Same-sex marriage refers to lawful marriage between spouses of the same sex. Same-sex marriage is legal and recognized in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.).

As long as a same-sex couple is married in a jurisdiction with legal authority to authorize the marriage, a health insurance company that offers health coverage to opposite-sex spouses must do the same for same-sex spouses.

The federal Health Insurance Marketplace® also treats married same-sex couples the same as married opposite-sex couples in every state when they apply for premium tax credits and lower out-of-pocket costs on private insurance plans.

In Virginia, same-sex marriage is legal and recognized, in line with the federal law established by the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which requires all states to license and recognize marriages between two people of the same sex. Consequently, health insurance companies in Virginia that provide coverage to opposite-sex spouses are required to offer the same coverage to same-sex spouses. This mandate ensures that same-sex married couples have equal access to health insurance benefits. Additionally, the federal Health Insurance Marketplace® applies the same rules to married same-sex couples as it does to married opposite-sex couples in Virginia and across every state. This means that when applying for premium tax credits and lower out-of-pocket costs on private insurance plans, same-sex married couples are treated identically to their opposite-sex counterparts.