On June 10, the Obama Adminstration set forth new policy guidelines expanding states’ ability to provide same-sex couples with the same coverage offered to straight couples via Medicaid.
The Washington Blade reports that, under the new guidelines, states may permit physically able partners in same-sex relationships to retain their homes even if their ill or ailing partners are receiving Medicaid-funded care in a nursing home or other residential facility.
According to Medicaid provisions, individuals can receive funding only after they have depleted their own savings. In order to dispense financial assistance to these individuals, Medicaid can impose a lein on beneficiaries’ homes; however, in cases where the Medicaid beneficiary is part of a married couple and shares their home with a legal, different-sex partner, federal law prohibits this imposition.
President Obama and his administration today announced that states may now apply this same protection to same-sex couples. The new guidelines come after sustained efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services to provide better resources to same-sex couples – particularly those low-income couples who frequently find themselves denied equal treatment when it comes to medical care and financial support.
HRC spokesperson Michael Cole-Schwartz voiced his approval of the Obama administration’s decision to revise Medicaid guidelines for same-sex couples. However, he also stressed that truly equal protection will only be possible once DOMA is repealed.
A tiny, but good step but what we really need is an inclusive civil rights amendment, socialized medicine and repeal of Bill Clintons DOMA.
It about all we can expect from Democrats in any election season and a tiny bit more than we can expect of Republicans at any time.