from OurFuture.org:
The Age of the "Insurance Card Marriage"By Terrance Heath
May 6th, 2008 - 2:56pm ET
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Forget green cards. A growing number of Americans are getting hitched to get health insurance.
Some people marry for love, some for companionship, and others for status or money. Now comes another reason to get hitched: health insurance.
In a poll released today, 7% of Americans said they or someone in their household decided to marry in the last year so they could get healthcare benefits via their spouse.
"It's a small number but a powerful result, because it shows how paying for healthcare is reflected not only in family budgets but in life decisions," said Drew E. Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey as part of its regular polling on healthcare.
...What surprised researchers was that such costs had become a factor in marriage decisions. "We should have asked about divorce," said Altman, joking.
Those who cited health insurance as a factor in deciding to marry tended to have modest incomes. About 6 in 10 were in households making less than $50,000 a year, said Mollyann Brodie, who directs Kaiser's opinion research. They also were younger, with 4 in 10 between 18 and 34.
Maybe they should have asked about divorce. They'd have found that at least some people stay married for the sake of health insurance.
Whether people get married or stay married for the sake of health insurance, who can blame them?
Health insurance is getting more and more expensive. Premiums have gone up 30%, compared to a 3% increase in wages. Co-payments for some prescriptions have shot up, as insurance companies change to a pricing system that charges patients a percentage of of the drugs' actual cost, instead of a fixed amount. And that percentage can range anywhere from 20% to 70%. Plus, insurers are reimbursing less for out-of-network medical services. If you've got cancer, you may have to pay cash up front before getting treatment.
And that's if you are insured, even under-insured. It's worse, much worse if you're uninsured. So, if people get married or stay (unhappily) married for the sake of having health insurance, I don't blame them one bit. .......(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/age-insurance-card-marriage
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