Insurance providers that offer spousal coverage must extend that option to same-sex spouses starting in 2015, the US department of health and human services said on Friday.

“In other words, insurance companies will not be permitted to discriminate against married same-sex couples when offering coverage,” said Matthew Heinz, director of LGBT outreach office at the US department of health and human services, in a blog post. “This will further enhance access to health care for all Americans, including those with same-sex spouses.”



The announcement clarifies that insurance companies that provide coverage to opposite-sex spouses cannot deny same-sex spouses coverage. This announcement comes nearly a year after the supreme court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (Doma), which defined marriage as between a man and a woman.



This standard applies to all “qualified health plans”, which is coverage certified by local exchanges in the Health Insurance Marketplace by meeting standards for coverage defined under the Affordable Care Act.



Insurance providers are already required to treat married same-sex couples the same way they treat married opposite-sex couples that are seeking financial assistance for purchasing insurance through the marketplaces. This means that even if the couple is seeking insurance in a state that does not permit same-sex marriage, officials must still assist them in obtaining financial insurance to get coverage.



“Today’s guidance clarifies that issuers may not choose to treat same-sex spouses differently from opposite-sex spouses. If an issuer offers opposite-sex spouse coverage, it may not choose to deny the same coverage to a same-sex spouse. We will continue to work with states and issuers to help ensure all Americans have an equal opportunity to purchase the new coverage options available to them,” the agency said in an emailed statement.