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What legal benefits do married couples enjoy in United States, and what is the rationale for those benefits?

  • if it's economic, than why aren't those benefits extended to any set of room-mates?
  • if it's custody-related why aren't those benefits extended to unmarried parents?
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The answer to "why" aren't always stated, and aren't always rational. – DVK Dec 21 '12 at 16:50

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This article details many of the 1,138 documented rights and responsibilities associated with marriage in the United States according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). They run the spectrum from tax incentives, medical decision making and benefits, entitlement program (Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare) eligibility, to family services like adoption and survivor benefits.

As for the rationale, as @DVK notes, there is a wide range that have evolved over time and not all of them are all that rational. However, there is a very good discussion of the various reasons for championing marriage in the law found here.

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Are medical visitation benefits a matter of Government mandate, or is it just a common hospital policy? – JohnFx Dec 21 '12 at 20:03
@JohnFx this is a good point. The government only mandates that the hospital have a policy, but does not define the policy for them. However, hospitals accepting medicare/medicaid money from the government have additional limits. I have edited my answer to include a better example...medical decision making...which is limited by statute. – Michael Kingsmill♦ Dec 21 '12 at 20:13
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This answer could be fleshed out a bit more. A bit more of a discussion of big, main benefits, along with big, main reasons for 'why' would make the answer more resilient to link rot. – Keen Dec 21 '12 at 20:17
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And that Wiki article is a great illustration of everything that is wrong with Western Democracies. A whole lotta rights. 4 phony "responsibilities" which are more accurately described as "limitations when the rights don't apply". One actual responsibility that is in practice applied very unfairly (alimony/Child support). And that's it with responsibilities. – DVK Dec 21 '12 at 23:38

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