Love (and reform) are in the air
Ah, spring. A time when Outliers’ fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love ... and healthcare reform’s effects on marriage.
Sure, President Barack Obama has promised that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will lead to a decline in the number of uninsured and better healthcare coverage for all. But a California congresswoman also sees a chance to boost wedded bliss.
Speaking recently at a subcommittee hearing on the ACA’s impact on small business, Democratic Rep. Janice Hahn said, “It’s an interesting angle, to talk about people who really only have jobs for the health insurance as being one angle to that. I had a friend who got married to the wrong person just so she could have health insurance. So, we’ll also have a lot of less bad marriages as a result of this.”
Given that the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that the divorce rate for first marriages is around 50%, might such an argument lead some ACA opponents to support reform? Outliers isn’t holding our breath.