Is anyone adding their difficult child to their insurance next year?

[witzend]

Our daughter is still under our insurance, and can be on if she's in school or living with us until she's 24, I believe.

The new laws allow her to continue on your insurance until she is 26 years old.

 

[witzend]

This thread presents some possibilities I had not thought about. The insurance plan I have through my employer is about "as good as it gets," and since I already have dependent coverage, my cost would not change if difficult child were added (just as my cost did not change when she married and was then ineligible).

My reading is that, under the new provisions, she would be eligible to be reinstated regardless of the fact that she has married (although the coverage could not extend to her child). What I don't understand is what would happen as far as my liability for her medical expenses, and if the state insurance plan would function as secondary in covering her co-pays, etc.

My understanding is that she would still be responsible for her out of pockets.

 

[Suz]

I would sign up Rob in a heartbeat if he was younger and qualified. He has worked his butt off the last few years and it makes me sick that his employer has such lousy insurance.

Suz

 

[svengandhi]

My oldest is 20 but dropped out of college. My plan covers kids in school till 23. I am looking at putting him on because he is working part-time at a job with no benefits while waiting to be called for a civil service position (he passed the test and was told it might be a year or more till he gets an interview). I told him that I would expect him to contribute towards any increased premium I will pay.

 

[CrazyinVA]

Spoke to our HR person, and have exchanged emails with our outside benefits consultant. I can add Youngest on Jan 1 when our new plan year starts. However, since I use the HMO option and our carrier does not have a participating HMO in Florida, I'd have to switch to the PPO in order for her to use doctors down there. Premiums for PPO are higher, of course, in addition to paying more for family coverage vs. just individual coverage. If she can continue to be eligible for state aid programs, it might be better to have her stay on that. Which doesn't feel right, actually, to have her using the system when she could be covered by private insurance.... this is a tough call. I have a few months before I can make a decision, anyway, so we'll see how things look in January, and what premiums look like (likely to go up, anyway, from this year's premiums).

 

[DammitJanet]

Crazy....even if she stays on both your insurance and state insurance, yours would pay first and medicaid pick up second which would mean basically no copays.

Thats how my medicare/medicaid works. Medicare is my primary and medicaid picks up whatever is leftover.

 

[GoingNorth]

This is how it works for me with two gov't funded plans. Medicare is my primary and ChampVA (VA insurance) is my secondary. ChampVA is also my part D carrrier of choice.

 

[CrazyinVA]

She's not on my insurance right now because she aged out of our plan (pre-reform). I pay for coverage for myself only, for an HMO. If I added her and switched to a PPO, my premiums would go from $20/pay period, to $250/pay period. It's not the issue of how the 2 plans would work, it's the fact that she pays for nothing right now (zero copays), and my being out $500/month would get her no more than she already has. So I don't see the point, even though it means she stays reliant "on the system."

That's the catch-22 about extending coverage availability. It's great in theory, but if there are no affordable plan options, it's the same as having no health insurance, really.

 

[Ephchap]

Like Suz and a few others, my son will actually age out and is not eligible. He is 26 and works at one of the auto plants as a temporary (and has for 3 years), and has very limited insurance. If they are employed and their employer offers insurance, they are not eligible under this, from the way I understand it. Of course, he has no dental and no vision and his medical isn't worth the paper it's printed on. When he was hospitalized for 2 weeks at the beginning of the year, he was billed thousands of dollars. Fortunately, they do pay for part of his medications, but he has huge out of pocket costs (without insurance, his medications are $1,000/month, as he did have to pay for them one month when he had no insurance at all).

As long as he's doing what he should be doing (working and staying sober), I'd gladly put him on my insurance. Wish I could. It's a shame that someone working 40-65 hours a week can't even afford to go to a dentist and he really puts off going to the doctor unless he absolutely has to. I wish they would do something about those that are really trying to do what they need to do, but can't afford medical care. It just doesn't make sense.

Sorry for the vent. It's just so frustrating because I know some that could work and don't (and no, I'm not talking about those that really can't work or really can't find jobs), and have better coverage than my son has, and he's working his off.

Deb

 

[CrazyinVA]

I completely understand, Deb. The system is broken, period.

 

[witzend]

I am reminding husband about the open enrollment that should be coming up. This past few weeks has just been miserable with M. He's exactly as he was 7 years ago when he left us. It would be so beneficial if he wanted to be hospitalized and took advantage of that opportunity, then followed up with regular treatment. I just don't see it happening. We haven't discussed it with him yet, as we haven't really had an opportunity to look at the numbers yet. I know they will go up for next year without adding him. I guess we'll just have to consider what the difference will be with and without him.