The VP

[silverscreenselect]

How altruistic of her. She cheated her insurance company until she met someone new. Unless, of course, she had notified her insurance company of her arrangement and they were OK with it.

This is not "cheating" an insurance company. There's no test of how sincerely devoted to each other a couple has to be in order to continue a marriage. In this country, marriage is a legal status established by contract, and each state sets the requirements to end that marriage. As long as Bob's sister satisfied the legal requirements of a marriage, then it's not cheating anyone.

[Estonut]

How altruistic of her. She cheated her insurance company until she met someone new. Unless, of course, she had notified her insurance company of her arrangement and they were OK with it.

This is not "cheating" an insurance company. There's no test of how sincerely devoted to each other a couple has to be in order to continue a marriage. In this country, marriage is a legal status established by contract, and each state sets the requirements to end that marriage. As long as Bob's sister satisfied the legal requirements of a marriage, then it's not cheating anyone.

You certainly have interesting views on right vs. wrong. As I said, if they notified the insurance company that the only reason they have not officially divorced is to maintain the spouse's insurance and the insurance company was OK with it, then I have no problem with it.

Maintaining what has evolved into a sham marriage is not dissimilar from entering into one in the first place. Are you OK with sham marriages for obtaining green cards?

[silverscreenselect]

Maintaining what has evolved into a sham marriage is not dissimilar from entering into one in the first place. Are you OK with sham marriages for obtaining green cards?

It is dissimilar in one big way. Entering into a sham marriage for the purpose of avoiding immigration laws is a felony. The immigration code defines what a valid marriage is for the purpose of immigration laws. Entering or remaining in a marriage to gain or keep other benefits is not illegal or a violation of insurance contracts. There are many legal and financial benefits derived from being married as opposed to simply living together.

If Bob's sister wanted to, she could have easily divorced her husband. So, there was at least some degree of cordiality between the two, and that's a lot more than many married couples have. Think of how many married couples stay together "for the sake of the children."

[Estonut]

If Bob's sister wanted to, she could have easily divorced her husband.

His statement implied that she DID want to, but remained married just to keep him on her insurance.

And before you answer that last question, you should know that one of my sisters did exactly the same thing -- staying married to her estranged husband for approximately a decade so that he could stay on her insurance. She didn't finalize the divorce until she was ready to remarry.

It was also possible that it was cheaper for her than spousal support would have been.

[BackInTex]

Maintaining what has evolved into a sham marriage is not dissimilar from entering into one in the first place. Are you OK with sham marriages for obtaining green cards?

It is dissimilar in one big way. Entering into a sham marriage for the purpose of avoiding immigration laws is a felony. The immigration code defines what a valid marriage is for the purpose of immigration laws. Entering or remaining in a marriage to gain or keep other benefits is not illegal or a violation of insurance contracts. There are many legal and financial benefits derived from being married as opposed to simply living together.

If Bob's sister wanted to, she could have easily divorced her husband. So, there was at least some degree of cordiality between the two, and that's a lot more than many married couples have. Think of how many married couples stay together "for the sake of the children."

WARNING: Please be sitting down, and swallow whatever liquids you have in your mouth before reading

Spoiler

I've got to agree with SSS on this one.

As long as the initial marriage was not a sham, continuing the legal marriage beyond the relationship is not illegal nor in my opinion immoral. In fact many faiths (no necessarily mine) would not recognize the divorce.

[kroxquo]

Maintaining what has evolved into a sham marriage is not dissimilar from entering into one in the first place. Are you OK with sham marriages for obtaining green cards?

It is dissimilar in one big way. Entering into a sham marriage for the purpose of avoiding immigration laws is a felony. The immigration code defines what a valid marriage is for the purpose of immigration laws. Entering or remaining in a marriage to gain or keep other benefits is not illegal or a violation of insurance contracts. There are many legal and financial benefits derived from being married as opposed to simply living together.

If Bob's sister wanted to, she could have easily divorced her husband. So, there was at least some degree of cordiality between the two, and that's a lot more than many married couples have. Think of how many married couples stay together "for the sake of the children."

WARNING: Please be sitting down, and swallow whatever liquids you have in your mouth before reading

Spoiler

I've got to agree with SSS on this one.

As long as the initial marriage was not a sham, continuing the legal marriage beyond the relationship is not illegal nor in my opinion immoral. In fact many faiths (no necessarily mine) would not recognize the divorce.

No wonder I saw four scary guys on horseback riding across the sky this morning.

[Estonut]

Maintaining what has evolved into a sham marriage is not dissimilar from entering into one in the first place. Are you OK with sham marriages for obtaining green cards?

It is dissimilar in one big way. Entering into a sham marriage for the purpose of avoiding immigration laws is a felony. The immigration code defines what a valid marriage is for the purpose of immigration laws. Entering or remaining in a marriage to gain or keep other benefits is not illegal or a violation of insurance contracts. There are many legal and financial benefits derived from being married as opposed to simply living together.

If Bob's sister wanted to, she could have easily divorced her husband. So, there was at least some degree of cordiality between the two, and that's a lot more than many married couples have. Think of how many married couples stay together "for the sake of the children."

WARNING: Please be sitting down, and swallow whatever liquids you have in your mouth before reading

Spoiler

I've got to agree with SSS on this one.

As long as the initial marriage was not a sham, continuing the legal marriage beyond the relationship is not illegal nor in my opinion immoral. In fact many faiths (no necessarily mine) would not recognize the divorce.

This does not surprise me. This is not a political issue. I don't think it's immoral, either. I simply feel that continuing a marriage in the legal sense just to take an advantage in insurance rates not available to unmarried people is, if not cheating, weaselly. Whatever money the insurance company is denied from this will be made up by charging higher rates to everyone else.