My problem with the Affordable Care Act

[Jim Lane]

9. A question about the mechanics of the family glitch...

You obviously know more than I do about the situation. Your account of a dash to Vegas and quick marriage, for insurance purposes, made me wonder about the reverse. Suppose you and your husband entered into a sham divorce (as a lawyer, I'm not advocating that you perpetrate a fraud on the court, I'm just curious). If you and he were divorced, but continued in all other respects to live together as if you were married, would you then be eligible to go on the exchange and get insurance, with a subsidy that might cover all or almost all your premium?

As I said, I'm not advocating it, but I'm wondering if one effect of the family glitch will be to prompt sham divorces. If so, maybe a bill to fix it could get past the House, if enough Republicans were worried about being called out for hypocrisy on their "family values" rhetoric.