being gay is expensive

[rm]

The financial realities of being in a same-sex primary partnership

In [The New York Times's] worst case, the couple’s lifetime cost of being gay was $467,562. But the number fell to $41,196 in the best case for a couple with significantly better health insurance, plus lower taxes and other costs.

Comments

[askeladden.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I'm currently uninsured (have been for going on three years), and K. will stop being insured after this semester, then if the graduate school plan is still a go, she'll probably be able to purchase school insurance again beginning next fall. What does she do in the interim? Go without? Or is that really bad? Can we count on the "no preexisting conditions" legislation taking effect, should (ghu forbid) something happen between January and next fall? I have no idea where to even start on this problem.

[newsbean.livejournal.com]

Having just been through this: There is insurance that one can buy specifically for short periods of time. It's cheaper and really only covers catastrophic things, but it means that you have continuous coverage, which is really important.

Even if healthcare reform goes through, nothing is slated to take effect until 2013 (if I recall correctly). So, I would not count on preexisting conditions being a non-issue next fall.

[askeladden.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That's extremely good information.