Open Discussion Forum

Looking into health insurance possibilities for ECE workers. Does any one have any recommendations for company's or program that offer health insurance if you are an ECE worker.

Looking into health insurance possibilities for ECE workers. Does any one have any recommendations for company's or program that offer health insurance if you are an ECE worker.

Allyson,

The Affordable Care Act ("Obama Care") was created to make health insurance plans affordable to moderate and middle income individuals and families by subsidizing the cost -- these are the same plans available on the private market. There is real financial help out there (for example, a single mom with one child who earns $15/hr. and lives in Fort Wayne Indiana would pay $2/month for a silver level health insurance plan that costs $633/month).

I work with Opportunities Exchange (www.oppex.org), and we have been urging early childhood practitioners to support their staff to buy ACA Marketplace plans -- and then put money in accounts to help them pay for out of pocket expenses - through Health Reimbursement accounts, etc. Here is a link to a webinar we did with/for NAEYC on workplace benefits: Employee Benefits: A New Framework and Tools to Get Us There.

Opportunities Exchange is now working on an Issue Brief to be released in June  that will take a deep dive into the details of how to use the ACA Marketplace to ensure that all staff have health insurance - and wrap additional financial resources around this base to fully support staff.

There are no employer or group plans that come close to the financial resources that are available through the ACA - and if you are paying for these plans, you are leaving precious resources on the table -- resources that could fund retirement plans and salaries for our most valuable asset -- our workforce.

Feel free to reach out to me or the OppEx team if you would like more information - or join our mailing list. 

I hope this is helpful.

Looking into health insurance possibilities for ECE workers. Does any one have any recommendations for company's or program that offer health insurance if you are an ECE worker.

Sharon,

That is not the case for everyone. Although I make more as an Executive Director in my company. I am a single income household due to my husband's illness.  I do not spend extravagantly but paying almost $1000 a month for insurance is making be live pay check to pay check.  I am broke because of the cost. My insurance is purchased through MNsure

Allyson,

The Affordable Care Act ("Obama Care") was created to make health insurance plans affordable to moderate and middle income individuals and families by subsidizing the cost -- these are the same plans available on the private market. There is real financial help out there (for example, a single mom with one child who earns $15/hr. and lives in Fort Wayne Indiana would pay $2/month for a silver level health insurance plan that costs $633/month).

I work with Opportunities Exchange (www.oppex.org), and we have been urging early childhood practitioners to support their staff to buy ACA Marketplace plans -- and then put money in accounts to help them pay for out of pocket expenses - through Health Reimbursement accounts, etc. Here is a link to a webinar we did with/for NAEYC on workplace benefits: Employee Benefits: A New Framework and Tools to Get Us There.

Opportunities Exchange is now working on an Issue Brief to be released in June  that will take a deep dive into the details of how to use the ACA Marketplace to ensure that all staff have health insurance - and wrap additional financial resources around this base to fully support staff.

There are no employer or group plans that come close to the financial resources that are available through the ACA - and if you are paying for these plans, you are leaving precious resources on the table -- resources that could fund retirement plans and salaries for our most valuable asset -- our workforce.

Feel free to reach out to me or the OppEx team if you would like more information - or join our mailing list. 

I hope this is helpful.

Looking into health insurance possibilities for ECE workers. Does any one have any recommendations for company's or program that offer health insurance if you are an ECE worker.