[pontiacpetey]

Well I find myself unemployed, my boss decided it was cheaper to buy desserts and bread instead of me making everything from scratch. I work as a pastry chef in s.e. pa if anyone knows anyone with a connection. The job market for what I do is bleak and that is optimistic. Pastry chefs, bakers and butchers are becoming obsolete which is sad, I really enjoy what I do.

Anyway my custody order mandates that I provide insurance for my daughter who is 6. I am looking into the chips program here for her. I also I found out have to have insurance or I get fined at the end of the year or something like that. It is hard for me to find information about all this.
I looked into plans on the aca website but what a ripoff they seem to be. The plan I can afford still has 6000 deductible and 6000 out of pocket and is not as good as what I was paying at my job <300 a month with a great plan, 1000 deductible. My neighbor signed up to aca last year and this year his premium has doubled. He expects it to double next year too. He is currently at 840 a month, practically a mortgage.

So could anyone provide some guidance or real world info based on your experience? I figure you guys are most like me, regular working family guy, Joe America you know? I figured I would post here before calling the aca center, I don't want to get my name on the Obama hitlist without being informed better.

Please I don't want this to political, just looking for advice. I don't expect to find a job any time soon unfortunately. Ive been looking hard for a month now without any success, people are being cut like crazy. The restaurant industry really slows after the new year, no one will be hiring im sure.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Pete.

PS I'm not all that smart trying to digest all the info out there, Most of it seems scary. While I am good at spinning a wrench and making pastries this stuff intimidates me.

[poncho-mike]

First off, you should be able to get your current insurance through COBRA for 18 months. I'm sure I will be corrected, but COBRA is a govenment regulation that requires your employer sell you the same insurance options their regular employees receive, but you have to pay the entire cost. Some employers will pick up the tab for all or part as part of a severance package.

I get my insurance through my employer, and up until last year I covered my oldest son under my plan. Part of Obamacare laws allow you to keep a child on your policy up to age 26.

My son was not eligible for insurance under my plan this year, so he had to go through Obamacare. The premiums were reasonable, at about $150 per month. Unfortunately, the deductibles for those plans are very high.

It's not getting any better for those covered by corporate America. The insurance plans of the past, with low deductibles and reasonable copays, are vanishing. My insurance for 2015 will be one of the high deductible plans, coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA). I will be on the hook for something like the first $4K per person and a max of $8K per family. The only upside to this type of policy is the HSA contributions reduce taxable income. If I don't use this money for medical expenses, it carries over into future years and can eventually be rolled into a 401-K.

I can't offer you any advice, but a low cost high deductible plan may be the best alternative for now. If you have a change of status, for example you find employment with insurance, you can cancel your Obamacare policy.

[johnta1]

I would say at least you can get health insurance now when before you probably could not.



I'd try your state's website possibly?

Or google some sites?

Try this:

https://www.healthcare.gov/pennsylva...e-marketplace/

or even Costco:

https://www.costcoquote.com/

If you are looking for free, probably won't happen, but with a child may be able to get hers free.

[Chris65LeMans]

COBRA is crazy expensive; you'll probably find better alternatives elsewhere.


10 years ago, before I got married and went on the wife's insurance, (I'm self-employed); I had a "catastrophic only" insurance policy that would cover me if I got the "big C" or got hit by a bus. It was around $75 per month. Not sure if such an option is available anymore but, as has been mentioned; check your state's web site.

[zephyrracer]

Assurant Health was the best price I could find and comparable to others, If you love what you do open up your own shop even a catering truck, you won't get rich working for someone else !!

Good Luck Gregg

[The Boss]

Originally Posted by zephyrracer

Assurant Health was the best price I could find and comparable to others, If you love what you do open up your own shop even a catering truck, you won't get rich working for someone else !!

Good Luck Gregg

You may not get rich working for yourself either but you won't have to ask anybody if you can take an hour off to go to your daughter's school play!

Best of luck Pete!

[tom s]

I have found that the ACA is really only good if you had a pre existing condition or can qualify for the subsidies.I thought COBRA was expensive untill I went on the open market to buy insurance for my wife.For care like we had from COBRA we needed the platinum level.We paid $907 a month for her this year which was about what COBRA costs for both of us in 2013.We got a letter that for 2015 it will be $1061.Not fun,need to get thru a couple more years untill she can get on Medicare.Tom

[Deadhead]

Trying to figure all this out myself, having gotten a $200+ / month increase from Anthem in our recent statement. I went on the exchange, and it does not look like any kind of deal to me. It is like using the bonus points from your cell phone. It looks good when you look at the #s in bold, but when you look down at what you will actually pay, it is no deal.

Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong, but the tax credit # listed can only be of value if you actually pay a bunch of taxes and you can reduce them by getting the credit. If you don't pay in a bunch of taxes, a credit is not going to do you a lick of good. If you pay a bunch of $ in taxes, you are not likely to qualify as that typically equates to more income.

Not really sure how they figure out income from looking at the criteria on the site either. My return is as thick as a phone book, but the bottom line is small. If I just take the bottom line, I would get a tax credit, but since I don't pay jack anyway, what good is it going to do?

As for paying the penalty if you are not insured, I believe all that is waived at this time, and would not amount to a hill of beans anyway compared to what the insurance costs, so I would not consider that even a factor in my decision.

[Racer81x]

If you can try and get hired on part time at ups, you get medical, dental, prescription and eye coverage for you and your family, nothing is takin out of your paycheck for it either.

YES you get all this coverage for being part time!

Only downside now is that you have to work there for I think a full year now before you get the benefits.
When I started there you only had to get 30 days in before you got health coverage, and then another 90 before the dental, eye and prescription kicked in.

There are quite a few guys at my center that have full time jobs, but work there for a few hours in either the early morning, or the evening shift for the insurance.

[pontiacpetey]

Well I spent 3 hours online today signing up my daughter for chips, the website keeps freezing up uggh!!! It would be great to be able to actually speak with someone.

Called the help number currently 56 people ahead of me.

[pontiacpetey]

wow the plan that is most affordable 400 a month with a 12000 deductible wth

[Transporter]

None of my business Petey, but, are you on speaking terms with your ex? If so, how is she doing? If she has a job with benefits she is she would be willing to add your daughter and tell her you would pick up the difference.

I would think if that was possible, it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than anything else out there.

Hope it works out for you.

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by pontiacpetey

wow the plan that is most affordable 400 a month with a 12000 deductible wth

Exactly.

[pontiacpetey]

Well i asked before about putting my daughter on my exes insurance but the court said no way! it stipulated in my custody order. FML. My ex and I do not talk so she does not make things easy for me. I finally got her enrolled with the chips it took 4 hours to get it done.a crappy plan too. I looked for myself but the deductibles are sky high. So let me get this straight, the deductible is 6000 dollars so I have to pay out of pocket for everything until i reach 6 grand? doctor visits are 35 a pop and prescription drugs aren't that bad. I do have high blood pressure 125 over 85 down from 185 over 135 before i started the meds. i feel it climbing today lol.

[Deadhead]

We talked to CPA yesterday. According to him, if you show less than $94k in income, you qualify for a premium reduction. If you show far less than that on your AGI, then you may qualify for a huge reduction. It is not taken as a reduction of tax paid as I assumed, but is taken as an actual reduction of the premium up front through the Exchange OR you can get it as a check from Sam after the fact. I am going to go on and attempt to get my family coverage through the Exchange this coming week. I will post back with what result I get. According to the plans I looked at on there, I should get a big reduction and better coverage from the same carrier. The problem I had was that I got different results putting in the same info about 6 different times. Sometimes it would show 2 people covered sometimes 4 even though I had the same 2 adults and 2 kids each time I ran the search for plans. ?

[Trulyvintage]

Pete,

I assume you get to see your daughter - which is great !

Very important that you do that.

Regarding court ordered child support & responsibility for insurance,
those orders ares ubject to change along with changes in your employment.

First thing to do (if you have not done it) - file with the court or agency
administrating child support that you are unemployed & unable to meet
the current ordered payment.


Good Luck!


Jim

[rohrt]

Pete,

Sorry to hear about your layoff and sorry I have no Health care advise, however I would 2nd what was said above about maybe looking at opening you own business if you love what you do.

I have a coworker that was doing custom cakes like the cake boss guy. It was/is a part time weekend thing for him but the demand was incredible. Not saying it would be easy to get started but maybe the way to go in the long run. If I have to go shopping with the wife I won't buy a darn thing unless we go by a pastry shop or candy store. Then I will fork over the money for a $2 cup cake.

I was in your shoes at one point. I had no insurance for a month after being let go. I went to the doctor for a bronchitis and it cost $100 for a 30 seconds of the doctor to look at me. It can be a financial ruiner to be without.

I wish you the best of luck.