I am a single mom of one son and only have my income to rely on. No child support. I pay $100/mo. for my son's insurance premiums, which I know is not a lot, but if I were to drop his health insurance, I could apply for Peachcare (GA) after 6 months of him being uninsured. I work for the local hospital and they give great assistance to uninsured patients, and they also payroll deduct medical bills in small increments (interest free) so I would not have to pay the entire bill in full. Last year, I paid $1222 in premiums and he only went to Urgent Care once for a bloody nose which totaled $180 before insurance paid! I just need some thoughts about my decision, please. He would only be uninsured for 6 months, so it's not like I'm taking him off for a year or more. Is this a mistake or is it just a gamble?
Insurance - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Jo, are you a lucky person? 6 months is a long time in the kid world. Broken arm, or leg, god forbid cancer. Medical debts are the second leading cause of bankruptcy. I'm not a lucky person, i would not take the chance.
2 :
Couple of thoughts (I'm a broker here in GA): PeachCare for Kids is a great plan and if you can get him on it you won't be able to do better. On the other hand, you are sorta' gambling that nothing serious (&, therefore, expensive) will come up. Another alternative would be to get a plan on him that's less costly ($100/month for a son seems high to me). Given the amount of health care he seems to have had (not much), then I suggest a plan with a higher deductible and, therefore, a lower premium. Even with a high deductible, like $2500 or even $5000, he will still be able to go to a network MD and only have to pay a copayment of $30 or $40 for the office visit. (The premium, depending on age, etc. would probably be in the range of $50-75/month.) If you'd like to see some specific quotes on individual health insurance for him, please visit our website where you can run them yourself (see below).
3 :
I have to agree with the others that going without is a big risk. You should ask Peachcare what happens if he does incur a claim in that six month period--some state medicaid programs have a look back period, so they will cover claims incurred during a break time. You are the only person who can make this decision. There's no shame in accepting assistance for health care for your children.
4 :
What's the difference between a mistake and a gamble, if he breaks his leg and needs surgery and you have a $75,000 medical bill? NO WAY would I have my child go uninsured. And for $100 a month, private doctors have a much shorter wait, than welfare doctors.
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