News Report | March 12, 2017
Medicaid Expansion Possibly Reduced Prevalence Of ‘Medical Divorces’ Among Adults Age 50 To 64
Between 2008 and 2015, the prevalence of divorce dropped by 5.6% among Americans between age 50 and 64 who lived in Medicaid expansion states. Economists believe this represents a reduction in the prevalence of “medical divorces.” A “medical” divorce is a situation in which couples separate so that a partner diagnosed with a degenerative medical condition, such as early onset dementia, that requires expensive care can qualify for Medicaid without impoverishing the spouse.
These findings were reported in “Did Medicaid Expansion Reduce Medical Divorce?” by David Slusky, Ph.D., and Donna Ginther, Ph.D. The researchers compared divorce rates . . .