family health insurance

[kerouacbivouac]

Hello, originally posted this on the Spouse/Partner forum and was told there was better information here. None of the relevant threads are current, so I'm starting a new one, especially since everything is different now that ACA is in effect:

My husband is leaving the military to go to medical school starting this fall. I'm now an overeducated stay at home parent to one child, although we plan to have more. The university health plan for students with dependents is outrageous--$14k+ annual fee!!! There's no way we can afford this, and we're hesitant to take on extra student loans to cover it. So, a few questions, because we're thoroughly confused coming from military healthcare...

Can grad student families qualify for Medicaid? We will be living in Michigan and using the GI Bill--not sure if our housing allowance ($1659/month) would disqualify us (any income that does not go towards school, including student loan monies, can disqualify you). Have any other MD student families qualified?

Are there any other families in our situation (med student and stay at home parent with kids) who have found more affordable health coverage? Not interested in a high deductible plan since we plan to have more kids (in a hospital, obviously--unaffordable with a high deductible plan). I wanted to compare plans on healthcare.gov but couldn't get much further than creating an account because we don't have a Michigan address yet.

Or does everyone just suck it up and take on extra student loans to cover the university family health plan? :-/

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DrMidlife]

See if you can find a navigator in Michigan. MI expanded Medicaid but coming off a high income you're a long way from getting in.

I'd google "michigan navigator obamacare". Look for fact sheets.

You need to have a "qualifying event" to enroll outside the deadlines (which just passed). Presumably military separation counts.

Also note that there's a pending Supreme Court ruling, too close to call, that threatens the exchange subsidies.

Unfortunately I would predict $14k is competitive for a family rate, at least for the first year.

Best of luck to you.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

See if you can find a navigator in Michigan. MI expanded Medicaid but coming off a high income you're a long way from getting in.

I'd google "michigan navigator obamacare".

Also note that there's a pending Supreme Court ruling that's too close to call

Thank you--I'd never even heard of this navigator concept, so this is already a big help! To which Supreme Court case are you referring?

 

[DrMidlife]

I must live in a bubble - I can't comprehend how people don't know when there's a fairly viable challenge to the ACA. That's about me, not you, but please start checking headlines. King v. Burrell.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

I must live in a bubble - I can't comprehend how people don't know when there's a fairly viable challenge to the ACA. That's about me, not you, but please start checking headlines. King v. Burrell.

Ahh, you edited your original reply. Yes, I had read about the deadlines and assumed military separation counted.

Re: ACA news, obviously I'm following it now, but being military affiliated and having healthcare, I didn't have much reason to until now.

Just got myself all caught up on that SCOTUS case (I think). Crap.

 

[sazerac]

For what it's worth, in my state I pay $10K a year. $2K for me, $4K for wife, $4K for unlimited number of kids.

It seemed expensive, so we are maximizing our benefits by having a ton of kids in medical school. It's just our little way of sticking it to the man!

 

[kerouacbivouac]

Pretty big difference between 10k and 14k! But point taken. We plan to have two more kids while my husband is in school, actually Do you just take out extra loans to pay for it?

 

[sazerac]

We had one kid before medical school, and two more in med school. I'm thinking of becoming a pediatrician, lol.

I am a non trad student with a successful prior career, so we are spending down our savings instead of doing loans.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

We had one kid before medical school, and two more in med school. I'm thinking of becoming a pediatrician, lol.

I am a non trad student with a successful prior career, so we are spending down our savings instead of doing loans.

Similar situation for us, need to hold onto our savings, though. I've got my own student loans

 

[NonTradJp]

Just want to say I'm in a similar situation and will find out how to goes in a few months.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one! I've reached out to a medical spouse blogger I know who tried to connect me to a medical spouse FB group, but the FB group won't let me in until my husband has started classes...by which time it will be too late to ask the question!!! So for now, I'm just going to sit tight and then apply for medicaid as soon as we've moved to Michigan. Then I guess we suck it up and take out extra loans for almost $15k/year if we don't qualify for medicaid :-/

 

[atj]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one! I've reached out to a medical spouse blogger I know who tried to connect me to a medical spouse FB group, but the FB group won't let me in until my husband has started classes...by which time it will be too late to ask the question!!! So for now, I'm just going to sit tight and then apply for medicaid as soon as we've moved to Michigan. Then I guess we suck it up and take out extra loans for almost $15k/year if we don't qualify for medicaid :-/

I'm in the same situation as I'm a vet with a wife and kid and am starting medical school in the fall. My solution: the Reserves. Contract was short, got a signing bonus, and was eligible for a great healthcare plan at about $220 a month for the ENTIRE FAMILY. I was initially against joining the Reserves but the benefits were too good to pass up. I would suggest looking into it.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

Mind if I ask which Reserve program you are doing, what all the benefits are, and what your obligation is? All we've found Reserve-wise is one year service per 6 months of benefits, which they make you take during residency, too...for the specialty my husband is looking at, that would mean 20 years Reserve time which he wouldn't finish til he's 60! (4 years med school times 2, minimum 6 years residency times 2--IF he gets into an integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency. even longer if he doesn't get that and has to do general surgery first.) definitely not worth it.

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Hello, originally posted this on the Spouse/Partner forum and was told there was better information here. None of the relevant threads are current, so I'm starting a new one, especially since everything is different now that ACA is in effect:

My husband is leaving the military to go to medical school starting this fall. I'm now an overeducated stay at home parent to one child, although we plan to have more. The university health plan for students with dependents is outrageous--$14k+ annual fee!!! There's no way we can afford this, and we're hesitant to take on extra student loans to cover it. So, a few questions, because we're thoroughly confused coming from military healthcare...

Can grad student families qualify for Medicaid? We will be living in Michigan and using the GI Bill--not sure if our housing allowance ($1659/month) would disqualify us (any income that does not go towards school, including student loan monies, can disqualify you). Have any other MD student families qualified?

Are there any other families in our situation (med student and stay at home parent with kids) who have found more affordable health coverage? Not interested in a high deductible plan since we plan to have more kids (in a hospital, obviously--unaffordable with a high deductible plan). I wanted to compare plans on healthcare.gov but couldn't get much further than creating an account because we don't have a Michigan address yet.

Or does everyone just suck it up and take on extra student loans to cover the university family health plan? :-/

I can speak to one part of your question. I had a baby while on a HDHP. My out of pocket expense was ZERO. Check the HDHP benefits before you write them off completely.

That being said, I'm putting my husband and son on Medicaid when I start school this fall.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

Thanks for the info about HDHP. How do you already know that they'll qualify? What I've found so far points to us not having a sure answer about medicaid until we're in Michigan, husband is officially unemployed, and school starts. (Perhaps I should add that we own one house which we rent out and are thinking about buying one in Ann Arbor; we're afraid this will disqualify us in spite of not having any technical income, just student loan and GI Bill money.)

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Thanks for the info about HDHP. How do you already know that they'll qualify? What I've found so far points to us not having a sure answer about medicaid until we're in Michigan, husband is officially unemployed, and school starts. (Perhaps I should add that we own one house which we rent out and are thinking about buying one in Ann Arbor; we're afraid this will disqualify us in spite of not having any technical income, just student loan and GI Bill money.)

Our income is going to be zero and we are not moving states. In addition, I talked to the financial aid office and most families here are on Medicaid. Have you talked to your financial aid office?

 

[kerouacbivouac]

I'm not the incoming student, so I haven't I'll ask my husband to contact them. I really appreciate the tip! It didn't even occur to me to ask financial aid, just the student health office since that's the website with the health insurance information. None of this was relevant to me when I was in college or grad school!

 

[Leslie_Knope]

I'm not the incoming student, so I haven't I'll ask my husband to contact them. I really appreciate the tip! It didn't even occur to me to ask financial aid, just the student health office since that's the website with the health insurance information. None of this was relevant to me when I was in college or grad school!

I apologize. I did read that in the OP but neglected the detail in my response. Here is another tip: my school has two financial aid contacts: the main office for undergraduates which also does all the paperwork and loans and then a medical school specific office for scholarships and questions that are specific to us. Make sure your spouse is talking to the right person.

And I think I know that FB group you are referring to. I am in it, even though I don't start until August. Did your spouse try to join? The one I am in is for spouses and students/residents/attendings.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

My spouse hasn't tried to join any relevant FB groups. the one I've been encouraged to join is Lives of Doctors' Wives (bugs me that it's gender specific), and they screen by sending a confirmation email to your spouse's university email address. I asked for an exception and even showed an acceptance letter since my husband won't have a uni email til later this summer, but they still said not until classes start. (eye roll)

 

[Leslie_Knope]

My spouse hasn't tried to join any relevant FB groups. the one I've been encouraged to join is Lives of Doctors' Wives (bugs me that it's gender specific), and they screen by sending a confirmation email to your spouse's university email address. I asked for an exception and even showed an acceptance letter since my husband won't have a uni email til later this summer, but they still said not until classes start. (eye roll)

What an obnoxious name for a group. Try this one. https://m.facebook.com/groups/755489444509800

 

[kerouacbivouac]

What an obnoxious name for a group. Try this one. https://m.facebook.com/groups/755489444509800

it really is obnoxious, but supposedly it's a great group. what's the name of your group? my browser app wants me to log in when I click the link, but I cannot remember my password off the top of my head and would like to search for it in the FB app.

(sidenote, I've been clicking quote this whole time and it didn't until now. wtf)

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Nurturing Medical Marriages w/ Kim Blackham, LMFT

 

[kerouacbivouac]

ha, I am a counselor, actually. I bet I'll love this group!

 

[Leslie_Knope]

ha, I am a counselor, actually. I bet I'll love this group!

I hope so! I have been pleased so far. Sort of bummed, though, since I haven't met anyone in a similar situation to my family. There are a lot of military vet wives, though. You'll fit right in.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

wellll I really don't fit in in military culture, which is one if the reasons for my husband's career change. clearly there are others that are way more important but for real, the military is such an odd subculture.

 

[Leslie_Knope]

wellll I really don't fit in in military culture, which is one if the reasons for my husband's career change. clearly there are others that are way more important but for real, the military is such an odd subculture.

I won't pretend to know much about military culture. I'm just saying that a lot of people in the group have navigated a similar path to what you'll be on. Congratulations on this upcoming adventure. It is going to rock.

 

[kerouacbivouac]

yes, so excited!!! congratulations to you, by the way!