When Texas couples decide to end their marriages, there are many possibilities for how the process will go. While one divorce may be clear-cut, another might have the potential to bring hidden emotional issues to the surface. Those difficulties may multiply if the proceedings become contentious or children are involved.
A recent study suggests that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is actually responsible for prolonging some marriages. The National Bureau of Economic Research published the results of the study. A key finding hinged on an aspect of the ACA as it pertains to Medicaid.
Some couples chose to divorce so that they could preserve the healthier partner’s retirement funds, as opposed to emptying their respective savings accounts in order to reach the top asset level that would qualify them for Medicaid. ACA expanded coverage of Medicaid while also eliminating the highest asset level for couples — this means that an individual’s eligibility is entirely contingent upon his or her net income. The study compared states that expanded Medicaid with those that did not and discovered that the divorce rate decreased by around 5.6 percent for couples who were between the ages of 50 and 64. The researchers posited that it was the expansion of the ACA provision that is responsible for this decrease.
Whether an individual is the spouse who filed for the divorce or the spouse who was served with divorce papers, it makes sense both both to proceed alongside an experienced Texas divorce attorney. A divorce attorney will fight for the individual rights and of his or her client, often making a significant difference in the eventual outcome of the divorce. The attorney can also inform the individual of the available legal options and provide ongoing assistance throughout very stage of the proceedings.
Source: sfgate.com, “Obamacare may have reduced the nation’s divorce rate, study says“, Michelle Robertson, Feb. 14, 2017
