Matters
When divorce ends
health insurance
Learn how to stay insured
after a marriage ends.
by Emily Wojcik
Julie Clevenger, 38, from Middletown, Va., was diagnosed with MS in 2006. After
dealing with fatigue, numbness
and doctor visits, she and her
husband began to feel the strain.
“We had problems unrelated to
my health,” she said, “but he
wasn’t there for me during treatment either. I realized I was on
my own.” Clevenger asked him
for a divorce in 2007.
“We ran a business, and I
had health insurance through
him and the company,” she
said. “As soon as the divorce
went through, he terminated
my coverage without telling
me. I was uninsured for almost
a year, which was pretty scary. I
completely stopped all medical
appointments, everything in my
life that was medical.”
After trying to buy individual
coverage but getting rejected
due to her pre-existing condi-
tion, Clevenger found full-time
employment as a mental health
worker, which, thankfully, pro-
vided insurance.
The legal separation option
Steve Mandel, JD, a matrimonial
and family law attorney in New
Legal separation
wasn’t a long-term option
for Angela Gorzelsky,
42, a manager of a credit
bureau in Johnstown, Pa.
Diagnosed with MS in
2003, she and her hus-
band separated two years
ago, allowing Gorzelsky
to stay on his insurance.
But now they are final-
izing their divorce. She is
