Modern Healthcare interviewed Manatt's Cindy Mann, a partner in the firm's Healthcare practice, for an article on how the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage across the country could affect same-sex couples when it comes to Medicaid.
In states that did not previously recognize such marriages, "Adding the spouse adds income that might make some or all members of the household over income for Medicaid," said Mann.
But being married can cut the other way, too, in terms of Medicaid eligibility, because income eligibility also is based on the number of family members in the household. "For some families, adding a spouse doesn't add much if any income but adds to the household size," Mann said. "So it might make a family or household member eligible who wasn't previously eligible."