Women Likely to Lose Insurance After Divorce

 Posted on April 16, 2013 in Divorce

The worst of a divorce may make you sick—and leave you uninsured to pay for it, according to US News and World Report. According to a study released by the University of Michigan and reported in US News and World Report, "about 115,000 women lose their private health insurance after a divorce." Researchers came to the conclusion after analyzing data from 1996 to 2007, on women aged 26 to 64. There are approximately 1 million divorces in the United States each year, and a majority of women receive health insurance coverage through their husband's employer. Lead author of the study Bridget Lavelle said in a news release that this alone makes the impact on women "quite substantial" in the event of a divorce.  The study specifically pointed to the fact that about 65,000 women lose all health insurance coverage in the months following divorce. Other women are subsequently able to qualify for low-income insurance plans such as Medicaid. The figure points to the fact that six months after divorce "nearly one-quarter of women who were insured as dependents on their husband's employer-based coverage are uninsured." Women with their own employer-based insurance are less likely to lose coverage (11 percent instead of 17 percent), but are not immune. New financial hardships that occur because of the divorce may make it difficult for women to afford whatever share they were paying of their employer-based plan. Divorced women aren't the only people who lack health insurance plans, of course: according to the University of Michigan National Poverty Center, as of 2011 "nearly 50 million American lacked health insurance coverage, leaving many individuals with limited access to medical care and vulnerable to acquiring medical debt." Figuring out financial details of your divorce, and how to keep important assets like insurance after divorce, are questions best explored with the expertise of a qualified attorney. If you or someone you know is considering divorce, contact a dedicated Texas divorce attorney today.

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