my wife on my firm's insurance plan. She is so excited to be able to go to the doctor without worrying about what stuff will cost.
Not a huge change but it has been nice! We are in MA so in general we haven't suffered much but the federal tax issue was definitely annoying.
9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
*Everyone welcome*
My wife has been on my health insurance through my employer for the last 4.5 years (since I started working for this company). Her benefits are the same as they would be for any other spouse, and I do not have to pay extra for her (standard rate for a spouse/domestic partner); however, her benefits are taxed, and I usually get dinged significantly on my taxes every year. I usually have a large refund (I pay a ton of student loan interest a year, I claim zero with my employer so the max taxes are deducted from my pay, and I pay the mortgage and all mortgage tax, insurance, etc. - so I have deductions for all those things and a few other things). My refund has been reduced the last several years by $2500-$3500 due to the untaxed income for my wife's health insurance. I am lucky that I have never owed anything at the end of the year, but that is b/c of all the other things the should be giving me a high refund.
We live in PA, which is not a marriage equality state, so I am not sure how the new Federal laws will impact us come tax time this year. I have read that effective August 15th 2013, I do not have to pay taxes on my wife's health benefits regardless of what the state laws here say about marriage (but I heard this from our insurance broker and not from an attorney or accountant). I am not sure how that will work if it is true. I am guessing that the amount for the year will be prorated and everything before August 15th will still be taxed.
We are going to use an accountant this year for the first time. I found someone local who has experience with LGBT families. I have always done both of our taxes myself up until now. I will be sad to have to pay someone else to do them, but I feel like now things have gotten a little too complicated for me to handle with just Turbo Tax. This year, in addition to everything else, we can claim everything we paid out of pocket for fertility treatments and IVF, plus we have already started paying our attorney who will be handling our second parent adoption (and those costs are deductible), plus we bought new energy efficient appliances this year, etc., etc. ---- we have lots to claim in addition to our loans, charitable donations, mortgage, and so forth. SO it is time to let a professional take care of things.
So long story short (sorry for my ramblings!), I am not entirely sure yet how it is going to shake out financially for us post-doma. We probably won't know until we file our taxes this year.
Me - 30, My wife - 31 , Together for 10 yrs - Married August 2012
5 medicated IUIs w/ RE (March - July 2013) = BFN
Fresh IVF Cycle in September 2013 resulted in 18 mature eggs, 16 fertilized, 12 made it to day 5. Transfer of 2 Grade A blastocysts on 9/15/13, and 10 embryos in the freezer! *****BFP on 9/25/13 - betas: @10dp5dt = 232; @12dp5dt = 465; @15dp5dt = 1,581 *********William George born June 4, 2014*********