Insurance Companies Provide Fair Ground to Gay Couples

Esurance is adding its name to the small list of insurance companies that allow policyholders to indicate that they are in same-sex marriages, partnerships, or civil unions when applying for insurance -- and therefore qualify for a discounted rate.

Married couples usually save about 10% off auto premiums, Esurance's Eric Madia told CBS News. Though State Farm and Allstate already give reduced rates to gay couples in states that recognize same-sex marriage equality, civil unions, or domestic partnerships, Esurance is also offering the same benefit in a handful of states (California, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington). The small company is also exploring that option in other states.

State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke said that married drivers are also less likely to get into accidents, part of the reasoning behind a reduced rate for married drivers.

"Marriage is marriage," Luedke said. "It doesn't matter if you are married to someone of the same sex."

According to Lambda Legal, Geico also has been providing insurance coverage for gay couples after a legal encounter with two married New Yorkers looking for equal coverage in 2004.