Santorum: Obamacare Bad for Marriage

Rick Santorum kept up the attacks on President Obama yesterday as polls showed his nationwide lead over Mitt Romney widening. Santorum accused Obama's policies, including health care reform, of hurting traditional families, Reuters reports. "Do you realize that if you are married under Obamacare, you pay a lot more than if you are living together under Obamacare? A lot more," Santorum said at a campaign stop in Ohio. "Thousands of dollars more for the average American family you paid if you are married."

Santorum appeared to be referring to changes in eligibility for Medicaid benefits that can happen when a couple marry. The president's health care reform law did not create the funding formula Santorum was talking about, and in any case, Medicaid benefits often increase after marriage, said an Obama spokeswoman. "It's unfortunate that Rick Santorum continues to peddle divisive and patently false claims on the campaign trail, " she said. Santorum has the support of 36% of GOP voters nationwide, according to the latest Gallup poll, while Romney is at 26%, Newt Gingrich is at 13%, and Ron Paul is at 11%. (More ObamaCare stories.)