It is certainly no small secret that America’s two major political parties haven’t gotten on all that well in recent years, with members on each side of the congressional aisle on Capitol Hill readily lambasting opponents on the other.
There has certainly been a lot of finger pointing and blame laying going on. Even as this post is being written, Democrats and Republicans are forcefully dueling over funding the nation’s debt.
In a decidedly tongue-in-cheek manner, one recent media article notes that President Obama’s opponents may soon be blaming him for an outcome that could emerge in tandem with the establishment of the new Affordable Care Act, namely this: a surge in divorce activity.
Because getting from Obamacare — which took effect just yesterday — to a rising tide in divorce filings might be just a bit baffling for many people, the rationale is set forth for Colorado and other readers here.
The bottom line: The new health care provides a wide assortment of options for consumers to choose from, which advocates say should create an expanded marketplace driven by lower costs.
That is certainly a positive, and what some financial planners and others who counsel married persons say is that lowered expenditures on health care might just serve as the catalyst for some people to end their marriages.
If that sounds specious, consider that many people acknowledge their choice to stay married only because they feel financially constrained and are afraid to strike out on their own. Health care is comparatively cheaper as long as they remain married, often tied to a spouse’s company plan.
The new law could expand lower-cost choices for many people and embolden them to dissolve bad unions.
Time will tell.
Source: Financial Planning, “Divorce wave to follow Obamacare rollout?” Janice Fioravante, Sept. 30, 2013
