April 29, 2008
ALSO KNOWN AS, THE ORIGINAL SOCIAL SECURITY:
Getting married for health insurance: Seven percent of Americans say they or someone in their household decided to tie the knot in the last year so they could receive healthcare benefits, a poll finds (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, 4/29/08, Los Angeles Times)
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.
Just as government welfare programs are designed to break down such social structures and make individuals dependent on the state. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 29, 2008 2:39 PM
7% sounds impossibly high.
Assuming the average American lives to be 75 and marries 3 times, that would be 4% of Americans getting married each year. The 'or someone in their household' doubles or so that number, but I wonder about the phrasing of the question. 7% sounds like it's driving all marriages.
Posted by: Mike Earl at April 29, 2008 3:25 PM