Hit with unemployment... health insurance?

[Dianne-TX]

I searched for previous threads, but didn't find any.  If you've ever been through unemployment and had to find health insurance for your family, what did you get?  I'm overwhelmed and uneducated at the options available.  I know about the Christian healthcare sharing ministries (Samaritian's, etc), but I'm not stuck on using them if there is a cheaper option.  Unfortunately, how much it will cost is our first priority.  COBRA was a ridiculous and unrealistic monthly payment for being unemployed, especially since severance was only one paycheck.  😞   I've looked at health.gov, but got overwhelmed and haven't had it in me to take the time to read over it all and try to understand it.  Thanks for guidance and advice.

[J-rap]

I'm so sorry...  I'm sure it's overwhelming to have to think about this on top of everything else.  Our situation is different so I can't answer your question from personal experience.  But, I do think this varies state-by-state.  I would check with your state to see if they're offering any emergency COVID-19 special public health insurance enrollment periods.  Our state is offering that for those who qualify ~ loss of employment due to COVID-19.

[Ottakee]

In Michigan , my first suggestion would be to apply for state Medicaid/healthy kids/family insurance.  It is based on current income.  In Michigan the income limits for families with kids is quite generous.  Even if they only cover the kids, that is less you have to find on the healthcare.gov site 

[Scarlett]

Are you in TX?  

I think you have to first wrap your mind around the fact that if you can't get state funded insurance (which is based on income) then you need to plan for a high deductible plan.  But definitely try for the state programs....we had a year of very low income and dh managed to get his knee replacement in that year and it was a HUGE blessing. The deductible was next to nothing and the premium was like $60 a month for the both of us (kids had insurance elsewhere)

[gardenmom5]

My dh is in the industry.  I'm sorry reality is difficult.  It honestly depends upon 1) - what state you live in, and 2) what COUNTY within that state you live in.

you should probably be able to qualify for the exchange.  It is really easy to make mistakes on the exchange that can really screw you over.  (I won't go into how many times dh has had someone come to him after they've messed things up, and needed help to fix it.)

[mom2scouts]

If you're used to getting employer provided health insurance, you're in for a huge shock.  COBRA is very expensive, but will allow you to continue with the insurance you have, which is likely to be much better than anything you can get on your own since it's a group policy. If you qualify for the exchange, expect to pay well over $1000 per month for a plan that won't pay for much of anything unless you have something really major, but at least you'll have insurance. The healthshare ministries are an option, but be careful with those. Some doctors will require payment up front and then you'll have to wait months for reimbursement. We had a bad experience with one of the healthshares that kept putting us off, making us resend paperwork, and ended up never paying for an expensive surgery.