This has probably been addressed on this sub before, but I work in eligibility in my state and I wanted to put it out there. It came to mind because my son, who works in the IT field and makes just around 100K a year, is planning on quitting his job soon. (He says he has enough saved to live off of “for a while”; I don’t ask details.)
I reminded him that he would need health insurance, and he asked about applying for Obamacare.
To be clear: If you apply for healthcare through the FFM, and you’re below 138% of the FPL, they will forward your application to your local department of social services, and you will qualify for Medicaid.
There is NO resource test for this type of Medicaid. That means you could have a million dollars+ in the bank or other liquid or property resources and still qualify. (By “this type,” I mean that it’s different if you’re aged, blind, or disabled. Those folks DO have to pass a resource test; don’t get me started on that.)
Unlike SNAP, there is no penalty for quitting your job intentionally, and there is no difference in the health care benefits you will receive from anyone else receiving Medicaid.
Disclaimer: many providers, since Medicaid expanded in 2014, don’t accept Medicaid anymore, since the negotiated reimbursement rate is lower for Medicaid recipients. So if you currently have a doctor for an ongoing condition, they very well may refuse to treat you.
This also doesn’t apply to anyone that lives in any state that has voted against Medicaid expansion: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, or Wyoming. (In those states, you may be able to qualify if you have children, though. Or you could just move.)
I’m a Gen X-er that is very much in support of this movement, and if fear of “lack of health insurance” is the one thing holding you back, don’t let it. (Make some calls and check behind me, though! I’m his mom, not yours.)
And don’t even bother applying through the HIM: apply directly through your state’s public assistance benefits website, and cut out the middle man.
ETA: Child support is not countable income!