When the unions of same-sex couples are legalized, doctor’s visits and subsequent health costs go down considerably in this group, finds the study. (Canadian Press)

Same sex-legislation allows gay men to lead less stressful lives and require fewer doctor's visits, a new study finds.

According to a U.S. study, when the unions of same-sex couples are legalized, doctor’s visits and consequently health costs go down considerably in this group. "Our results suggest that removing these barriers improves the health of gay and bisexual men," Mark Hatzenbuehler, lead author of the study, said in a release.

The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University, focused on the 12 months following the 2003 legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. It found that because of the decline in medical care visits and mental health visits, health care visits among gay and bisexual men dropped 13 per cent and costs dropped 14 per cent. The results were very similar for both those gay men who were single and those in a couple.

"These findings suggest that marriage equality may produce broad public health benefits by reducing the occurrence of stress-related health conditions in gay and bisexual men," said Hatzenbuehler said.

Among men who were HIV-positive, there was no reduction in health care visits, suggesting the procurement of key medical care was unchanged.

The study tracked 1,211 patients enrolled in a large Massachusetts-based health clinic. It was published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health online.