White House: Golinski Spouse May Get Health-Care Coverage

The Obama administration has directed a health insurance company to cover the wife of a federal employee.

Advocates say they believe this is the first time such coverage has been allowed.

A March 9 letter to Blue Cross Blue Shield, from Shirley Patterson, assistant director of federal employee insurance operations for the Office of Personnel Management, said that “OPM hereby withdraws any outstanding directive regarding the enrollment of Ms. Golinski’s wife, Amy C. Cunninghis, in her family health benefits plan.”

OPM previously said the wife of Karen Golinski, a federal court employee in California, could not be covered.