Marriage Reduced to an Insuring Device

"Concerned but in Love" wrote in to Dear Margo:

My boyfriend, "Mark," and I have been dating for two and a half years.

Okay.

We recently moved in together, against the cautions of everyone who told us we were "too young" (20 and 23).

Strike one (shacking up) and strike two (too young).

Honestly, we’ve become closer and feel our relationship is stronger.

Sure. But statistically, it bodes ill for a lasting marriage.

Living together has helped us know each other better.

Of course it has.

We planned to be married after I finished my associate’s degree. However, I suffer from severe endometriosis.

Strike three! Wow, this guy is setting himself up, isn't he?

The problem is that my insurance will soon run out. I don’t qualify for any through work, and I can’t afford it otherwise. When Mark learned what was going on, his suggestion was to get married sooner so I could continue receiving health care through his insurance.

He's really setting himself up.

He loves me, and his explanation is that when you love someone, you do what you can to take care of them.

The loving thing to do would have been to marry you instead of shacking up with you. The even more loving thing would have been not to have gotten so serious in the first place at that age.

My concern is that people will think that because we’re getting married for insurance, I’m just using him.

Well, you are using him for that. But he probably won't mind.

Margo told her to go ahead and get married sooner.

Hey, where else have we heard "We need a legal marriage for the sake of insurance?"