Affordable health insurance? LONG post

[Crazybean]

Ok so hopefully this post is in the right area as I feel myself becoming hysterical.  Essentially, this post is about suggestions for health insurance and where I can apply for my husband when other companies are turning him down.

I had a job that offered group health insurance and things were fine.  With the economy, my husband losing his job, and travel time/gas cost, I had to look for a job closer to home and one that paid more.  I ended up getting another job (with no benefits) but it was an extra 15K a year so that is a major plus since I am the only one working right now (Husband has been looking but can not find work and he is watching our kids- 4 years old and 1 year old)

I do not qualify for Medicaid BUT there is a state sponsored program that covers my kids with full coverage insurance for $20 a month total for the both of them.  I was able to get myself on an emergency/hospital type plan with a $250 deductible for $82/month.  I usually don't get sick or hurt so I am okay with this kind of plan FOR NOW while we get back on our feet.  I also have no problem going to the local free clinic or a minute clinic like they have at CVS for the smaller things.  

Anyway, we assumed (both my husband and I) that he would be able to get on the same kind of plan because he is pretty healthy too.  We had budgeted the estimated costs of health insurance out of pocket before I changed jobs and we were still on the plus side when we cut out the extras.  Well, we've applied to over 7 different companies- both full coverage PPO's to HMO's to emergency type plans and he has been denied for all of them.  Why?  Well, he had an "accident" in 2010 that left a permanent injury.  He does have to take pain pills and muscle relaxers for it.  One insurance company came right out and said this is why he was denied.  I can say that everything else in his record is squeaky clean and perfect- even his blood work is flawless.  So now, because of this injury, we can't seem to get insurance for him.

This makes me hysterical because I do not want him to go without health insurance.  I can't go back to my old job because we can NOT make ends meet with the pay I was getting and the loss of income on my husband's part.  If he were to become employed and make enough, then yes, I could go back.  I could also attempt to look for another job with benefits but I'd hate to change jobs so soon especially since I LIKE the move I made and we are doing okay financially.  It was also a career advancement in a position I did not have experience in so until I get more experience, it will be hard to stay in the same type of work.

So now, I need to know if anyone has suggestions about health insurance or a discount plan or ANYTHING to protect us from a major medical stay in the hospital.  Meanwhile, I AM looking for another job even though I am not excited about changing jobs again. I am doing it for the group benefits because we had no idea he would be turned down for insurance.  I thought worse case would be they excluded his injury from the policy but not the rest of him.  Looks like I was wrong...

[camprunner]

I've been looking into this:

http://www.samaritanministries.org/ 

If you feel this is appropriate for your family (or your husband), it looks like they would not cover anything that was a result of the accident but wuld cover most anything else.

[zebra15]

Does your current job offer benefits at some point?  If your DH has an injury it will be very difficult for him to get health coverage and when he does that coverage is going to be very expensive - I'm afraid.

[Crazybean]

I really have to look more into this... what an interesting concept!  We only wanted something in case of a major illness or injury and this might just fit our needs...  Thanks for the suggestion!

Originally Posted by camprunner 

I've been looking into this:

http://www.samaritanministries.org/ 

If you feel this is appropriate for your family (or your husband), it looks like they would not cover anything that was a result of the accident but wuld cover most anything else.

[Crazybean]

No benefits in the future- it is a contractor position but it could lead to a better position within the company... I just need the experience first!

[Ygle]

Is it possible for him to take some courses at a local community college and get insurance through them?  I've known some people that have done that, but don't know the full details or how it varies from campus to campus or in different states, but might be worth checking into.  I know some offer policies even for part time students and they usually don't even ask any health related questions, not sure what the limitations would be if any though.  

[its_betty]

Check with your state. My dh was turned down for private insurance and was able to get a good plan through the state (Colorado) high risk pool. It's not cheap but it's good insurance (covers way more than my relatively cheap private insurance). In our state, you must have proof that private insurance turned you down before you can apply.