Does Illinois Require Employers to Offer Domestic Partner Health Insurance?

No. Illinois law does **not** mandate that employers provide health insurance to employees, spouses, or domestic partners. There is no state statute requiring private employers to offer any health coverage, nor one specifically extending such a mandate to domestic partners if coverage is offered voluntarily.

What applies instead:

• Federal Law (ACA): Employers with 50+ full-time equivalent employees must offer affordable, minimum-value coverage to **employees and their dependents** (children up to 26). Spouses/domestic partners are **not** federally mandated dependents.
• Employer Choice: If an Illinois employer voluntarily offers health benefits, they decide whether to include domestic partners. Many do, often requiring an affidavit of domestic partnership.
• Civil Unions (Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, 2011): Grants parties to a civil union the same legal obligations, responsibilities, protections, and benefits as married spouses **under state law**. This *may* require equal treatment in *state-regulated* insurance plans, but does not create a mandate to offer coverage.

Check your specific employer's benefits summary or HR department for their policy.