Are health insurance worries influencing our marriage plans?

For many Americans, health insurance is a major recurring expense.  The price is often heavily influenced by whether they are married or not.  In some cases it is much cheaper for a couple to be married.  In other cases, it is much more expensive for a couple to be married.  These situations are causing some Americans to get married early, get married out of necessity, and even not get married at all – simply so they can afford health insurance.

Some regret getting married

Reddit user Stellarperallax writes:

Adding my wife to [my company provided health insurance] plan makes things go crazy. The company only puts an additional $100 towards the plan bringing the health insurance monthly premium I pay to $706.12 and dental at $57.81. That's just over 8 times the cost. Or, almost 11% of my monthly income...  If I had known this before we probably wouldn't have gotten married.

Some get married early

On the flip side, some people are getting married early purely for the sake of health insurance.  Reddit user Past_Temperature7995 writes:

So my real wedding is next year… but we got legally married yesterday so i can get my now husband some health insurance.

There are similar stories from BigDiggy, thxfortheinfo, and drylolly.  Reddit user pitofkwikzand even got married in virtual reality chat for insurance purposes.

Some get married when they don't want to

There are also stories of people getting married who otherwise wouldn't.  Reddit user MikGusta writes:

My best friend and I are not in a romantic relationship, and never will be as far as I’m concerned. We’ve been besties for 8 years now and I can’t fathom being anything more than friends. For the next few months I will still be on my dad’s Humana military / Tricare insurance. When I turn 21 I will lose it. I have chronic illnesses and I’m on a handful of medication that I can’t pay for without insurance. I also don’t have a job that provides health insurance ... My friend has a factory job with amazing health insurance and he offered to marry me so I can be on his insurance. I feel bad taking advantage of him like that but it seems like my best option right?

So desperate it's comical

The absurdity of these marriage arrangements has sparked some entertaining thought experiments.  PepperDoesStuff suggests: "Why don't all the people who are single and have health insurance marry all the people who are sick and really need health insurance?"  Another user goes further: "We should all go to a state where polygamy is legal and every American should get married to every other American so that we’re all covered in each other’s insurance from work".  While these might be ridiculous ideas, they underscore that people are desperate for change.

The way forward

Ultimately, health insurance is part of the problem with American healthcare, not the solution.  Health insurance tends to increase demand and also tends to make patients less price-sensitive, both of which tend to increase prices for everyone.  That's why things keep getting worse in spite of more insurance subsidies, broader coverage, and around 80% of healthcare paid through insurance.

If you worry about healthcare prices, consider joining Pocketero.  We are a non-insurance network for patients who pay out of pocket.  We are reshaping American healthcare by making it possible to get affordable healthcare without insurance.