Health Insurance? (I want to quit my job!)

[crunchy_mommy]

OK I currently work 20hrs a week at a job I hate, I've been there 4 years now and I CANNOT STAND this place, hated it since day 1, it sucks the life out of me. I had no choice, we needed the money, but DH got a new job not long ago. BUT I need to have health ins. & DH is currently in a contract position so no insurance (well there is some weird policy that will pay $200 of a hospital stay if you pay $150 a month but that doesn't count as 'insurance' to me!)

Finding another job is out of the question, my current job has let me WAH full-time & then let me switch to part-time (WAH) & there aren't many other jobs that would let me do this AND still provide health insurance! But the amount of $$ I make barely justifies the stress and tears... and I really want to be a SAHM!!!! Plus I have a chronic (and not yet properly diagnosed) illness that makes it hard for me to function on anything but a basic level these days...

We can just about make ends meet (it's a stretch but do-able) if I quit EXCEPT for the health insurance issue. I guess I'm just looking to see if anyone has been in a similar situation & found a good solution!! DH will likely get a non-contract job by this time next year but a year is so very long to wait to quit.

ETA: I don't think we'd qualify for gov't health ins. because we'd probably be just above the cutoff (and I'm not crazy about that idea anyway).

[zebra15]

call your HR deptartment and ask about COBRA. They need to tell you how much your cobra costs would be and that would help you determine your insurance costs.

You can also call around for a private plan but if you have 'issues' rates are going to be high.

Can you stick it out a little longer, get a DX on your isses and maybe you will feel better about things?

[aircantu1]

That's a tough one. A job that lets you work at home and provides insurance for only 20 hours is pretty rare. If your husband's job provided insurance it'd be a no brainer...but since it doesn't, I'm not so sure I'd give that up!

We have spent the last 10 years self employed and dealing with individual health plans and small business plans...and though it varies by state, I think it's pretty well established that group plans are always better -- especially with a pre-existing condition!

[shayinme]

Originally Posted by aircantu1

That's a tough one. A job that lets you work at home and provides insurance for only 20 hours is pretty rare. If your husband's job provided insurance it'd be a no brainer...but since it doesn't, I'm not so sure I'd give that up!

We have spent the last 10 years self employed and dealing with individual health plans and small business plans...and though it varies by state, I think it's pretty well established that group plans are always better -- especially with a pre-existing condition!

Like this poster I have dealt with being self employed for years and having to purchase insurance and its not good at all. Even with the changes coming with health care reform, you could still be looking at some high costs. COBRA is also generally pretty pricey, I had it 8 years ago and was paying $600 a month, I have heard tales of COBRA being an easy $1500 a month.

Jobs that let you work from home and offer benefits are generally not that easy to find, I will be honest if it was me, I'd stick it out.

[crunchy_mommy]

Yeah I'm pretty scared to make any changes since we are doing OK financially, maybe could even get ahead a bit, but to work day after day in a soul-sucking job that makes me want to shoot myself in the head... I just don't know if it's worth it!!

I'd estimate COBRA coverage to cost us around $10K a year which would NOT be doable with DH's salary alone.

I really need to get this diagnosis but it's one of those things where... well, you have tests run, then you gotta wait a month for the followup appointment, run more tests, wait another month... it's crazy that it's taking so long. I do think if I have a solid diagnosis it will be easier to make some decision & maybe with proper treatment that will relieve some personal stress & make my job *slightly* more bearable. But every single day I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to just walk away from this job because it's THAT bad!!

I guess I was hoping there was some top-secret affordable private healthcare that I didn't know about. And I don't know whether my condition would exclude me anyway. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......

[Pariah]

I work for a benefits management company...the current Cobra rate for my account for family coverage is $1,036.17. Single coverage is $351.24. There is the ARRA subsidy that reduces that payment for several months that was just extended by the CEA/TEA acts, but based on the situation you described, I don't think you'd qualify.

I've seen a website that allows you to browse for health insurance...agh, I forget what it is called...but I recall plans as low as $150 a month. I'm not sure what coverage you need exactly, but maybe a site like that can help you find the bare minimum coverage that you need to make it as cheap as possible.

[crunchy_mommy]

Yeah we really only need emergency coverage at this point. DS has his WBV's but other than that & trying to get my condition diagnosed, we don't see doctors or take meds or anything. I just don't want to go broke if there was every an accident or critical/life-threatening illness or whatever.

[enfpintj]

look at ehealthinsurance.com there you can fillout information about your ages and a bunch of plans will come up with all sorts of deductible levels and coinsurance levels. We have a high deductible of 8K through humana and we pay about 300/mo. I don't think you can get these individual policies with preexisting conditions though that may change when the policy about preexisting conditions takes effect. I don't know when that is. you'd have to research it. also you'd probably want to research what will be your options within the new programs whenever that comes about.

[sunnysandiegan]

You have a catch-22 situation on your hands. If you get a diagnosis, then you will have a documented pre-existing condition, which will greatly hamper your health insurance options for awhile. If you quit or otherwise do not get your diagnosis, then your health may suffer indefinitely.

You can evaluate plans on ehealthinsurance.com and they do have some of the best rates, but you will not know if they will cover you until you apply. In my experience, it takes longer to be DENIED and acceptance is fairly quick. So, if you go this route, be aware and time your work end-date for AFTER you are accepted.

[zebra15]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

Yeah we really only need emergency coverage at this point. DS has his WBV's but other than that & trying to get my condition diagnosed, we don't see doctors or take meds or anything. I just don't want to go broke if there was every an accident or critical/life-threatening illness or whatever.

Actually you probably want insurance to cover your visits and lab work to dx what your condition is. Lab work can be very expensive when billed directly to the patient. Once you get a DX, do you know what the treatment will be, will it involve meds, therapy,?? what is the cost of that? In your situation I dont think you should loose insurance.

[crunchy_mommy]

Well I mean I wouldn't mind paying out-of-pocket for routine lab work (even though it's quite pricey) but you're right, I don't know what the treatment will be etc. and if I will need a lot more tests... Depending on the diagnosis it could be a simple one-time thing or long-term meds or who knows what. I guess I really should get the diagnosis & even if it was considered a pre-existing condition I'd have the same problem without the diagnosis since I've had (documented) symptoms for so long. Ughhhh I hate insurance.

[ellairiesmom]

If you maintain healthcare, with no lapse of coverage, does a preexisting condition cause issues?

I am not sure what state you are in but the state/county healthcare programs are based on income on a sliding scale. Couldn't you at least fill out an application based on DHs income to see what would happen?

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by ellairiesmom

If you maintain healthcare, with no lapse of coverage, does a preexisting condition cause issues?

If you are trying to get coverage with an individual plan, yes. It doesn't matter if you have continuous coverage or not. Plus, it can be rather tricky to keep continuous coverage due to the acceptance/denial procedures.

If you have group insurance, then pre-existing conditions don't matter.

This is now and in the past. The new healthcare laws will change this in some ways.

[Thystle]

My state has different levels of state care.


Medicaid is for the lowest income families, but then they have better ones for people that make over the medicaid cut offs.


It's possible to find a catastrophic or low cost insurance for you and hubby and then put kids on a state plan for now.

[Thystle]

If one of you can be self employed, some of the larger chamber of commerces have group health insurance rates for their members.