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"Will you love her, comfort and keep her, and forsaking all other remain true to her and continue to provide health insurance as long as you both shall live?"
a poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a leading health policy research group, found that in the past year 7 percent of U.S. adults married so one or the other could get on a partner's health insurance plan.
That is an astounding percentage.
Jeff Heisler didn't have $6,000 to cover much needed dental work. His solution?
Get married for dental insurance.
Says a lot about the basis of that marriage, huh?
"I married to obtain health insurance in retirement," said a 63-year-old Massachusetts woman who asked to remain anonymous.
Though the former hospital worker's relationship with her "best friend," a retired state corrections officer, is strictly platonic, the two tied the knot three years ago so she could get on his generous employer-funded health policy.
Insurance for retirement. Something wrong with Medicare?
But it goes both ways.
Earlier this year, a 50-something Indiana couple who'd been married 11 years got divorced so that the recently laid off, uninsured husband would be eligible for Medicaid, which he needed to help pay for $80,000 worth of cancer treatments (because of his wife's $38,000 annual salary, he didn't qualify for a government-subsidized health plan).
Seems there is always a way to game the system.
"I have not gotten married because of health care," said a 39-year-old Web designer from Vancouver, Wash., who didn't want to give her name. "I have had my daughter on Washington state health care since she was born. If I were to get married to the guy that I have been with for the past 10 years, then our combined income would disqualify my daughter for her coverage."
Sure. Why pay for it when you can get it for free?
Marriage, and divorce, is a wonderful thing.
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