Want to Get a Date Online? You Better Have Insurance

(Online Dating Industry Journal) An article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press brings to light what they consider a new trend in online dating - making sure their potential soul mates have health insurance. The article explains that having health insurance is becoming a hot asset for online daters, symbolizing responsibility and professionalism.  From the article:

"Health insurance is expensive, complex and bureaucratic. These days, it's also sexy. Right up there with washboard abs, a steady job and a fun-loving personality, health coverage is emerging as a hot selling point among online daters. It's especially the case among suitors of a certain age who need, and prize, good benefits the most.

Those who have it sometimes flaunt it as an asset, a sign to potential mates that they are serious, professional and grounded. Others troll for partners with blue-chip policies because they need coverage themselves, or want evidence — short of asking for a credit report — that a prospect isn't a slacker."

A handful of online daters who have listed health insurance in their online dating profile as something they are looking for in a match are also featured in the article.

Kim's Comments:
I for one found this story very interesting.  I'm not sure if this is really as big of an online dating trend as the article suggests, but just the fact that people take the effort to make sure to put it in their profile shows what an important issue it is for many.  I can see how having health insurance can be looked at by some as a sign of stability and responsibility, but hopefully this isn't the only criteria.  I know a few people who have great benefits yet risk their health on a weekly basis and, on the other side of the coin, a few people with no insurance who are extremely responsible in most other aspects of their life.  Maybe we'll see "InsuredMate.com" open up as the next niche dating site, at this point it wouldn't surprise me. 

Comments

[Julia Dorofeeva]

That’s really necessary nowadays, because most of the online relationships will end up with a date. Health insurance could be rather useful.

I personally think that not only physical health should be taken into consideration but also a mental health. This could prevent dating with dangerous people.

For the present moment I do not know any dating site which could offer such a service. So we should try to make a research ourselves. I found some symptoms of mental illness which could help. They are given at http://www.behavior.net/bolforums/showthread.php?t=694 in a forum by Tamara Sutton, a Licensed Professional Counselor.
She covers all the cases when you should worry. Here are some of them:

1. Any suspicion or confirmation of self harm or aggression toward others
2. When a person is so needy / demanding of somebody’s time that you cannot efficiently deal with him/her
3. You suspect that a person is not being honest / truthful with you.
4. Noncompliance with medical treatment which could be anything from inability / lack of motivation / unwillingness to lose weight, increase activity, take meds as prescribed, etc.
5. Depressed mood
6. Heightened anxiety
7. Signs of chemical use to cope with stress / feelings / situations

These tips can help you in a way to avoid problems.

[Sam Moorcroft, ChristianCafe.com]

This is something we Canadians (and Europeans & Aussies & Kiwis, etc.) cannot wrap our heads around - the need for health insurance. We all have universal coverage in our respective countries.

Sure, you hear stories about wait times for certain surgeries and what-not, but overall, it sure beats the US system.

My wife had an MRI the other week. Total cost? $0. We had our kids at the Dr. recently. Total cost? $0. I made an appt to see my Dr. and got one that same day. Total cost? $0.

Yes, we pay for it in our taxes. But, so what? If I am sick, I get help, and worrying about finances is the last thing on my mind. In fact, such concern is absent.

Y'all down there should get with the program!

[Kim Lance]

Well put Sam. It is kind of sad that someone with health insurance is considered a major catch in the online dating world when, in reality, having health insurance should be the standard, not some sought after asset.