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What is the cheapest family medical insurance in Washington state?

We are a low income family, and we did have medical coverage through DSHS for our children in Washington state. But the state is now making budget cuts and cutting off ALL the children in Washington state as of March of this year. I have an infant and a 2 year old, and this just wont do. I need to at least get them medical coverage. Can anyone tell me what medical insurance you would recommend??

Public Comments

1. Do you want the cheapest policy or do you want a policy that gives you the coverage you need at the best price? If you want something that will give you the coverage you need you'll need to contact a local agent that works with all of the major companies in your area. The agent can work with you to find the best policy for your situation and budget. They can explain what you get and, more importantly, what you don't get with each policy. There is no charge using an agent. BTW - because of healthcare reform you can no longer get a policy just for the kids. One of the parents will also need to be on the policy.
2. No insurance comes CLOSE to being as cheap as welfare health insurance. To get the equivelent coverage, full coverage with no coinsurance, no deductibles, no copayments, for a family, on average, is going to run you damn close to $2,000 a month. Time for plan B - mommy and/or daddy have to start job hunting for a different job - both of them - to find one that provides some kind of family health insurance. You can't buy "child only" health insurance policies any more, thanks to the Health Reform Act. So it's all or nothing. However, SCHIP is a federally financed program, and if your children have health insurance through that medicaid program, I was unable to find ANYTHING suggesting the program is being terminated in Washington, in March. I DID find something, that says they will now have a WAITING list, for NEW people trying to sign up for Medicaid. But that wouldn't apply to you, since your kids are already on Medicaid.
3. Normally speaking, in most of the U.S.: After September 2010, it became impossible to get insurance for just the children. To get insurance for a child, you had to get insurance for at least one adult as well. The actual price of doing that depended on where in the state you lived, the age of the adult, and various other factors. However, Washington State is an exception. Some companies in that state did take "applications for individual coverage for applicants under age 19 during the open enrollment period that has been established by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner from 11/1/2010 to 12/15/2010 for a 1/1/2011 effective date." I do not know whether there will be another open enrollment period. You should call the Office of the Insurance Commissioner of the state of Washington and ask.
4. The agent can work with you to find the best policy for your situation and budget. They can explain what you get and, more importantly, what you don't get with each policy.