by Nic Dunn (@nicdunnutah)
Carlotta is a resident of the state of Georgia who is trying to navigate the government social safety net while pursuing opportunities to strengthen her financial stability. During a focus group conversation in 2024, Carlotta shared that she had decided to forgo marrying her longtime partner out of fear of triggering a sudden loss of government benefits that would have made her worse off—commonly called a “benefits cliff.”
“I believe in the institution of marriage,” she said. “I have very traditional beliefs and values, and that’s something that’s very important to me… [but] I can’t lose my coverage.”
Carlotta explained that if she got married, she would lose government medical coverage that she relied on, and their household’s earned income wouldn’t be enough to make up the difference. “That would just be foolish—it would be like shooting myself in the foot or something like that, getting married,” Carlotta added.
