Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
On this I disagree. Two friends living together have no responsibility to each other .... other than to split expenses. Married couples are held legally responsible. A roommate doesn't contribute to my estate, they are responsible for my debts, etc.... they just chip in on the rent.
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
I guess I didn't phrase that correctly. Let's say my best friend and I are widows and we buy a home together. We are not in a romantic relationship with one another, but we are combining our resources so we have a better level of subsistence together. That is the type of thing I am talking about.
It doesn't matter anyway, b/c a country that can't seem to get it together to recognize a committed domestic union is not gonna be interested in recognizing any other type of domestic relationship that is based on economics alone.
Two friends living together - as friends only - not as intimates in a relationship - should be able to establish themselves as a "household" since they are sharing expenses. Why do we have to define the nature of that relationship? Doesn't matter if they are roommates, a gay couple, a straight couple or a married couple. Just makes me crazy that everything has to be defined as a marriage b/c of IRS regs (head of household, married, etc).
The way to solve this is not to pass amendments . . . it is simple. Just change the IRS regs. Why do politicians make things complicated?
Because this situation can open itself up to adverse selection against the insurance company who develop their rates based on actuarial projections. In this scenario, I can establish a "household" with anybody very sick, have this person pay premiums under my policy, and as you may know, premiums are only a portion of the actual medical cost. For this reason, they won't allow us to cover even IRS defined dependent parents under our policy, because medical costs increases with age, regardless of health conditions. Insurance companies will just pass that cost to everyone else.
I agree with the portion that the IRS should revamp tax laws to eliminate marriage penalties, but insurance is a whole 'nother ball of wax.
Because this situation can open itself up to adverse selection against the insurance company who develop their rates based on actuarial projections. In this scenario, I can establish a "household" with anybody very sick, have this person pay premiums under my policy, and as you may know, premiums are only a portion of the actual medical cost. For this reason, they won't allow us to cover even IRS defined dependent parents under our policy, because medical costs increases with age, regardless of health conditions. Insurance companies will just pass that cost to everyone else.
I agree with the portion that the IRS should revamp tax laws to eliminate marriage penalties, but insurance is a whole 'nother ball of wax.
Totally understand what you are saying, Bibit. I do understand the "whys" as far as the actuarial side . . . and if I were on the insurance side, I would definitely make sure the liability were limited/managed for any policies I issued.
Maybe we can start a discussion about insurance on another forum, lol, b/c my contention is . . . healthcare should not be so expensive to start with, wh/ would eliminate the need for insurance companies to have to indemnify us all, other than for catastrophic illness. But that is another discussion for another time, lol.
Plus, I think we have really worked ourselves into a corner with h/c insurance being typically issued thru/ employers . . . I envision a different way of handling h/c costs . . . but again - a discussion for another thread.
As usual, thank you for your insight on this important issue!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Pass the Fair Tax Bill
