Can you pair Medicaid with private insurance for you and your husband?  If so, I went poking further in the United Healthcare website -- you can check prices and coverage pretty easily through their online quote feature.  You could pay a couple hundred a month for catastrophic coverage, and in the interim still pay for services at the clinic.  If you need medication, I think Target and Walmart both offer generic drugs for $4 per refill.

I tried looking at Blue Cross's website, but it's a mess.  Further solidifies my impression that they're someone to avoid anyway - I've read about complaints about them dropping people out of the blue, etc., for private insurance.  (That almost never happens when you're covered through an employer.)  The article I read pointed out, though, that filling out every single last detail of your medical history is the only way to safeguard against that... 

Brandy--if any of you need specific medications a lot of times the drug companies will make them available for free or a reduced price.  I know several people without coverage who are doing this.  The other suggestion I have is that sometimes medical schools offer reduced fee or free services.  They are supervised by full fledged doctors.  With long term chronic conditions like asthma and reflux it might be a good choice.

I hear you on not wanting to get involved with the state care, but at least you'd be covered.  I say this because my brother almost went bankrupt paying medical bills related to a bee sting (he's very allergic). 

Dear Brandy, As Amy suggested, pharm companies are organized to give certain meds for free or a low cost to low- to mid-income familieis who have no other health insurnce.  Checck out partner@pparx.org

 After you mentioned United Healthcare, Sab, I did indeed go poking at the quote feature they offer. It doesn't look bad at all. We should be able to seek Medicaid/Chips for the kids and provide our own insurance as long as our income is within the limits for the Medicaid/Chips. I need to check more into that.

Considering how much worse we could be is frightening, Jeff, lol. It's a good reminder to keep a healthy lifestyle though. When I complain about higher food costs, I think about how much more a doctor visit would be.

Since dh got laid off perhaps I can re-apply for the state insurance and my boys can be covered for awhile longer. Their insurance coverage ends on Friday and we've nothing else for them yet.

 Michelle, good luck.

Michelle, I am very sorry to hear that your husband got laid off.  What is the job market like in your neck of the woods?

  Well, I'll update. 

We'll still have coverage through our jobs next year (I assume we'll have jobs next year, LOL!)  but just got word that the HMO we use will be going out of business. That company is moving to Medicare-only coverage.

    So, here we go again ... this happened a couple of years ago when another insurer pulled out of the HMO market.  No idea right now what plans my employer will offer, or what I'll have to pay ... I will be looking closely at prescription coverage, since that is a really weak point with the current plan ....