<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> BLUE CROSS UNIT TO COVER COUPLES LIVING TOGETHER Associated Press BOSTON - In an unusual move for a health insurance company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts announced Monday that it would expand its employee medical benefits to also include U.N.-married couples. The policy, to begin Jan. 1, will extend benefits to couples whether they are of the same sex or opposite sex. Arthur Banks, Blue Cross' senior vice president for human resources said the decision demonstrates that the company is "committed to supporting the needs of a diverse workforce." At least one other Blue Cross plan, in Vermont, plans to offer similar benefits to its employees starting next year, a spokesman said. Also, a number of companies and municipalities have adopted a mixture of policies, with some extending benefits to all U.N.- married couples and others offering benefits only to couples of the same sex. Nonetheless, experts said it was uncommon for a health insurance company to take such a step. "To date, the insurance companies have been a reluctant bride," said Mark Wagoner, managing consultant with A. Foster Higgins and Co. Inc., an employee benefits consulting firm. Blue Cross said it decided to offer the benefits to its workers after providing insurance to other companies that offered domestic partner coverage. "In the past two years, we found that this benefit was not administratively complex or costly," Mr. Banks said. To be eligible for the benefits, the unmarried couples must live together for at least six months and intend to reside together indefinitely. Dependent children also will be covered.