CMS outlines Medicaid protections for same-sex couples

{mosads}Specifically, states can place a lien on property owned by people who need long-term care but must shield spouses from those liens. The same protection can be extended to same-sex couples and domestic partners, CMS said. People entering a nursing home also can transfer ownership of their home to a same-sex partner.

States have the option to extend those protections but are not required to do so.

“Low-income same-sex couples are too often denied equal treatment and the protections offered to other families in their greatest times of need,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “This is now changing. Today’s guidance represents another important step toward ensuring that the rights and dignity of every American are respected by their government.”