[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION CONTAINS A MARRIAGE PENALTY

  (Mr. FLEMING asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. FLEMING. Mr. Speaker, while there is controversy about the 
pending health care legislation, one point where there should be 
bipartisan agreement is that the Federal Government should not penalize 
people simply for being married.
  After review, it appears that both the House and the Senate bills 
contain significant marriage penalties. In the House bill, an unmarried 
couple with an income of $25,000 each would have their combined 
premiums capped at $3,076 per year. If the couple gets married, their 
annual premium cap drops to $5,160 for the same insurance. In short, 
there is a $2,084 penalty for simply being married.
  While under the Senate bill it would be less, the marriage penalty 
would still exceed $1,500 a year. Simply put, a marriage penalty on the 
middle class is just one more reason to dump this government takeover 
of our health care system.

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