Is anyone else losing spouse coverage?

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I am an LPN in a Florida nursing home. I received a letter that they are dropping spouse coverage on April 1. My husband is retired and not eligible for Medicare or health insurance elsewhere. We have been getting quotes of $800 to 900 a month. Does anyone know if this is a trend in nursing homes? What about home health care? I will need to change jobs, but the insurance is an important factor. Any input is appreciated.

Specializes in Critical Care.
Yet also: "I have to say I'm skeptical of your numbers". (From your own prior post?).

I'm apparently missing your point there.

Small wonder that the OP, like millions of others, is bewildered trying to locate health insruance for her husband.

Millions of people are bewildered trying to locate health insurance?

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Health Insurance Exchanges

http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/

http://finder.healthcare.gov/

Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

As far as using EBT for electronics, seems there's always a way to trick the sytem. Thanks to lobbyists, in CA and NV, at least, EBT cards can be used to buy fast food- may sound OK on it's face (like a 99 cent burger)- but that 99 cents can buy a few pounds of rice at Costco.

Unless you're at the snack bar, There's nothing that costs 99 cents at Costco.

It costs $55 just to walk in the door.

$55 per year is 6 cents per day. And if a few people go in on that cost, it's virtually free to access Costco.

Also, I didn't say you can buy rice for 99 cents, I said 99 cents can buy a few pounds of rice at Costco. That's if you buy a 50 pound bag- which is exactly what I would do if I were in such straights, as needing food stamps.

In fact, a free card to Costco is a good idea that might encourage poor people to eat real food, vs junk.

Not to mention that that 6 cents' worth of daily Costco membership is even less than the tax on a single 99 center burger at a fast food joint. But I'm not advising telling people what they can and can't eat- it's still a somewhat free country.

cent, not center.

We have always had to prove that he was not eligible for insurance somewhere else. My husband's job was outsourced when he was 58, but as an airline captain he would have had to retire at 60 anyways. We prepared for retirement, and my decision to work was influenced by my ability to get benefits. His company decided not to honor their commitment to retirement health insurance. He is 62 now, and too young for Medicare. There are not a lot of jobs in Florida that offer benefits.

Why doesn't he just buy his own coverage?

He will be buying his own coverage if I can't find a job that offers spouse insurance. Bronze plans are around 5-600/ month, with $6,350 deductibles. Silver jumps up to 8-900/month. Not exactly the "affordable" care act.

It's crazy, but you will probably have to pay that much a month for health care. Why anyone believed the lies that Obama told us is beyond me. But that's a different discussion. Here in the state of Indiana before Obama Care we had our own program where everyone had healthcare. When my ex husband started his own business we needed health care and because of prexisisting conditions we either couldn't get it or the premium was outrageous. So we signed up through the state and had private health care for an affordable price. Now that obamacare is in effect the ICHIA has closed and now my ex has no coverage. I am fortunate that I am through Medicare until my disability runs out in the next couple of months and then I will be in the same boat having to pay $1000 a month with a $10000 deductible. Don't know exactly how I am going to pay for it yet. Just hope that in 2016 someone gets elected who will repeAl this whole mess.

I don't know how most of middle America is going to pay for this. The young people have no desire to sign up, as Obama had planned. Unfortunately, it could end up a single payer system. That will be a sad day for America!

Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

This is something that has me worried. My medical coverage is through my husband's employer & they are trying to do away with spouse coverage. He belongs to the teamsters & they are currently negotiating a new contract. My employer offers very expensive "coverage" which doesn't cover much & at the end of the brochure it says (in very tiny print), "this coverage does not meet the minimum requirements of the ACA". Are you kidding me?!

If his company drops spouse coverage, I'll be up that famous creek because I have multiple medical problems & take some very expensive meds for which we pay nothing on his plan.

You say that your husband is retired but not eligible for Medicare, then I am assuming he is under 66ish. Could he possibly return to work? I am only asking.

I responded to that question farther down the page. There are not a lot of jobs with benefits in Florida. It pretty much takes a skill like nursing to get benefits. He was an airline pilot his entire career, but his company was bought to eliminate the competition. They laid everyone off and ended retirement benefits, too. When pilots change jobs they start at the bottom...ie commuter plane out of Newark. We can afford to pay for insurance, but it is hard to feel good about paying high premiums with high deductibles. You asked a logical question, but it is unfortunate that our present administration duped people into thinking this was going to save us money.

Specializes in Critical Care.
We have always had to prove that he was not eligible for insurance somewhere else. My husband's job was outsourced when he was 58, but as an airline captain he would have had to retire at 60 anyways. We prepared for retirement, and my decision to work was influenced by my ability to get benefits. His company decided not to honor their commitment to retirement health insurance. He is 62 now, and too young for Medicare. There are not a lot of jobs in Florida that offer benefits.

He will be buying his own coverage if I can't find a job that offers spouse insurance. Bronze plans are around 5-600/ month, with $6,350 deductibles. Silver jumps up to 8-900/month. Not exactly the "affordable" care act.

You might benefit from a little more research on this. If you're already prepared for retirement and you're just basically trying to find a job just for the benefits then you're actually in luck since you'll qualify for a subsidy; a silver plan will cost you about $15/month or about $150/month for a Gold plan (and you can retire now).

This is something that has me worried. My medical coverage is through my husband's employer & they are trying to do away with spouse coverage. He belongs to the teamsters & they are currently negotiating a new contract. My employer offers very expensive "coverage" which doesn't cover much & at the end of the brochure it says (in very tiny print), "this coverage does not meet the minimum requirements of the ACA". Are you kidding me?!

If his company drops spouse coverage, I'll be up that famous creek because I have multiple medical problems & take some very expensive meds for which we pay nothing on his plan.

I hope that doesn't happen to you. People are probably going to have to make decisions about whether they can afford medical care. I think this will all implode fairly soon, but I doubt we will get to go back to how it used to be. I fear the government will have total control and take the decision making out of our hands.

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