Switching to our own health insurance after marriage

Depending on where you go to school you might be able to purchase insurance through the school. If you'll already been done with school by then and not sure about the job you can check the plans that your current insurance company or FH's for quotes on their different plans or on your local state's website for different information. I got mine through locally know insurance companies and started out with the same company that provided the insurance for my mom's work. I also looked online and got quotes from other companies. I paid around $150 about 12 years ago for health insurance. The last time I had personal health insurance I was paying around $300 a month. That was 3 years ago. From comparing insurance in the past with male friends for the exact same coverage, it seemed at the time that women were significantly more expensive then men. Not sure if that has changed or not.

Purchasing your own individual insurance will be very expensive. Speak with your parents and see if you can stay on until you find full-time employment.

I don't know much, but isn't that the purpose of Obamacare? Have you checked www.healthcare.gov?

Try esurance.com. You can get a quote without entering an email or phone number. At least you can get some ballpark figures.

We paid $483 per month just for me and my husband. My daughters are covered by military insurance. His daughters are under their mothers plan.

Obamacare is based on income. My FH had some great stipends because he doesn't make "that" much. He recently switched jobs and will be getting insurance through his new company soon. We haven't been told when though.

As for me - I am self-employed, so I have to purchase my own health insurance. I went through US Health (it is not through Obamacare and you can build it like you want - so it can be expensive or not so expensive - I guess it also depends on what you consider "expensive"). Just remember that health insurance is usually separate from vision and dental insurance. US Health isn't available everywhere in the US (there are doctors I can use throughout the whole US, but new accounts cannot be opened in "certain" states).

ETA: I have an "average" plan and pay $160.15/month (for me) and then an additional $12 for a dental/vision/chiropractor discount plan (so it isn't insurance but I get discounts at certain dentists, eye doctors, and chiropractors). Sometimes though if you pay cash at those offices, you can get discounts (sometimes it less, the same, or more).

I have my own insurance plan right now, it's BCBS and for just myself is $192/month. I applied for Obamacare and they claimed I made too much (which is a joke because I make barely above minimum wage) but that's an option too depending on your salaries.

Thanks for all the help! I looked at the esurance site and was able to get some quotes from there (sent to my email instead of them calling me, like some of the ones I'd tried before--the guy who called said he couldn't give me an estimate if I wasn't getting insurance this month, wth?).

The quotes I found were about $150-200/month for the both of us for dental and health, so that wouldn't be too awful. We'd probably add in a vision plan though, as he has glasses and would need to get those renewed regularly.

Anyway, thanks for the help! You guys are great!

You can stay on your parents' plan after marriage as well, and it may be cheaper. If you want to cover it. see if you can pay them for it. DH was on his parents' plan until turning 26 and I'm still on my parents' plan since I haven't turned 26 yet. They have to keep the family plan for now since my brother is still on it as well, so it doesn't cost anything additional. I know in MA, whether through the state plans or employers, we'd be paying about $300/mo each and that was the same that it would have been through my employer when we lived in PA.

You dont have to get off your parents insurance until you are 26, so unless they are "kicking" you off because you got married, stay on it.

Also healthcare.gov You can get quotes. And the base their quotes on income. However it much more for a woman then man, When myself and now husband looked a few years, mine was about $150.00 more a month then his, even though i'm 10 years with no health problems. Make sense right, NOT.

Not to get political here but Obama care is NOT FREE! FH has that through work. Not only does he pay about $400+ a month just to have it, but he has to spend $4,000, that's right, $4,000 of his own money for medical before the insurance that he pays for even kicks in. It's THE worst system EVER. Mine luckily is free through work. If there's any way you can stay on your parents ins even after marriage I would look into it

Get a part-time or temporary job that has insurance while you're waiting to get a job in your field. I used to work for Starbucks and they had WONDERFUL insurance (so much better than the insurance through my job - in which I pay almost $200 a month). I remember a woman working there who did not need to, but the insurance at Starbucks was so much cheaper for her whole family. So her husband worked his nice high-paying job and she worked 20 hours a week at Starbucks for the insurance.

I don't think anyone suggested that Obamacare is free. Is not designed to be free, its designed to give subsidies and change certain rules for health insurance. Medicaid however is free provided that ones income is low enough.

"Obamacare" isn't free, and in fact, it isn't even the name of the health care. It is the Affordable Care Act, and there are a range of insurance options to choose from. Depending upon income, subsidies can be offered. Also, as far as I was aware, if you are using the ACA you don't have insurance offered through work - for instance, my workplace used to have plans for all hours levels (including part time which is up to 20 hours, hours level 2 which is 20-32, and hours level 3 which is 32-40 weekly hours). After the ACA went into effect, our workplace now only offers work plans for hours level 2 and 3. The part time employees have to go through the marketplace or through their parents if they are young enough.

As a type 1 diabetic with good control who has had this disease since age 10, people's misunderstanding of insurance drives me batty. No, I don't think the ACA is the best thing ever, but since Obama came into office and got rid of preexisting medical condition issues and such it has made my life infinitely better. I couldn't even buy health insurance when I turned 23 and was dropped from my family's plan; I had to pay $600 a month for COBRA until I got my current job.

Also, to the OP - I work at IKEA, and if you happen to live near one you should honestly think about a part time job there (or at Starbucks or something similar as E-Tex said) because health insurance through a job is usually less expensive even then the ACA rates. If you work 20-32 hours at IKEA, you qualify, and the regular plan is about $60 a month. Also, if one of you gets a job you could both go on healthcare from that one location while the other person is trying to find work.

And the ACA was passed under a bill to modify how student loan interest is subsidized...but I digress. If you are still a student and covered under your parent's health insurance, outside of what to do after you're married, you are considered a dependent of your parents. To get off the insurance, you have to be considered "independent". To do so, you have to meet certain criteria with the school. Your being independent also has tax implications for your parents. So while they don't want you on their insurance (rightfully so), they will lose the tax credit for a dependent as well as any tuition paid. They might want to figure out their loss before making a hasty move. Though I agree with them. You want to be a grown up, you need to do grown up things, that includes getting and paying for your own insurance. Being a full time student without working is a luxury many aren't afforded, never mind a married couple. If you want to play house, this is something that goes along with that.

Say what now! Ikea and Starbucks offer insurance for part-time employees. I may look into this. I'm self employed and so is my husband. If I can work an extra 20 hours a week just to have our insurance covered that would be great. Are there any other companies that offer this?

If you do not have a lot of income, you can apply for Medicaid through your state. I work in Michigan processing Medicaid apps. It's free for people of low income and is often 100% coverage.

ETA: just realized Lmac had the same info. your local department of human services can help you and often times you can apply right online.

I just commented on another of your posts so sorry if it seems like I'm stalking you lol.

I also am a student, and when obamacare was enacted it required all insurance companies to cover children until the age of 26 despite marital status. If its an issue of cost to your parents it still would probably be cheaper to remain on their plan and pay them your portion of the cost (that's what we are doing until the FH turns 26 in two years). If thats not possible and you are a full time student your college is required by law to provide you the opportunity to purchase medical insurance through them.

Julia - Whole Foods, too, I think.