My age: 31
Wife’s age: 28
Zip Code: 13606
Household Income: ~$185K
It’s open enrollment season, and with that comes a new hurdle that my wife and I are facing: our first pregnancy. We are currently expecting in mid-January, so, we can’t add the child as a dependent yet.
The core of my question revolves around advice needed on which will give me the most “bang for my buck” in terms of coverage vs. deductible vs. premiums. The way I see it, I have a few options:
Remain on two, separate, individual plans until the birth – combine to a family plan upon birth, as part of our “life event” Remain on two, separate, individual plans until birth – upgrade one/both of our plans to ‘individual plus one’ upon birth, as part of our “life event” Go directly to an ‘individual plus one’ plan NOW, then upgrade to the ‘family’ plan upon birth, as part of our “life event”
Up until this point, we both have stayed on our own individual health plans. Personally, I typically go with the highest premium, lowest out-of-pocket cost option. My wife, however, has always gone with the opposite: low premium, higher out-of-pocket.
I want to ensure we have the maximum amount of coverage for the largest of expenses, to include the hospital and delivery costs.
Assuming all new parents face a similar dilemma, what did you find? Should we focus on reducing out of pocket costs as much as possible? Is it cost effective to have two, separate, individual plans that BOTH have our dependent on them, or is that overkill for the cost?
submitted by /u/mrbartlebee
[link] [comments]My age: 31 Wife’s age: 28 Zip Code: 13606 Household Income: ~$185K It’s open enrollment season, and with that comes a new hurdle that my wife and I are facing: our first pregnancy. We are currently expecting in mid-January, so, we can’t add the child as a dependent yet. The core of my question revolves around advice needed on which will give me the most “bang for my buck” in terms of coverage vs. deductible vs. premiums. The way I see it, I have a few options: Remain on two, separate, individual plans until the birth – combine to a family plan upon birth, as part of our “life event” Remain on two, separate, individual plans until birth – upgrade one/both of our plans to ‘individual plus one’ upon birth, as part of our “life event” Go directly to an ‘individual plus one’ plan NOW, then upgrade to the ‘family’ plan upon birth, as part of our “life event” Up until this point, we both have stayed on our own individual health plans. Personally, I typically go with the highest premium, lowest out-of-pocket cost option. My wife, however, has always gone with the opposite: low premium, higher out-of-pocket. I want to ensure we have the maximum amount of coverage for the largest of expenses, to include the hospital and delivery costs. Assuming all new parents face a similar dilemma, what did you find? Should we focus on reducing out of pocket costs as much as possible? Is it cost effective to have two, separate, individual plans that BOTH have our dependent on them, or is that overkill for the cost? submitted by /u/mrbartlebee [link] [comments]Read Morer/HealthInsurance