Angles - Vol. The economic vulnerability of single parent families cannot be overstated. The potential state budgetary impact of not recognizing a marriage that would lift a family out of eligibility for these programs is large. The State pays for half of this program's costs.
Eligibility is based on financial resources, so an unmarried individual is more likely to qualify.
6 MediCal is available to those on AFDC and SSI as well as other needy individuals. Finally, state and local governments might incur additional costs from other means-tested programs not discussed here, such as General Assistance, that use resources to determine eligibility. Of course, not all same gender marriages would lift one spouse out of eligibility for these programs, but marriage is the most common route off welfare. Certainly in a state as large as California, the economic position of some families headed by gay people will be dramatically helped by marriage. And many gay people do have children, making this scenario plausible.