Lower cost health insurance for kids?

[ACsMom]

Hi.  We are in NC and buy our own policies for the whole family b/c my husband is an independent contract psychologist, so no benefits.  Our monthly budget is at its absolute limit and we need to find ways to pare down, any way we can.  Currently we have BCBS (Blue Advantage) which as far as I know is the cheapest BCBS policy you can have.  We make just a hair too much to qualify for Healthchoice, so that's a no go.

Anyone else from NC?  Know of any other low-cost options?  It's hard to wade through stuff online - don't know what's legit and what isn't.

Thanks:)

[camprunner]

Check out their HSA plans. You can usually fully fund an HSA and get a plan that will cover 100% after deductible for the same price as the blue advantage plans and if you don't go to the doctor a lot, you have the difference in your HSA account.

[lilyka]

I am on a BCBS plan that has a high deductable ($2500) however...I can put up to $2500 in a pretax medical spending savings account, I get the insurance discount rate (A recent trip to the ER came out to just under $400 which is a savings of about $600), it covers one well visit for a $25 copay and my employer matches the first $500 in the account (but I am guessing that is not an option.  Oh and unlike other MSA this one roles over from year to year and collects interest.  And it sounds like a huge deductable and it is but I only pay about $25 a month.  So what i save in premiums (I was paying about $120 for regular BCBS PPO) more than covers my Dr. bills so far.  and once I reach that $2500 everything is covered 100% so no matter what i will never spend more than that.