I'm a graduate student, married with a kid. My wife works, part-time, from home. We are at about 140% of FPL.
The U of I's insurance program for dependents is ridiculously expensive - $1740/yr for children, $3492/yr for spouse - and has poor coverage. It doesn't cover well-child visits or vaccinations, and has at least a 20% coinsurance on any procedure. There's no way we can afford it.
Thankfully, because of our low income, we're eligible for the kid to get AllKids, at the "share" level. We successfully found an individual plan last year for my wife; however, the carrier is raising her rate 50% effective January 1, even though she's never used the policy. We're starting to hunt for alternatives.
Due to the freeze in FamilyCare, though, we're not eligible because our income is about $100/mo too much. (Interestingly, that's about how much we pay each month to get her private coverage). We're not eligible for the "Moms and Babies" coverage because she's not pregnant.
To sum up, the state will provide health care for my wife if she (a) quits her job or (b) gets pregnant. Does that sound logical?
Next question - how do we fix this system?
