Out of pocket health insurance
My husband, infant daughter, and I are relocating to the Bay Area in August without jobs lined up. He is hoping to find full time work with benefits within a few months but we are prepared to live for up to a year without full time work/benefits. Does any one have experience paying for out of pocket health insurance? We would not qualify for Medicade.
May 2, 2018
Parent Replies
Congratulations on your move! My husband is self employed and until recently, I did not receive health benefits through my job, so we have always purchased our own health insurance. With the Afforable Care Act, you can purchase insurance through Covered California. Usually, there is an open enrollment window to sign up, which is Nov-Jan, but when you move you can sign up for plans at the time of your move (moving states or large distances, not from one neighborhood to another). You can call them if you have questions from the website. I have found them to be very helpful. All the best!
You may be able to extend your health insurance coverage through one of your previous employers. Look into cobra: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/health-plans/cobra
Also look into whether you can purchase health insurance through California's exchanged (ACA/Obamacare) outside of the usual open enrollment due to a "qualifying event". It looks like you can enroll if you lose your employer-sponsored health insurance.
https://www.coveredca.com/
https://www.coveredca.com/individuals-and-families/getting-covered/spec…
Yes, before I was married and could get on my husband’s insurance, I had to buy my own individual plan. I also did not qualify for any subsidies. I purchased an individual plan through Kaiser. I still have Kaiser now and I’m very happy with them. I also love my baby son’s pediatrician. I had bought the silver plan, and in retrospect I think I had bought the silver plan, and in retrospect I think either the gold or bronze plans are a better deal.
Check out Covered California - the state's insurance marketplace - you should qualify to register outside of open enrollment due to your move. Depending on your income, you may qualify for some financial assistance w premiums.
https://www.coveredca.com/
My other recommendation is to contact Jen Barstow at Ross Valley Insurance - she is the nicest, most helpful insurance broker I have ever connected with - at no cost to you, she can help you choose the best insurance plan for you and your family (factoring in your personal needs, what you can afford, how much you tend to need/use insurance, etc...) And you can live anywhere to work w her - it all happens over the phone. ;)
http://www.rossvalleyinsurance.com/about-us/
(My partner and I are not married - I am able to get my insurance through Covered CA due to my income and being self-employed; for my partner, we bought an individual policy "out of pocket" since his employer does not offer insurance coverage.)
Hope this helps!
My husband and I were in a similar situation last year. We were both unemployed and found out we were expecting our first child. I called Covered California to see what kind of health care we qualified for. The staff there helped us get MediCAL. MediCAL is based on income, not savings. It was the biggest blessing and such a life saver.