Health Insurance

[swanson719]

I don't really know what topic this falls under, so I apologize if this is misplaced.

I have a 3yr old little sister and 5 yr old little brother - yes, they are 19 and 17 years younger than me. My parents have never been the responsible type financially. My mom recently told me they are on again off again with their health insurance, even with the kids. Last time I visited them I got my mom a copy of Total Money Makeover to try and get them on track.

So I was wondering if it would be prudent to look into the cost of getting health insurance just to cover the kids and perhaps purchasing it for them. I don't want to interfere with my parents finances, but at the same time I want my little brother and sister to be able to get to the doctor.

My problem with this is that I want to set it up in my parents name and pay the annual fee for the insurance, and leave them to pay the copay and deductible. I think they would still avoid the doctor for the copay though. Case in point - they didn't have insurance when my little sister was born, after a year of trying to get pregnant.

My fear with paying for the whole policy is that I would be taken advantage of and the kids would be in the doctors office all the time for frivolous things. I would rather them be in for stupid reasons than have a repeat of my little sister having a broken foot and having to stay at home until she couldn't walk on it anymore.

My parents make too much to qualify for social programs like Medicaid or their state sponsored insurance plan. They are both spenders though and prioritize wrong - i.e. Annual Passes for Disneyland for them and the kids but no health insurance.

What can I do in this situation?

[maat55]

IMO, your situation is typical for the nation as a whole. Most people do not want to spend money on health ins. or unnecessary healthcare when it comes from their own pocket.

The point of insurance is to cover us from healthcare costs we cannot afford, but with the money we pay for insurance we could pay small out of pocket cost like office calls and most small emergencies.

This is why for the general public I am for HDHP's with the savings going to HSA accounts. Most people will not save for the HSA's and this is where I can live with government intrusion. Just like we have medicare deducted from our pay, we could have the same done for the HSA and only be able to use the HSA for qualified uses. The government would have no access to these accounts other than through healthcare lawsuits.

I believe that the more money that has to come out of the pockets of the individual for healthcare expenses, the more competition and prudence will occur in the industry.

Society has to change its priorities and include healthcare insurance and or savings for future healthcare into their budgets, just as we do for cars and other wants. But I do not want to see further government involvement in the transfer of funds from taxpayer to provider.

All you can do is present the most affordable plan you can to them and encourage them to protect your siblings. At the very least, they should establish their own HSA(would not be recognized by government without high deductable ins.) for office calls and meds.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I do think you could purchase insurance for these children. But it sounds like it had better be insurance where the doctor's office people bill the insurance directly rather than your parents have to submit for refund or payment.

I have no idea how much it might cost to insure children.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to get some basic preventative service for your sibs if your parents will sign some sort of medical guardianship so that you can sign for the services. Some cities, states, or counties offer free childhood immunizations, no proof of income necessary. Some offer general health check-ups before the school years or before the beginning of a sports teams or a publicly sponsored summer camp. Such check ups would likely be extremely rudimentary, but it might be that if you are present and explain the situation, the doctor would do a more conscientious check up and perhaps answer questions for you. A child I know went for that kind of ante-school check up this summer and she was given a nice little talk, too, about proper diet and the importance of sleep and exercise. She took it very seriously and repeated all the info to me. Some schools offer free eye, speech, and hearing screening, as do some universities if you can make appointments for that and bring the kids.

Do you really think your sibs are missing out on medical care? I tend to think that some people go to the doctor too much, so I am a little skeptical. However a 3 and a 7 year old still do have immunizations to get, and more seem to be added to the list every 3-4 years. The main thing is they do need to have a doctor lined up already so that when there is a need they have someone they can see and not be corned into going to an ER.

I can imagine this is very frustrating for you.

[MonkeyMama]

One more thing to add - check locally and in your state what kind of help is available to insure children.

You can make a good living and get free health insurance for your kids, in California. They are rolling out a new program and I Was shocked at the income limits (very high, in my opinion). You never know what help is available until you look.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

You say you've already checked into the state non-Medicaid programs, but I'm providing this link just in case. (I'm assuming your parents live in same state as you.)

MO HealthNet for Kids Portal

Why don't you go ahead and call an insurance company on Monday and see what they can offer?

[swanson719]

Joan - I'm active duty and stationed here - my parents live in SoCal. Very different situation.