If it is an at will state, there is nothing the employees can do. They may have a case with the EEO and should check with them and file immediately if they do.
They can choose not to provide coverage for a spouse. US law states employers have to provide insurance for employee's children under the age of 26, but does not say anything about spouses, so they can choose to stop covering employee's spouses.
yes they can
The employer does not have to pay for the spouse's coverage. It can be offered to the employee and the cost taken from his/her paycheck to cover the spouse. There is no legal requirement for the employer to offer coverage for spouses -- even at the employee's expense. However, it would be very unusual for a plan to cover only employees and not have coverage available for spouses and children.
At a company fish fry, ½ in attendance are employees. Employees' spouses are 1/3 of the attendance. What is the percentage of the people in attendance who are not employees or employee spouses?
There is little you can do by yourself. You may want to contact an attorney for assistance.
Yes, your employer cannot discriminate against you based on your relationship status.
Not in the United States or Canada, unless the employer also refuses insurance coverage to opposite-sex spouses.
Assuming the employer offers coverage to spouses, then the employer would not have the right to turn a spouse away. The spouse's loss of coverage is a "qualifying event" and the employer's insurer would allow the spouse to join.
No. Paying someone under an assumed name (such as their spouses) constitutes tax fraud. An employer doing this would face fines and a possible prison sentence. The convict may also be found guilty of parole violations, if he knew they were paying him illegally.
If the company that you work for offers a health plan, but you need to pay for part of it. Then no, you do not have to sign up or pay for it. If your spouses plan is cheaper, which in most cases they are not, look into it. I find that companies that require their employees to share in the cost of their health care, do it anyways because it's cheaper than their spouses. One company I know has their employees pay 50% of the cost, but it's still cheaper than most spouses. Watch out if you smoke, you might be put it another bracket by yourself and other that smoke. THIS IS ILLEGAL.
Yes, in states where same-sex marriage is legal, any employer which provides benefits to the spouses of its employees must do so regardless of their gender. To exclude same-sex spouses would be illegal discrimination, as those states all have discrimination laws on the books.
It depends on the state and employer. Check with your spouses HR person to find out. Sadly most of the time you would NOT be eligible.