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May 28, 2009 10:30 pm US/Central
Couple May Divorce To Qualify For Health Benefits
(WCCO)
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Bruce Price and his wife Dee married in 2004 and enjoy playing Santa and Mrs. Claus at local schools and nursing homes. Now Bruce fears he and Dee are going to have to divorce because of his health care costs.
CBS
When money is tight, how far would you go to get help? Bruce Price of Anoka is on full-time disability. His wife only works part-time, making $10 an hour.
Together, they make too much money to get state medical benefits, so the Prices say a county worker told them they'd need to get a divorce to qualify.
Bruce Price and his wife Dee married in 2004 and enjoy playing Santa and Mrs. Claus at local schools and nursing homes. Now Bruce fears he and Dee are going to have to divorce because of his health care costs.
"We went to the county to see if there's any assistance, any kind of program and they came right out and told us that the only way we get assistance is if we get a divorce," Bruce said.
Bruce has diabetes, is an amputee and is on dialysis. The state had been paying for all his bills but stopped when Dee got a part-time job last winter.
Ever since the couple has been paying the 20 percent copay for his medical bills.
"I didn't know that I was going to be hurting him financially marrying him," Dee said.
The Prices are not alone. Local divorce attorneys say more and more couples struggling to pay for long-term care are considering a divorce that would leave one partner with almost no assets.
"People are staying together sometimes because of this economy and also splitting up because of the economy with the burden of health care costs," said divorce attorney Nancy Murphy.
"It's a horrible position to be in," Dee said.
The Prices got the divorce forms at the courthouse and as their unpaid bills mount, they believe divorce may be their only option.
"I don't want to but if I have to I guess we will," Bruce said.
While the Prices say an Anoka County Human Services worker brought up the divorce idea, a representative for the county said they don't believe an employee told them that.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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