<p>Actually, my understanding is that you have to have some minimal income to get a subsidy. If you earn too little, you don’t qualify. I tried with our state’s health connector website. Have read in the paper it has had glitches, so perhaps it was wrong, but it seemed to indicate you needed to earn about 16,000 or more to qualify for subsidies. Below that, perhaps you could try Medicaid?</p>
<p>Let’s not get sidetracked about San Francisco incomes. The ACA is complicated. Let’s try to help posters who want to know how their children can get health insurance coverage.</p>
<p>From an article in the NY Times:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/business/new-pitch-for-health-initiative-mind-your-mom-get-insured.html?ref=healthcarereform&_r=0[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/business/new-pitch-for-health-initiative-mind-your-mom-get-insured.html?ref=healthcarereform&_r=0</a></p>
<p>Their moms? Hey, that’s us!</p>
<p>That’s not me. :)</p>
<p>HIMom, you are right. If a person earns less than 100% of the federal poverty level, $11,490 for 2014, they are not eligible for subsidies. If a person earns less than 138% of the federal poverty level, about $15,400, they are eligible for Medicaid in the states that expanded Medicaid. Between 100% of the poverty level and 138% of the poverty level, in Medicaid expansion states they can choose between Medicaid and insurance with subsidies, because they are eligible for both.</p>
<p>It goes</p>
<p>0-138% of FPL : Medicaid (in expansion states)
100-400% of FPL: insurance subsidies on the exchanges, required to buy insurance</p>
<br>
<br>
<ul>
<li>nobody is required to buy insurance if it would cost more than 9.5% of their income</li>
</ul>
<p>I went to look at the NY exchange today and it looked like the plans were hmos. The first plan I looked at you need a family doctor. My kid only needs coverage for 2 months. He doesnt have a family doctor. I decided to forget the NY exchange. I guess I will keep him on my family out of state plan for 2 months. </p>
<p>I visited the Anthem Cal website today and was surprised to see the exchange plans on the web site. I dont know for sure if somebody can buy a subsidized plan on the web site because I didnt try. Still… Today was the first time I saw the exchange plans on the Anthem web site.</p>
<p>If my kid did sign up for a NY plan, his mom would be the one to help him even though she hasnt been paying attention to insurance plans. Mothers…what can I say? :)</p>
<p>Dstark, your posts always make me smile!</p>
<p>Just a mom here.</p>
<p>:)…</p>
<p>Well, there is certainly a lot of wading to be done. I think it’s wonderful that my smart, savvy adult D is asking for advice, I wish I’d been that smart and savvy when I was her age.</p>
<p>I did find some calculators, and a LOT of advertisements! I have shared with her everything you all have so graciously shared with me.</p>
<p>Thank you again.</p>
<p>“My son had to read the book “Nickeled and Dimed” in college and hated it - I hated it for the same reasons – neither one of us could figure out why the author insisted on living alone.”</p>
<p>Not to take this totally off-topic, but I’m with calmom on this one. I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much money I save by renting with other people. We have a lot of space, our utility bills are low, and cable/Internet is very affordable when split several ways. (Plus, I live with guys, so I feel a bit safer and think that anyone casing the joint would be a little less likely to break in.)</p>
<p>“I guess I will keep him on my family out of state plan for 2 months.”</p>
<p>I thought the exchange plans were way better than those substandard non-grandfathered plans. :)</p>
<p>This health insurance question for our kids is of interest to a lot of us. I wonder if those who want to discuss cost of living could start another thread? Thanks. :)</p>
<p>This is very timely—my sister was just talking about his over TG dinner. Her son is a 25 year old medical student and will soon be going off their insurance. He is attending school on loans and has no income. Is it safe to assume income information used for the new healthcare act is actually HIS information? (As an aside, he still has to use his parents’ income for his med school loans; hence, the question.) </p>
<p>His school required proof of insurance prior to enrollment, but the plan available through the school was uber expensive, so they were glad he could stay on their plan until age 26.</p>
<p>They will be starting their research shortly and I will follow this thread enthusiastically, relishing any experience/advice offered.</p>
<p>Your nephew will not be a dependent of his parents, so it’s his income that counts. If he truly has no income (no trust fund, no stipend) then it matters where he lives. In Medicaid expansion states, he’ll be eligible for Medicaid. In the other states, he is not eligible for Medicaid (probably) and not eligible for subsidies either. </p>
<p>If he somehow manages to make $11,490, then he is eligible for subsidies and probably could get his insurance for free.</p>
<p>He could buy a catastrophic plan, if that was acceptable to his school.</p>
<p>Am I missing something? He has no income and he’s not eligible for subsidies OR Medicaid in some states? He has to make over $11,000 in order to be eligible for subsidies? I really don’t think he has an income this year. He had an unpaid internship this summer and already owes $100,000 in med school loans. The kid literally doesn’t have two dimes to rub together! I’ve done no research into this topic, but surely hope he/his parents are on top of it!</p>
<p>The original ACA envisioned that people with very very low income wouldn’t be able to pay anything for health insurance, so they would be put on the expanded Medicaid program. (Previously, childless undisabled adults were not eligible for Medicaid.) And then people who earned 100% of the federal poverty level, or more, would be required to buy insurance, but among that group the people who earned from 100% of the poverty line to 400% of the poverty line would be eligible for subsidies.</p>
<p>But then the Supreme Court decided that states would have the option not to do the Medicaid expansion. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia elected to do the expansion. The other twenty-five elected not to expand Medicaid. Here’s a map:</p>
<p>[Where</a> the states stand on Medicaid expansion | The Advisory Board Daily Briefing](<a href=“http://www.advisory.com/Daily-Briefing/Resources/Primers/MedicaidMap]Where”>Where the states stand on Medicaid expansion)</p>
<p>In the states that elected not to do the expansion, people earning less than 100% of the poverty line are out of luck. They are (mostly) not eligible for Medicaid, and they are not eligible for insurance subsidies either.</p>
<p>Thanks, Cardinal Fang. I will have to see where this is when D ages our in less than two years. For now, we are grateful she’s covered under H’s plan. The site ^^^^ was very helpful. Am so glad S has a job that subsidizes his medical care.</p>