I am a single mom and my 2 kids are insured under my plan through work. It is costing me $215 per month out of my paycheck and I can’t afford it. So, I want to take them off and put them on the insurance for children through the state. How much will it cost me under that program?
In which state do you reside?
2 Comments
We live in Minnesota
Comment by Ramona — January 31, 2007 @ 2:45 pm
The Children’s Health Insurance Program in the state of Minnesota is called MinnesotaCare. The amount that you pay for your monthly premium will depend on your income. The minimum for 2 children is $8, and the maximum is $300, which is more than you are paying under your group health plan. If your income is $2,000 per month, the current premium for 2 children would be $106. If your income is less, the premium payment will be less. You do not want to remove your children from the group plan until you are sure that they are eligible for MinnesotaCare. In most cases, a child must have been uninsured for at least 4 months before they can go on MinnesotaCare. This is to prevent families from canceling their current coverage, only to go onto the state plan. Some families may qualify for immediate acceptance, but you will want to make sure that you qualify for this waiver. You may contact them at 888-988-6300 to ask further about this.
If you find out that you are not eligible for this waiver, you would need to have the children uninsured for 4 months, which is never advisable. An alternative option may be putting them on an individual health insurance policy through a private health insurance carrier. Blue Cross of Minnesota has many plan options, and you can purchase coverage for just the children, and you can stay on your group plan. These would be permanent issue policies and you would not need to worry about losing eligibility under MinnesotaCare if your income increases. You should be able to find coverage for less than you are paying now, but you may need to sacrifice benefits if your current coverage is comprehensive with a low deductible.
I am a single mom and my 2 kids are insured under my plan through work. It is costing me $215 per month out of my paycheck and I can’t afford it. So, I want to take them off and put them on the insurance for children through the state. How much will it cost me under that program?
In which state do you reside?
We live in Minnesota
Comment by Ramona — January 31, 2007 @ 2:45 pm
The Children’s Health Insurance Program in the state of Minnesota is called MinnesotaCare. The amount that you pay for your monthly premium will depend on your income. The minimum for 2 children is $8, and the maximum is $300, which is more than you are paying under your group health plan. If your income is $2,000 per month, the current premium for 2 children would be $106. If your income is less, the premium payment will be less. You do not want to remove your children from the group plan until you are sure that they are eligible for MinnesotaCare. In most cases, a child must have been uninsured for at least 4 months before they can go on MinnesotaCare. This is to prevent families from canceling their current coverage, only to go onto the state plan. Some families may qualify for immediate acceptance, but you will want to make sure that you qualify for this waiver. You may contact them at 888-988-6300 to ask further about this.
If you find out that you are not eligible for this waiver, you would need to have the children uninsured for 4 months, which is never advisable. An alternative option may be putting them on an individual health insurance policy through a private health insurance carrier. Blue Cross of Minnesota has many plan options, and you can purchase coverage for just the children, and you can stay on your group plan. These would be permanent issue policies and you would not need to worry about losing eligibility under MinnesotaCare if your income increases. You should be able to find coverage for less than you are paying now, but you may need to sacrifice benefits if your current coverage is comprehensive with a low deductible.
Comment by admin — January 31, 2007 @ 2:57 pm