Today’s article, from the Wall Street Journal, titled Married Couples Pay More Than Unmarried Under Health Bill, is obviously about the new health care bill. Apparently, under the new bill, if a married couple doesn’t receive insurance from their employer, and instead chooses the public option, they will be out a lot more money than their unmarried (couples who live together and share bills but aren’t married) counterparts.
The article looks at an unmarried couple who make a combined income of $50,000, and a married couple who make a combined income of $50,000. The unmarried couple will pay only (yeah, only…ha ha) $3,076 a year under the House bill and $3,450 under the Senate bill. If that couple decides to get married, they would have to pay $5,160 under the House bill and $5,100 under the Senate bill. That’s a difference of between $2,084 and $1,650 respectively! Just for deciding to get married. The individuals that helped write the bill (democratic staff) acknowledged the existence of the penalty, but said that it couldn’t be fixed without creating other inequities. To me, this seems like a pretty big penalty to be left in place, for fear that you would upset another group, or be unfair to others. I mean, married couples are a pretty big group to upset!
The article has this quote from a Democratic Senate Finance Committee aide - “The Finance Committee, along with other committees in the Senate, took pains to craft the most equitable overall structure possible, and that’s what we have here,”. The MOST EQUITABLE bill. So, they know it’s not fair for everyone, and one group that will pay will be married people! This gives people an incentive to stay single. Great! Just what we need in this country! A financial incentive to lose the institution of marriage. As a country, we’re already doing things that would have been morally wrong just 20 years ago. Gone on 2 dates with someone? Ehh, that’s long enough to sleep together. And we wonder why children in the 6th grade are experimenting with sex…could it be their role models?
I know that legal “mumbo jumbo” is the last thing any of us want to read or look into, but I think it’s important that we know what is and isn’t being approved with the new health care bill, especially since our politicians have a habit of sneaking in extra things when they pass a bill/law. Be aware of your government! Watch what they’re doing. If you don’t, then when things don’t go your way, you have NO RIGHT to complain!
