Many People Base Life Choices on Ability To Retain, Obtain Health Insurance
Anxiety over becoming uninsured or paying higher premiums is causing some people -- "especially those with health problems" -- to go to "great lengths to get or keep job-based health coverage," the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Journal, some people are getting married sooner so spouses enroll in a company plan, while some married couples are delaying divorces to retain their current coverage. Meanwhile, the Journal reports, some self-employed people are opting to incur the cost of hiring additional employees just so they can qualify for group insurance. According to the Journal, coverage concerns are also affecting other "major life decisions," including the age of retirement and the state where people choose to live.
Karen Politz, a research professor at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute, said, "People are turning themselves inside out to get health insurance." According to the Journal, "Financial advisers say health coverage worries are rampant among clients," and among those with medical conditions, "conversations increasingly center on how to get or stay on a group policy or segue into the individual market in a way that prevents insurers from denying coverage or excluding pre-existing conditions." Leon Rousso -- a certified financial planner in Ventura, Calif. -- said, "Access to coverage is a huge issue," adding, "You may have the financial means to pay for premiums but not be able to get coverage, leaving you exposed to potentially catastrophic losses if you become ill" (Knight, Wall Street Journal, 6/10).
