My mom was laid off in 2010 and we both lost our original coverage when COBRA ran out at the end of 2011. I've been covered by an employer twice in this time (this current plan I've had since August).
My current plan is really great but I found out at the end of last year that they will be terminating this plan and all that will be available are high deductible plans. Enrollment starts April 4th, so right now I've got to wait another week to see what my exact deductible and payroll contributions will be.
My mom finally has a permanent job again with good benefits so I'm on her plan again because we weren't sure how my insurance wasn't going to play out and... It's not looking good.
The only reason I want to KEEP my insurance because every quarter my company will put $1000 on an HSA card + whatever I contribute. This would help me immensely because I don't make enough to basically pay out of pocket for everything and I have a lot of bills left from the last time I had a high deductible plan.
But would this screw me rather than help? Right now my personal plan and my mom's are pretty much equal in coverage, but what happens when a high deductible plan is primary and one with a much lower deductible is secondary? Will the secondary pick anything up because I will be paying 100% til the deductible on my primary is met. Would it be better just to ditch it?
I'd love that HSA but the biggest thing about my current plan is my prescription coverage is FANTASTIC. My biggest expense is usually medication and right now I'm getting a great deal... but I will have to pay full cash and then STILL almost full cash price after I meet the deductible. It may not be worth the headache to have 2 plans... I also mostly want to know that since my personal plan will no longer have a copay, if I have a secondary insurance WITH a copay does that count?
I also have a few doctor's visits a year on top of preventative care because I have my thyroid and vitamin D checked occasionally. I'm about to start seeing a neurologist for a pinched nerve issue too. It seems like the benefits are good if you have 2 plans where you met the deductible on both of them and I would do that very quickly.
