NPR: Single, Self-Employed And Without Insurance? Get Married And Hire The Spouse

[grasswire]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/01/12/132839175/single-self-employed-and-without-insurance-get-married-and-hire-the-spouse?sc=fb&cc=fp

As the economy continues to limp along, individuals on the lookout for health insurance don't have a lot of options, especially if they have health problems. Of course, there are the pre-existing condition insurance plans called for in the health overhaul law, but those have restrictions. And some states have plans guaranteeing coverage.

There's another option and it's based on the premise that there's strength in numbers. If individual business owners bring their spouse or another person on board as an employee, insurers may have to issue them health coverage — a helpful little loophole.


Unlike the individual market, where in most states insurers can deny people coverage, people at companies with 2 to 50 employees are defined as "small groups" under federal law and can’t be turned down for health reasons.

So a self-employed accountant, for example, might hire his spouse to do the books, says Scott Leavitt, president of the Idaho Association of Health Underwriters. That way they can both get guaranteed coverage. "We’re seeing it happen more and more with mom-and-pop shops," he says.

[MountainLaurel]

1. It is shameful the lengths one has to go through

In order to get health care in this country. I met a friend of a friend recently who is a gay man married to a female friend -- she is self-employed and needed health insurance. They were lucky, because 6 months later she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

[area51]

3. +1

Each day, 273 people die due to lack of health care in the U.S.; that's 100,000 deaths per year.

We need single-payer health care, not a welfare bailout for the serial-killer insurance agencies.

We don't need the GingrichCare of mandated, unregulated, for-profit insurance that is still too expensive, only pays parts of medical bills, denies claims, bankrupts and kills people.

Republinazi '93 plan with mandate:

"Subtitle F: Universal Coverage - Requires each citizen or lawful permanent resident to be covered under a qualified health plan or equivalent health care program by January 1, 2005."

"We will never have real reform until people's health stops being treated as a financial opportunity for corporations."

"Any proposal that sticks with our current dependence on for-profit private insurers ... will not be sustainable. And the new law will not get us to universal coverage ...." -- T.R. Reid, The Healing of America

[SoCalDem]

2. 2-50 is the "qualifier" for "small business" when it comes to insurance, eh?

Then let's see that qualifier adapted to ALL loopholes & subsidies...and cut out the phony "small-business-ification" of mega companies with greedy hands outreached..

We would free up a LOT of money that could go to more worthy enterprises:evilgrin:

[ProfessionalLeftist]

4. SO....

THIS is what we're told we have to do to have decent healthcare? GET MARRIED? Ludicrous! A person should NOT have to get married to have decent health care. A person should NOT have to be employed to have decent healthcare.

What a crock of crap.