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Rates of insurance coverage increase due to same-sex marriage laws

Marriage equality laws were associated with increases in employer-sponsored health insurance and reductions in state-funded Medicaid assistance for both men and women in same-sex relationships in New York State, according to recently published data in JAMA.

Gilbert Gonzales, MHA, division of health policy and management at the University of Minnesota, analyzed data from the 2008 to 2012 American Community Survey to assess the correlation between New York’s Marriage Equality Act and health insurance coverage among men and women.

Compared with those in opposite-sex relationships (n = 228,470), participants in same-sex relationships (n = 2,848) were less likely to have children (55% vs 20%, respectively) and had higher levels of academic attainment (39% vs 63%, respectively). 

Prior to the Marriage Equality Act passing, both same-sex and opposite-sex couples reported similar trends in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. After the Act’s passing, individuals in same-sex relationships reported significant increases in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, compared with individuals in opposite-sex relationships.

Results demonstrated that men in same-sex relationships saw an increase in employer-sponsored health insurance coverage of 6.3 percentage points (95% CI, 0.7-12), and a reduction of 2.2 percentage points for Medicaid coverage (95% CI, 0.5-4), compared with men in opposite-sex marriages. 

Among women, those in same-sex marriages saw an increase of 8.9 percentage points (95% CI, 3-14.8) in employer-sponsored health insurance, and a decrease of 3.9 percentage points (95% CI, 1.1-6.8) in Medicaid assistance, compared with women in opposite-sex relationships. – by Casey Hower

Disclosure: Gonzales reports no relevant financial disclosures.