Health Insurance - The Options
1. Go without health insurance
2. Pay $405 a month for COBRA
3. Lie on my application and pray no one will find out later on
4. Take 6 or more units of credit at a community college to be eligible for the student plan (that's two classes, I think - which will end up costing more than the $405 a month? And require time I don't have.)
5. Get a job with benefits (and give up the job I have now that I really like.)
6. Get married to someone with health insurance
7. Apply to the California High Risk Pool, wait 6-12 months to be approved, then pay at least $200 a month for health insurance
8. Successful Suicide. (*note - I don't mean to make light of suicide, I'm just noting this since I cannot get health insurance due to being diagnosed with major depression.)
Thoughts?
8 comments:
Please don't joke about option 8. It isn't funny to those of us who've lost someone in that terrible manner.
It's the yuckiest option, but I'd pick COBRA-if you do your 18 months and are still freelancing, you can get private insurance more easily.
e.c.: I don't mean to make light of the subject of suicide. In fact, it's a completely reasonable option since I can't get coverage due to being diagnosed with major depression. If it weren't a successful attempt, then I'd be screwed, because I'd be uninsured, so I'd have to pay up big time for an hospital visit required to save me. But if it were successful, I wouldn't have to worry about not having health insurance.
That's not to say suicide is the right choice, I'm just saying it's a choice.
Hm. I agree with Heather; COBRA isn't exactly a great option in terms of costs, but at least the benefits are pretty decent.
Is it an option to find a part time job with benefits?
Try applying to insurance. If you get accepted, your depression could be counted a pre-existing condition, which means the insurance would cover everything else EXCEPT anything related to the depression.
I used to work for an insurance company that sold health, life, annuities, long-term care, short-term care, medicare supplements, and PFFS plans, but unfortunately I can't be much of any help because the company I worked for specializes in seniors.
Have you thought about Medicaid? Or do you make too much to qualify?
Meg: When I apply, they ask about my pre-existing conditions. I tell them the truth and they reject me because I have them. I lie and maybe I'll get accepted but then I can never tell them the truth, or get treatment for that specific condition (or anything that might raise suspicion.)
It seems I make a few thousand a year too much for Medicaid. I'm not sure what I'll be making next year, since as a freelancer every month brings new financial surprises, for better or worse.
Thanks for your advice.
It isn't an ideal long term solution by any means, but I think Starbucks requires that you average twenty hours a week to qualify for health insurance. If you can find a part time job that offers coverage, it might be a way to get on a group plan plus bring in a little extra money while you assess your employment options.
E.C.: Starbucks might not be a terrible option. Right now, my biggest problem is that I have a job that takes up 30 hours + per week, and another job that I'm working about 5 hours at. They both pay very well (around $25 an hour) but neither provide health insurance. Next month, I will start directing about 15-20 hours per week in the evenings. That leaves, well, basically no time to work a part time job at Starbucks or Peets.
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