Quote:
Originally Posted by AGDee
I know one couple who have children and live together but will not marry because 1)He can't cover her and the kids on his health insurance and they will lose their medicaid if they marry, leaving the kids with no health insurance and 2) She can qualify for WIC if they are not married.
Just saying... that's just one couple I know.
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Is this a long term thing? I can understand needing assistance with supporting your kids short term when unexpected tragedies happen or you lose your job or get divorced, all kinds of things really.
But it's hard to for me to relate to, as a long term plan, the idea that you'd rather rely on government programs to take care of your kids than changing something about your circumstances that allowed you to take care of them yourself. I'm just more speaking theoretically that specifically or realistically. I understand that people's actual circumstances require all kinds of compromises and most of the time people are just doing the best they can.
(Because I can't suppress my natural curiosity though: What does your male friend do that he can't have dependents of his health insurance? Do they also earn over the earning threshold to qualify for health insurance through the state for the kids? In Georgia a family of four can make up to 48,000 and still qualify for PeachCare health coverage for the kids. Certainly, you're not rich at 40,000 but it seems like you'd be out of the range where you could get married if you wanted rather than deciding to keep WIC.)
Again, I can imagine circumstances where doing what the couple you describe is doing might seem absolutely necessary, but as a general guide to personal behavior and citizenship, it doesn't seem like such a good idea.