Public insurance may disincentivize marriage, but for whom? Using a search-based model of the marriage market we show that those with a high expected financial surplus from marriage respond more to public insurance, as it provides an outside option against financial risk. We then empirically test this prediction using the American Community Survey. More precisely, we find that an increased likelihood of Medicaid eligibility owing to the Afford[1]able Care Act reduces marriage rates, particularly among people with higher education levels. These findings suggest a new hypothesis for the marriage gap across the socioeconomic spectrum: a larger material surplus from marriage increases willingness to marry, even with lower match quality.