Need Family Insurance

Updated on June 22, 2008
S.L. asks from Phoenix, AZ
28 answers

I am a first time mom of 2 month old triplets. I love my new role in life, and it is not possible for me to go back to work. I am worried, however, because my family's insurance is through my employer. It may be possible to work from home, but I want to save money and not have to hire a babysitter for the time that I would have to work. They were 2 months early, but are perfectly healthy. I am looking for links or sites for family insurance for at least myself and the kids. My husband can be insured through his employer, but the benefits are terrible and would cost us 800 a month. Also, he makes too much for us to qualify for WIC. Any thoughts?

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T.T.

answers from Phoenix on

Hey Julie did you find insurance for your family? Let me help check it out and if you like anything you see leave your contact info. www.primerica.com/tanyataylor Thanks

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M.A.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi, I have AZ Blue Cross Blue Shield for my two boys (ages 1 and 2).
It costs me $255.00 per month to insure them under the Blue Preferred plan with a $5000 deductible. If I added myself to the plan it would have been around $275...
I know once the child turns two it reduces drastically so yours will be higher since your three babies are still infants. Good luck and hopefully our health care system will be addressed by the govtmnt.
P.S. I agree with the lady below.. The Miracle Blanket is amazing. I used mine so much with my youngest that it started to get holes in it. :-)

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R.A.

answers from Phoenix on

Apply for kidscare it is for people who make to much money for state help.....

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J.L.

answers from Denver on

Hi Julia,

Congratulations on your triplets. What a wonderful miracle to have three healthy babies!

I posted an insurance question on here some time ago and one mom gave me this link, www.insweb.com. It has all different kinds of insurance and will give you instant quotes.

Good luck. Insurance is a tough thing.

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S.G.

answers from Denver on

Blue Cross Blue Shield has the best non-group health insurance plans for the price, in my opinion.

I'm a licensed insurance producer but I don't actually sell it any more. I do have a couple of tips for you: If anyone in your family suffers from depression, don't mention it. If you do, they will likely reject you or charge you a crazy premium. You also may want to downplay any other chronic illnesses such as high cholesterol or diabetes. Just put on the application that the condition is fully under control with medication.

Hope that helps. Email me if you have more questions. I know a lot about this stuff and enjoy helping people navigate the industry.

Stephanie
____@____.com

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S.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I got insurance through online qoutes, I cant remember the name...I think it was einsurance.com. We went with a high deductable plan to save alittle in monthly payments. For my kids I just added a rider for their well visits to be covered. For my 3 kids, my husband and I we pay $530 a month. Thats with no maternity. Its through Golden Rule. I We were paying $1200 a month for insurance through my husbands job which to me is just insane, even though it was pretty good coverage. This new one isnt bad, not the greatest but it gives us what we need.Good luck and congrats on the 3 new babies!

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C.W.

answers from Phoenix on

HI!

I wish we lived in Illinois - they had a state plan that guaranteed that every child in the state was guaranteed health insurance - it was income based but you either paid nothing and had no deductible or copay or you paid a $2 or $5 copay and a premium that was very reasonable. I recently moved here so I would contact the State sponsored INS Plans and see what they can offer you, if at all possible - go down there (and if you can take the kids with you) - in IL if you went to the Public Aid offices you were virtually guaranteed to get on their plan. Also - as for WIC I would revisit them with your new situation. You have a family of five now and unless your husband makes an extremely high amount of money per month - you should qualify - no problem. So give it a try. Also - I would shy away from any plans with high copays, deductibles or out of pocket expenses. You have three healthy but premature babies and that means for the next year at least lots of routine checks ups that they are required to go to PLUS you may need to take them for other things - unless you have a plan that pays 100% you all will be paying portions of their visits out of your own pocket. That also means three copays and deductibles etc. under a family plan and that can impact your budget severly as well. Many people don't realize that and if you start a new plan you will have to pay those upfront before the INS will pay anything - so a $1000.00 deductible means you pay that before they pay. Also, if you have an 80/20 plan or something like that - it means that you still pay an additional 20% of your visit costs after you meet your deductible. Another thing to consider - its almost the end of the year - you will have to do this all again come January as your deductible becomes due once again. So if you can't continue on your COBRA plan because it may be to expensive long term (they usually are)- consider it at least until the end of the year if possible. My recommendation however, contact the state and get on a state plan. Call and find out what you need to qualify but don't give them all your info and then head on down there in person. In Illinois, the girls in the Office would always tease that men got it easier that women, however, you should be able to get it no problems with triplets (CONGRATULATIONS!!!). I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

PS - there are a few Companies currently hiring for work from home positions that wouldn't require you to open your own business. They are ____@____.com (www.hirepoint.com), GE and Westat.com - check out Careerbuilder and search at home or you can visit the websites and see if they have any positions that will fill your needs. I recently started working from Teletech, even my training was at home and they make a monthly contribution into a spending account for you that comes out to $600.00 a year - great for copays, deductibles and more.

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C.W.

answers from Denver on

I work from home and my company actually offers a health plans. However I don't use them because my husband's work covers our insurance.

If you would like to hear more just let me know as I can further find out what insurance they offer and how much it runs.

To that I would have to introduce the company to you and a presentation takes about 45 minutes. The presentation is amazing and can be done over the phone if you are to busy to meet in person.

have a great evening!
C.

Blessings,
C.

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M.E.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi Julia.
Congrats on your triplets - wow, what a blessing!
My husband & I relocated to a new state last year and were facing the same insurance dilemma.. not wanting to pay the high cost of COBRA, offered from his old employer. We found alot of affordable options on ehealthinsurance.com
It kept us covered for a year and gave us the peace of mind we were looking for... I hope it will do the same for you. Best wishes.. enjoy the new life that's in front of you.
M.
mother of Daniel, age 3

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A.M.

answers from Denver on

Hi Julia,
My husband does this for a living. He's been in the insurance industry for over 10 years. I'm sure he'd be able to at the very least, give you solid advice. Here's his info:
Darren Gonzales
###-###-####
____@____.com

A.

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S.D.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is whoI use. I'm a sinle mom ith a 5 yr old and my employeer doesn't offer insurance. It is fairly reseaonable, 250 a month for the 2 of us

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A.O.

answers from Denver on

Go to www.insweb.com and you can get quotes from all kinds of carriers. We got our through there with Goldenrule. We chose a higher deductible to have a lower premium. Good Luck!

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L.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Julia,

I would love to help you out. I have my own home based business that would help you in two ways. It would help you with the insurance problem and also give you a home based business to earn extra money. The business is discounted Health/Dental benefits. So it isn't actual insurance but it works in place of insurance. Please email me at ____@____.com and let me know if you are interested or not and if you are I will give you more details.

Thanks,
L.

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J.J.

answers from Phoenix on

try kids care, ask you pediatrician to refer you. this is an insurance for people taht make too much for access but not enough to buy their own insurance. talk to you insurance and ask for a discount sometimes they do it if you beg enough dont talk to the person that answers the phone, ask for a supervisor

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K.H.

answers from Phoenix on

First of all Julia, congratulations on your three healthy children! What a blessing. I can refer you to a lady who has a great family insurance plan. Here's her information -
Carol Matthews Ph: ###-###-####. Tell her K. sent you.
I would also recommend you look up a parents of twins and multiples club. This can be great support for the special
needs and questions you have. Here's a link to the website
where you can choose the city closest to you.
http://multiparents.meetup.com/cities/us/az/

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J.C.

answers from Phoenix on

We had a PPO plan that we paid for privately through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. It was wonderful insurance for my husband and children. I was not on the plan because they did not have an affordable maternity plan. My husband was only $130 a month and each child was an additional $100. The premium changed every year, but I always felt that they were very reasonable.

We just switched the whole family to United Healthcare because they had maternity coverage that was a little more affordable. For all four of us we pay $450 per month. I know this sounds like a lot, but you could always work a few hours a week doing something in-home to make the extra money.

There are also a few employers out there that pay for benefits, but you only have to work part time. I chose to do in-home daycare instead of working outside of the home, but you might be able to work at one of these places without getting childcare for your children, since you could work at night. Some of the places I have heard of are Lowe's, Home Depot, Costco, Starbuck's and I know there are many more. You could probably google it and get more information. Good luck, it took us six months to find the right plan. I went through a broker for our insurance and I got their name from my car insurance company.

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J.E.

answers from Phoenix on

Have you tried kidcare or access I'm not sure if its spelled like that.

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R.P.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi you are here in Maricopa Check out the insurance thru the DES office I think it is called KIDS Care and they also have access you may not qualify because of income frestraints with access but I am sure you can qualify for kids care .Call up DES in Casa Grande and tell them you want to apply for medical. I am quite sure wiyth new triplets you can qualify they go by income and expenses.Dont be embarrassed it is alot cheaper than what you would have to pay thru a private company and it is not bad insurance.I hope this helps

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M.R.

answers from Phoenix on

My family has our insurance through the NASE, MEGA life and health insurance. They are pretty good. You can call Phil Ohst and find out more at ###-###-####.

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C.K.

answers from Tucson on

Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS on your new family! If you had insurance coverage with your employer before going on maternity leave, than you should qualify for a Cobra Plan. Ask your Human Resource Dept. Below, are some links that might be helpful.

On another note (because I am a birth and postpartum doula) I wondered if you have, or have heard of The Miracle Blanket? Go to www.miracleblanket.com It is an AMAZING swaddling blanket GUARANTEED to keep your babies sleeping soundly for longer. All my clients use them. If you would like to know more about them, let me know :)

http://www.cobrahealthplans.com/quotes/?ref=cobra_health_...

http://www.geocities.com/iomotc/snaf.htm

http://www.givemeinsurancequotes.com/gmiq/index.php

Another option: Avon offers insurance plans, and you can sign up for just $10 to be a rep (with no sales quotas, and get 20-50% off products for yourself) AND have access to discounted plans and other services :) www.youravon.com/ckinstle

Blessings,
C.

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C.M.

answers from Flagstaff on

ehealthinsurance.com is excellent. Just put in your info and it will give you several plans to choose from and it's somewhat affordable. Alao, as far as budgeting, microsoft money is great, it helps you track your spending and gives advice on where you can save money after you've used it for a while. Hope this helps. Congrats on the triplets!

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L.E.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi Julia,
You may want to look into NM Kids. It's a affordable insurance for children and perhaps they can give you information on the cheapest insurance policy for you. I think Lovelace is about $200 a month for just one person but definitely call and inquire; blue cross may be cheaper.

Let me know if you were successful. I'm on the search as well and we could compare notes.

Best,
L.

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E.L.

answers from Phoenix on

Hey Julia,
My friend at work has private health insurance. Here is what she said:

"I switched to Cigna HMO for me and I switched Cam and Brandon to United HealthCare Golden Rule. It is $167.00 total per month for Brandon and Cameron and $189.00 a month for me, which includes maternity care. I have an insurance agent who does all the paper work and the insurance companies pay her directly. Nothing comes out of our pocket. If you want to pass it along her name is Pegge Tennant of Tennant & Associates and her number is ###-###-####. She’s awesome. Their website address is http://www.insurance-by-tennant.com .

Good Luck!

E. :o)

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T.H.

answers from Albuquerque on

I use Blue Cross Blue Shield self-employed insurance. I pay $140/month for myself and my 3 year old. http://bcbsnm.com
I use the Blue Choice plan b. Good luck.

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M.M.

answers from Reno on

I could have sworn I saw an article in the paper last week or so regarding the Colorado governor making a state plan available for all people in the state, because 60% of the population is uninsured.

I'm going to do some searching on the web to find the link to this and post it on here for you.

You can try these link:
http://www.covercolorado.org/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.coloradohealth.com/

But I'm pretty sure they are private companies giving our quotes on regular insurance.

There is also this link, which provides coverage for kids and pregnant women:
http://www.cchp.org/chpweb/mainPage.cfm

I hope that at least helps you - I know how it stinks to be insurance-less and that $800.00 a month is probably more than you would have in claims! Good luck.

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A.B.

answers from Phoenix on

I have a couple of questions and suggestions for you. Did WIC tell you that you make too much, or just someone you know? Because I think that with premature multiples, they have to cover you anyways. My twins were 28 week-ers, and WIC covers them for 9 cans each per month. That doesn't last us the whole month, and I still have to buy 10-12 cans on my own, but it is better than having to buy it all myself. If it was WIC who told you that you don't qualify, were you counting your income at the time, or just your husband's? If they were counting yours too, I would go back and tell them that you are no longer working and see what they can do. I know that it is a process to get help, but you have to stick to your guns. What did your babies weigh at birth? If they were tiny, then they might even qualify for SSI. Also, I have some information on a home-based business if you are interested. It is called MONA-VIE. They don't have an insurance plan, exactly, but if you work it right and you are committed, then it is very possible to make thousands of dallars PER WEEK in less than 1 year. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is real. If you would like to learn more about it, then contact me at ###-###-####. If you have any other questions about anything else I've said, feel free to call!

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T.T.

answers from Tucson on

This is such a difficult position to be in and I feel for you. When we needed to have coverage in the past and the employer coverage was not available or excessive we purchased insurance through Golden Rule and it was reasonably priced considering the fact that we were paying 100% of the premium. They are a company within United Healthcare so I felt comfortable trusting them. You can check out their website at http://www.mygoldenrulehsa.com/ARIZONA.html. Good luck with this.

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