No insurance?

I was talking to a woman at the gym today (I'm not a morning person, but sometimes I'm awake enough to carry on a conversation.....) and she was talking about her job at the hospital. I said, "Oh, we used to be there ALL the time! My kids have asthma and they were in the hospital 12 times when they were younger. Their asthma seems to be better now that they're older."

She asked how old my kids are now, because she has a son that is almost 26 (which means he will no longer be covered on her insurance.) And that will be a BIG problem because he has diabetes. She said he better find a good job that has insurance!!

We REALLY worry about that with my husband's job. If he ever lost his job, who is going to hire him? Who would want to insure him - with a wife and 3 teenagers who have asthma (and a history of hospitalizations?!!) 

 

We would be one of those families that no one would want to insure. I went on the HealthCare.gov website and here's what it says about covering  pre-existing conditions. :

Being sick doesn't keep you from getting coverage

Starting in 2014, being sick won't keep you from getting health coverage. An insurance company can't turn you down or charge you more because of your condition.
Once you have insurance, the plan can't refuse to cover treatment for pre-existing conditions. Coverage for your pre-existing conditions begins immediately.
This is true even if you have been turned down or refused coverage due to a pre-existing condition in the past.

One exception: Grandfathered individual health insurance plans

The only exception is for grandfathered individual health insurance plans -- the kind you buy yourself, not through an employer. They do not have to cover pre-existing conditions.
If you have one of these plans you can switch to a Marketplace plan during open enrollment and immediately get coverage for your pre-existing conditions.

I still worry because Son #2 has monthly Xolair injections to control his severe asthma (and those cost  hefty $1500 a month.) What if he has to buy his own insurance? The website says that "Grandfathered" plans don't have to cover pre-existing conditions. 

Where do you go for help if you don't have insurance? We use Needymeds to get co-pay assistance for Son #2's Xolair. But they also have a map that lists FREE or LOW COST clinics anywhere in the U.S.  Just click on your state, or enter your Zip Code and it will search for clinics near you. I randomly clicked on a state (Arizona) and found 209 free/low cost clinics.

Don't skip going to the doctor because you don't have insurance. Check out Needymeds to find a clinic near you, and then to find co-pay assistance. Programs are out there, let's use them!!