One in Fifteen Get Married for Health Coverage

Seven percent of Americans say that they or someone in their household wed largely because of a spouse's health insurance coverage. The study hints at the pressing need for affordable health coverage in the country -- for many young couples, such desperate times call for desperate measures (i.e. getting hitched).

How many get wed for health insurance

Though the Wall Street Journal has scrutinized the validity of the statistic, the Journal concedes that a large portion of Americans place health coverage high in a list of reasons for getting wed. Whether "one-in-fifteen" statistic holds true, or not, the costs of health coverage continue to climb, well beyond the rate of inflation.

Number of people who stayed at a job or didn't quit because of health coverage.

Among the other stats presented in the report:

• Health insurance ties in second place, behind "Problems Paying for Gas," and 28% of Americans cited it as a "serious problem."
• One in five Americans said they've been contacted by a collection agency as a result of medical bills.

Source
Kaiser Family Foundation. Economic Problems Facing Families. http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7773.pdf