Advice ...contracts and health insurance

Nurses Professionalism

Published

Long story short is that my newborn has been dropped from from my insurance. I've exhausted all other options and I'm left with:

1. Leave my baby uninsured for a Year

2. Change employment status (leave my job)

3. Get a divorce

After lots of thought, option two is the best choice. My problem is I am in a contract for one more year! Do I break my contract to get my baby health insurance? I'm stressed to the max!

Ive talked to insurance advisors, dept of labor, Hr, mgt. And the icing on the cake is that I will be fined for no insurance despite my efforts.

Obama care will only fine you 95 dollars this year, next year the fine goes up. It's not income related

Can you not get private insurance for the baby through another carrier for the time being? It might cost quite a bit. Or you could find a pediatrician who takes cash payments and see if they will lower the amount since it's cash.

I feel you on this, I had a child dropped without notifying me and that child happened to get sick and be hospitalized for 4 days AND have surgery. I had to put it on a credit card.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics.
Obama care will only fine you 95 dollars this year, next year the fine goes up. It's not income related

Can you not get private insurance for the baby through another carrier for the time being? It might cost quite a bit. Or you could find a pediatrician who takes cash payments and see if they will lower the amount since it's cash.

I feel you on this, I had a child dropped without notifying me and that child happened to get sick and be hospitalized for 4 days AND have surgery. I had to put it on a credit card.

Really! I called and they said fine is $95 OR based on income if you make over a certain amount. That is my FEAR. A hospitalization will bury us. Thanks for the input.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

See if you can set up a HSA at a bank (health savings account)?

Sometimes in situations like yours sCHIP will make an income exception to ensure a child is insured.

Do you have sliding scale FQHC (federally qualified health clinics)?

Some health departments off free/low cost vaccines for uninsured children. Especially in outbreak areas. (My sister used this service to get vaccinated for grad school. Her area had a pertussis & measles outbreak so she was able to get a free MMR and TDaP and low cost hep b when she didn't realize how quickly her coverage ended when she resigned. )

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have a tax attorney who I asked a lot of questions about this, because my husband and I didn't have access to insurance and we made too much to qualify for assistance. She said we could pay the fine of 95 (well 90 something I'm not sure if it's exactly 95) or we buy private insurance. We choose private because we all have medical issues and, like you, would be financially crippled should something happen.

She did say that this is so new that they really don't know what will happen. I actually called the ACA people and they told me the same thing. They said they really don't know how exactly it's going to be enforced. After 2016 the fine will go up to around 1000-2500 per family max for being uninsured. Less if it's only one member of the family.

We were absolutely devastated when we had to pay the huge medical bills, we were on one income at the time (very small, around 33K/year). But making small payments and using income tax towards it we eventually paid it off.

Call private insurance companies and get quotes for the baby. Maybe you can somehow get coverage for the child with another insurer while you are waiting for open enrollment.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics.

Thank you all. I'm so stressed and reading this thread gives me hope.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment