Today’s Wall Street Journal has a fascinating report over the large … and growing influence that health insurance influences major life choices.

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).

Topics: Health Insurance |

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