Couples No Longer Resorting To Divorce To Qualify For Medicaid, Researchers Say
Researchers looked at divorce rates in states that expanded Medicaid and ones that didn't, and found the prevalence of divorce decreased by 5.6 percent among couples aged 50-64. In other news, the Internal Revenue Service says it won't reject 2016 tax returns that do not indicate whether the taxpayer complied with the act’s individual mandate.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Obamacare May Have Reduced The Nation's Divorce Rate, Study Says
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have lowered the prevalence of divorce in the U.S., according to a new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. When the burden of medical bills became too much to bear, some couples divorced in order to separate their joint assets, a phenomenon New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote about in a 2009 column. Instead of draining their savings account to reach the maximum asset level to qualify for Medicaid, some couples divorced in order to preserve the healthy partner's retirement funds. (Robertson, 2/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Quiet IRS Change Could Undermine Obamacare, Supporters Say
Following an executive order from President Trump to “minimize the economic burden” of the Affordable Care Act, the Internal Revenue Service said it is backtracking on its plan to reject 2016 tax returns that do not indicate whether the taxpayer complied with the act’s individual mandate. Supporters of the act, which is known as Obamacare, fear this behind-the-scenes change could undermine enrollment in health insurance. (Pender, 2/14)
Meanwhile, Valley Public Radio looks at how repeal would affect local residents —
Valley Public Radio:
Health Law Repeal Could Hit County Budgets Hard
Much of the focus on the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act has been on the newly insured people that stand to lose their coverage. But there could be consequences that reach far beyond just people’s health care and impact nearly every taxpayer in the Central Valley. (Hess, 2/14)