maggie Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I am in the process of getting a divorce and will be losing my medical insurance through husband's work, has anyone on here gotten private medical insurance, if so how? I could really use some help this process is so overwhelming, thanks.Maggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue1234 Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 We own our own very small business, so we've had to buy our own insurance for 30 years. It had gotten ridiculously expensive. It is a very expensive part of our income spending, but absolutely need it. We go without ALOT to pay for health insurance.I have to say, I applied for insurance on the Healthcare.gov website a few days ago, and all politics aside, it is a life-saver for us. Our income has been down in the last few years as our business has slowed alot, so based on income, our new insurance cost came waaaayyyy down!(like 75%) It is exactly the same carrier/insurance that we had all these years(BCBS), and I still get to go out of state and see almost any physician.So, I would recommend getting online and seeing what your options are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkd Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I was going to suggest the Healthcare.gov website also. If you can get on it. I haven't tried in a while ( I gave up after a few attempts- I could see the plans, but could never create an account).The plans that I could get through it were exactly the same as going straight through Blue Cross Blue Shield, so we went with an insurance agent and he signed us up for BCBS. We weren't eligible for a government subsidy, so if you think you might be, definitely go through the .gov website and see if you can save some money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lethargic Smiles Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I still have my parents insurance, but I successfully got Medicaid by being declared disabled by the state for having POTS. I had to appeal, but from the time I applied to the time I was approved was less than a year. I live in Illinois. Also, just a tip: you can say you are too ill to come into the office and need to do interviews over the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I have been trying all day. I did get through to healthcare.gov and I also have to much in assets to be approved for government help. I also got onto Blue Cross Blue Shield which is my insurance now, and they also stated I made too much, they stated to try and get on medicare, but don't have any idea how to get on it.Maggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkd Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 That's weird. You may make too much to get any government subsidy, but how much you make shouldn't affect you being able to buy insurance from Blue Cross. I think medicare is affected by how much you make. Try contacting an insurance agent in your area for some help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Medicare is only available to people of retirement age or those approved and on Social Security Disability. Medicaid is the pprogram run through state agencies and subsidized by the feds for people who meet certain low income requirements. The new Obamacare Law should allow you to get insurance regardless of your income although it also allows for federal subsidies if you fall within the income requirements. If you couldn't get it to go through on the website, I would suggest calling the help number. Inorder to get on Medicare (not Medicaid), you need to have stopped working due to ddisability and have gone thtough and have been approved for the Social Security Disability process which can take up to 2 years. If you continue to receive confusing information from the website and individual insurance companies, you can call your state insurance commission and ask for help understanding what the options are in your state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie Posted January 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have won my disability case and have been receiving benefits for over 24 months, which I qualify. I have talk to three insurance agents today, which helped me get this far, but now am stuck. Not one agent knew how to get me on medicare. Thanks for all your help, I will look for my state commission number tomorrow and try that route. All the government sites I tried stated that I had too many assets to apply. I should restate that I could get insurance, but the cost started at 600.00 and went to as high as 900.00 a month which is what I'm trying to get across to my soon to be ex, who is going to pay this amount?Maggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 If you have been on SSDI for that long, you should have automatically received your enrollment in medicare and your card for Medicare part A and B. If you didn't get the paperwork, you should call your Social Security office. They process this information automatically. I wonder if being on your husband's insurance triggered something in the system with the whole thing. Even if it did, I believe (as it usually does for other types of insurance) that the divorce should be considered a qualifying event. The Social Security office is definitely who you need to talk to for that. Once you get on Medicare, you will also qualify for Medicare supplement plans to help supplement the Part B (doctor's charges) and Part D (prescription). The available plans for these supplement options vary by state but you can get a good list of insurance providers for these by going to Medicare. gov and entering in some basic information. Medicare doesn't cover prescriptions so if you want coverage for scripts you have to purchase one of these part d plans. (I just went through all this at the beginning of December. That's how I know all this wonderful information. ) But, like I said, you'll have to get the Medicare in place first, then you can get the supplement plans. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie Posted January 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thank you for all this info. I'm going out of town tomorrow, but as soon as I get back I will head to the social security building and see what I can get done.Maggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I work as a consultant, so have to buy my own health insurance. I didn't qualify for aid either, but you can still buy healthcare from the healthcare.gov website even if you don't qualify and it is a LOT cheaper.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkd Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I guess cheaper is relative and I'm sure it's different depending on where you live. Through my hubby's work, we were paying $800 per month and now through the new exchange we're paying $630 per month (that's a high deductible plan also!). So, yes, cheaper, but still expensive. That's a house payment for a lot of people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue1234 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 We were paying $1300 month for our health insurance for the last few years((for me, my husband, and college-aged daughter)with high deductible)), and just less than that for the few years before that. Because I can't work, we are low-middle income, so this was a significant part of our monthly income. As I mentioned above, we qualified for a subsidy which helped tremendously. I don't feel bad in taking it, as I have never filed for any kind of disability, even though we could have used the money. So I guess this substitutes that for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 I would consider even $50/month a lot cheaper because that amounts to $600/year. I live in one of the most expensive states of health insurance and mine is less than half of what I was paying before, several hundred dollars cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E Soskis Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Do you have any cobra coverage with your husband's insurance? - Can your receive any assistance from your ex for insurance coverage? Seems like the court would mandate assistance due to your chronic medical condition. Sorry about divorce - I know it is very stressful and I also know how it negatively impacts dysautonomia - any help the court can give you, take it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I have been doing my homework and found out I'm not on plan b, so they are sending me forms to fill out. Now I am working on getting the supplement plan. Thanks for all the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 I'm so glad the information helped. It was a little hard to navigate through it all so I'm glad I was able to pass on some of what I learned. I'm also glad to hear your flight went well!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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