Healthcare Reform Providing Divorce Incentive

Todd Peterson — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:45:31 +0000

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has a new health care calculator on their website that breaks down how much the new “Obamacare” system will cost you. This calculator has been mentioned by the Obama administration as a great tool to help people understand the new reform.

What’s interesting however is that some articles are being written suggesting that by playing around with this calculator you can realize that by being unmarried you could save $7,000 – $11,000 under the new healthcare system. Or in the reverse you could be charged $7k-$11k extra for being married. The difference of course being in the amount of taxpayer subsidies you lose by being married and filing jointly.

Whether this incentive to be single that comes from the reform was conscious or not remains to be seen. The other uncertainty is whether or not these articles are simply more political bantering by both sides trying to mischaracterize the program and shed different shades of light on it but its still an interesting issue to consider and may be the straw that broke the camels back for some feuding couples in their decision to get divorced.

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Bifurcating Your Divorce

Todd Peterson — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 18:16:21 +0000

In most cases divorces take a long time. The movies always depict a divorce as simply getting in a fight, signing a paper, and then moving on to the next happy ending; but reality is much much different. Once a divorce officially begins in Utah, the court requires that the parties wait at least 90 days until they can be awarded a divorce, and the only way that couple will actually be ready to enter a decree at the end of the 90 days is if they are willing to agree to every term of the divorce. Although this does happen, it is not common. A more likely scenario is that the couple is fighting over child custody, child support, alimony, or property division. What does all this fighting mean for the timeline? It means that the divorce could last a year or maybe longer.

What Does it Mean to Bifurcate Your Divorce?

Because of this long divorce timeline people start getting impatient and want to move on with their lives. While some individuals don’t want to think about marriage ever again, others find new partners quickly and have a desire to get remarried before their divorce is even finalized, but that poses a problem. Being married to more than one individual is bigamy and is illegal in Utah. So to help people that find themselves in this scenario the legal system provides for what is called a bifurcated divorce. A divorce bifurcation allows for a judge to enter a decree of divorce for the parties, legally divorcing them, yet setting aside the issues that they are fighting over to continue to be resolved in further court proceedings. So the divorce is essentially split in two, the property division and the like is set in a case that continues, and the separation of the parties and dissolution of the marriage is resolved and closed.

St. George Divorce Attorney Who can Help with Your Divorce

If you are looking at getting divorced but want to move on with your life and would like to know more about bifurcation then call us today for a free phone consultation.

The post Bifurcating Your Divorce appeared first on St George Divorce Attorney | Southern Utah Family Lawyer | Mediation.

Todd Peterson, Author at St George Divorce Attorney | Southern Utah Family Lawyer | Mediation

Healthcare Reform Providing Divorce Incentive

Bifurcating Your Divorce

What Does it Mean to Bifurcate Your Divorce?

St. George Divorce Attorney Who can Help with Your Divorce