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Community Corner

Passages Hospice To Provide Health Benefits to Same-Sex Couples

(Evanston) -- Passages Hospice will soon offer health benefits to same-sex couples in a legal marriage or civil union. Passages Hospice uses a holistic approach to care for not only the patient but the entire family. Its mission is to provide individualized quality care for its patients every step of the way providing education, resources and family care services.

Accepting families, all families, and treating them the same is a giant leap toward equality in Illinois.  In 2012, an estimated 1.5 to 1.6 million patients received services from hospice and this number is only expected to increase as the parents of baby boomers age. 


"We are one of the first health hospice care providers in the country to offer this benefit.  Our entire mission in hospice care is about respect and preserving the dignity of our patients while providing the highest level of care,” said Passages Hospice founder Seth Gillman. “Our focus has always been patient and family first and we believe in all definitions of family.”


Passages Hospice’s commitment to equality benefits places it among forward-thinking companies like Google and Aflac. Nationally, approximately 50% of companies offer full health benefits to same-sex couples, according to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Passages Hospice is the first one in the Midwest to be proactive in offering same-sex couple benefits.

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Benefits will be available starting November 1, 2013.  

Passage Hospices are located in 70 counties across Illinois. www.passageshospice.com

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