All beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans will now receive access to equal coverage when it comes to care in a skilled-nursing facility where their spouse lives, regardless of sexual orientation, HHS announced Thursday.

The guidance specifies that certified married same-sex couples would be eligible for this equal coverage and care even if they reside in a state that does not legally recognized their marriage.

This is the first HHS guidance responding to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. But it’s not likely to have wide application because Medicare coverage of skilled-nursing care is limited and the odds of both spouses being in the facility for short stays at the same time is small. Read the full article here.