I am probably overreacting I will admit that, and yes I know this is something I should have started planning for earlier, but I am not very good at foresight and I didn’t think it was going to become as big (or annoying) of a deal as it seems like it will be.
I had the luxury of being included in my parents plan until I graduated college, then enrolled in the young adult version of their plan which I just aged out of. Premiums and deductibles were low, and everything I needed was covered. Ive applied for an extension of coverage which would last 18 months but I’m not sure my reasoning will qualify me. Coverage ends June 1 if not, so... that’s super fun.
I have two pretty rare, pretty shitty genetic conditions that require monthly monitoring and medication to treat. I won the genetic lottery but it was like the nightmare Shirley Jackson lottery instead of the NBA player one and my body is constantly trying to kill me lol. It’s expensive, but the plan I’ve been on is really good so it’s never been too much of a financial burden, and I’ve finally found a cocktail of super fun drugs that manage my symptoms and treat some of the underlying causes. Which is tight!
The only employee sponsored health insurance plan I believe will work for me has a low monthly premium but a REAL HIGH deductible. Medications are 30 for the generic version, and not covered if they aren’t generic (which includes one I take monthly and is very expensive but uhh... we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it I suppose). This is the cheapest premium that includes the care team I moved to this city to be near, and who I’ve been seeing for the past seven years. I could choose a lower costing plan but I feel like it’d be to the detriment of my physical well-being if it doesn’t include my doctors. I’m a bit worried about the deductible as it’s more than I was paying for an entire year of treatment on my old plan.
I don’t think I can get tax credits if I’m on a work plan. My credit would only be 56 bucks a month from the marketplace. I’m not sure how continuing care with specialists on an HMO is, and I’d prefer not to have to go through the referral process again. If I need to though, it’s fine, I’m just worried about how my prescriptions will be handled. I don’t really have a PCP, at least not one I’ve seen in years. My general care comes from the team of specialists who have been experimenting on me for the past couple of years (jokes jokes).
The two options i can think will make this cheaper:
I can end my monthly contributions to my 401k. I guess the chances of me dying before retirement are not insignificant so it might be dumb to save for it anyway lmfao. That would give me back like 100 bucks a month I could spend on a more expensive plan with a lower deductible. I could also take that sweet tax hit and take out my 401k if we’re still doing the emergency thing for covid but I also haven’t really researched that so maybe not. It’d only get me about two months of coverage anyway.
OR I could go the marketplace route, take the little tax credit, and find a PCP to prescribe my meds until I can hopefully afford a better plan to get back with my care team. I don’t think I’m going to be able to swing my monthly checkups which is a little scary but I feel like it’ll probably be okay for a little while at least. We’ll feel it out.
I could also just hope I get the extension and ask my boss for a raise but I’ve been p private about my health issues and I don’t want to make a huge deal about it at work.
Anyway this has become very long. If anyone knows of any other options or any other benefits I can apply for (or just has any general advice), please let me know. I’m going to continue doing research so hopefully I can find something else but a little help never hurt.
Also some advice: if you’re not 26 yet, still on your parents’ kick ass insurance, and suffer from serious chronic health issues please for the love of god don’t be an idiot like me and figure this out sooner. I feel like a huge dumbass but I sincerely did not think I wasn’t going to be able to just find an insurance plan like the one I was on. I’m lucky I wasn’t paying out the ass for this long but all good things, I guess.
Hopefully I get that extension. Fingers crossed!
Submitted May 05, 2021 at 04:46PM by helpomfg https://ift.tt/3xNfi05
