The HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has released guidance on “HIPAA and Same-sex Marriage: Understanding Spouse, Family Member, and Marriage in the Privacy Rule.” The guidance stems from a Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had provided that federal law would recognize only opposite-sex marriages. In light of the ruling, HHS explains that legally married same-sex spouses are family members for the purposes of applying various provisions of the Privacy Rule, including standards for sharing an individual’s protected health information with a family member and the prohibition on using or disclosing genetic information of a family member for underwriting purposes. OCR intends to issue additional clarifications to address same-sex spouses as personal representatives under the Privacy Rule.