Health Insurance-related Question for wife

[Trymester3 6]

My health insurance is up for renewal today and I'm trying to figure out if I should ask them to include my wife on my plan. My current health insurance is kind of bad (the doctors are not really that great and I have to pay about $35 for every single visit even if the doctors don't do anything). My wife, since she has no green card or employment, is seeing regular doctors at a regular hospital and I feel she currently gets much better treatment then I do. What I'd have to pay $300 for, she gets away with paying $25 max. What would you suggest I do? Anyone have/had a similar situation?

The only upside would be that if I improved my health insurance (only slightly better service with a higher co-pay) and sought to include her then she'd probably receive better treatment (but have to wait longer for an appointment as well). She doesn't need constant treatment for anything, but I figure she'd be going into the gynecologist, dentist, primary physician, etc. at least twice a year.

If I didn't put her on now, I'd have to wait until November 2015 to put her on.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Trymester3

[Trymester3 6]

Just to further specify, we both live in New York City. I am a US Citizen and she is a Japanese citizen

[CowBoE 429]

My health insurance is up for renewal today and I'm trying to figure out if I should ask them to include my wife on my plan. My current health insurance is kind of bad (the doctors are not really that great and I have to pay about $35 for every single visit even if the doctors don't do anything). My wife, since she has no green card or employment, is seeing regular doctors at a regular hospital and I feel she currently gets much better treatment then I do. What I'd have to pay $300 for, she gets away with paying $25 max. What would you suggest I do? Anyone have/had a similar situation?

The only upside would be that if I improved my health insurance (only slightly better service with a higher co-pay) and sought to include her then she'd probably receive better treatment (but have to wait longer for an appointment as well). She doesn't need constant treatment for anything, but I figure she'd be going into the gynecologist, dentist, primary physician, etc. at least twice a year.

If I didn't put her on now, I'd have to wait until November 2015 to put her on.

My insurance nearly doubled when I added my wife, and now pay about $470/month on health/dental/vision insurance.

With Obama care in place, I thought everyone had to be insured, or could pay fine???

Our healthcare cost is completely out of control, and I don't like it one bit,

but I didn't want my wife to be without insurance...just in case.

If both of you are healthy and don't go to doctors often, is there a cheaper plan with higher deductible?

[KVE 29]

You need to look at the figures of how much the insurance costs to add her on, it probably will be cheaper assuming you are getting it through employment compared to her getting hers outside employment.

I get mine through my wife and we pay $2300 a year but it was half that much before I was added on. She had her and the children on before. Our deductible is $3000 for the family, then coinsurance.

We have to pay out of pocket for the first $3k of expenses.

[yuna628 9,676]

As per the law everyone, including your wife needs to have health insurance or pay the 'fine'. You can either enter the federal (NY has it's own state exchange) marketplace or add her to your existing insurance. A $35 copay is actually pretty standard on a lot of insurance companies plans. If you don't like your current doctor, pick a new one that is covered under your plan. No insurance forces you to use only one single doctor you hate. Yes some insurance companies will limit what choices, through their participation with the provider, but you do have some options.

And if you are relatively healthy individuals no one exactly says you need a PCP anyway. When I get ill I generally head over to a local prompt care walk-in clinic that participates, pay the copay, and am on my way. Insurance companies also have no bearing on how fast you get seen to a doctor's appointment. The reality is, with more people purchasing insurance, there is always a crush of people demanding to be seen at the first of the year, so some offices are booked up.

To be most effective you're going to have to comparison shop, weigh the pros/cons, and read about your options. Either way, it's going to cost you.

[TBoneTX 45,292]

*** Thread moved from main AOS/Family-Based forum to the Moving to the US & Your New Life forum, where similar topics are often discussed. ***

[Trymester3 6]

I appreciate the replies. I ended up being on the phone with the insurance people for 2 hours and now my wife will be covered under my insurance as well. Based on my financial information, I don't know if we'll have any co-pay this time around. Last year, they had let me know what I'd have to pay, this time around it was not even mentioned.