Married gay couples are now covered under the family plan of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, U.S. government officials said Friday.
Obamacare, which was enacted in 2010 and officially launched last October, will end its six-month enrollment period March 31. The HealthCare.gov website, officials say, continues to run smoothly after technical problems in October and November put a hitch in the system for consumers in 36 states trying to gain access.
So far, about 4.2 million people have enrolled in private Obamacare health plans, and millions more are newly eligible for the Medicaid program aimed to help the poor, according to the administration.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made its decision regarding gay couples in an effort to eliminate discriminatory insurance market practices, especially given recent changes to several state's marriage laws.
The news of the law's modification follows a February lawsuit filed by an Ohio gay couple who were unable to obtain family coverage under Obamacare, they said, because their state does not recognize same-sex marriage.
"If an insurance company offers coverage to opposite-sex spouses, it cannot choose to deny that coverage to same-sex spouses," Dr. Matthew Heinz, who heads HHS outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual communities, said according to Reuters.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the lead Obamacare agency within HHS, clarified, saying it encourages insurers to voluntarily offer this new non-discriminatory coverage for the 2014 coverage year under the Public Health Service Act.
"We expect issuers to come into full compliance with the regulations as clarified in this guidance no later than for plan or policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2015," CMS said.
Obamacare not only has extended its coverage to same-sex couples, but also announced it has a temporary program that offers insurance to some of the sickest Americans, who have had trouble finding private plans. However, it is only being offered for one more month.
