Tuesday, July 14, 2015
The New Marriage Paradigm
8:28 AM | 
Posted by
Kaplan Center for Health and Wellness
Another recent decision by the
Supreme Court confirms that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states. While at first we may not think this has much
to do with healthcare, it is a giant leap toward providing same-sex couples
equal protection under healthcare laws.
For example, starting in 2015,
all health insurance companies that offer healthcare coverage to opposite-sex
spouses must also do so for same-sex spouses.
In addition, this ruling ensures that if a same-sex couple will be
filing jointly (as married), they qualify for the same tax credits as those
with opposite-sex spouses. Finally, the
Supreme Court decision affirms that couples cannot be discriminated against in
healthcare settings based on their marital status.
According to some sources, this
new ruling means that some companies will drop “domestic partner” as an option
on most healthcare insurance plans, meaning that to obtain benefits, a couple must
be married. This could be a problem for
the many Americans who have a long-term partner, but have decided not to
marry. In addition, there are many
states who are forced to recognize same-sex marriage, but do not have
anti-discrimination laws regarding sexual preference. This could prove problematic for those who
wish to have a partner, but not make it public via a public-record marriage
license.
All in all, this new ruling will
certainly be tested and reviewed as states, and the public, adjust to this new
paradigm.
For more information:
https://www.healthcare.gov/married-same-sex-couples-and-the-marketplace/
Written by: Valerie J Connor, MA CCC-SLP
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