Getting married for health insurance - 25% keep or change jobs for health insurance ...

Getting married for health insurance - Los Angeles Times
| By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer | April 29, 2008

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.
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"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.
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On a broader scale, the survey found that healthcare costs outranked housing costs, rising food prices and credit card bills as a source of concern. ...
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But with employer-based health insurance averaging $12,000 for family coverage and $4,500 for individuals, the public concern with costs is understandable. Nearly a fourth of Americans said they had decided to keep or change jobs in the last year because of health insurance. ...