Insurance for nannies

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who is considering becoming a nanny. I am worried about the health insurance aspect. She has many years of professional childcare experience, but her current job doesn't pay as much as she needs and does not provide health insurance. She has been approached about a nanny position with a nice family. They will pay her more money, which is great, but I'm worried because she has kids. What if the new job pays too much for her to qualify for Medicaid, but the new family can't afford to insure my friend and her children? How do nannies with children get health care?

Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

The nannies I know who have children are in one of two positions when it comes to healthcare.

1. They still qualify for Medicaid based on the family size and income level.

2. They are married and receiving health insurance benefits through their spouse's job.

Some families provide health insurance, and some contribute a set amount towards a self-selected plan. Many cover nothing. I think it is very unlikely a family would cover health insurance for a nanny and her children...private plans are expensive.

Your friend needs to research what the qualifying income level is for Medicaid in her state. It's an easy search. I was able to locate the info in less than one minute for my state. Some states have health insurance that focuses on children that have different income eligibility guidelines. If her income disqualifies her for Medicaid she could look into a state program for her kids and look into private insurance for herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is considering becoming a nanny. I am worried about the health insurance aspect. She has many years of professional childcare experience, but her current job doesn't pay as much as she needs and does not provide health insurance. She has been approached about a nanny position with a nice family. They will pay her more money, which is great, but I'm worried because she has kids. What if the new job pays too much for her to qualify for Medicaid, but the new family can't afford to insure my friend and her children? How do nannies with children get health care?

Thank you in advance.

She is considering BECOMING a nanny but she has many years of professional childcare experience? What kind of experience does she have?

This will affect whether or not it is likely she could find a job that would cover her health insurance. Mine does, but it's true that many families do not. It tends to be a particular type of nanny (background, years experience, education, and so on) that are offered or successful in negotiating it as a benefit, so I'd need to know more about her to gauge how likely she'd be to succeed.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps she can work off the books.

In my state CA, we have a medical program for those that do not qualify for Medi~Cal (what our state calls Medicaid), but cannot afford private insurance. It is called Healthy Families. I am not sure if this program exists in other states, but one can find out.

Good luck to your friend!!

[Anonymous]

CA is great because there are so many different programs. I am in SF and we have Healthy San Francisco, plus there is another one as well that I forget the name of. Quite a few counties also have programs that the county runs for low income people. Then there is Medi-Cal as well.

I assume that those being paid on the books that don't have a spouse that can cover them or have families that will include health coverage, just try to find the highest pay possible and do their own monthly thing with a place like Kaiser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CA is great because there are so many different programs. I am in SF and we have Healthy San Francisco, plus there is another one as well that I forget the name of. Quite a few counties also have programs that the county runs for low income people. Then there is Medi-Cal as well.

I assume that those being paid on the books that don't have a spouse that can cover them or have families that will include health coverage, just try to find the highest pay possible and do their own monthly thing with a place like Kaiser.

This is much too expensive for a single parent with children. For an individual, sure, but once you have dependents it's hard to find pay that's high enough to offset the cost if there's no other contribution to your plan.

[Anonymous]

Well, if it's too expensive, she will need to find a job that offers that benefit. Maybe she can't afford to choose nannying as a career.

[Anonymous]

Not all families offer health insurance. Mine doesn't. I pay 355 a month. It is something I had to consider. I however am paid well

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you very much for all the responses. This is very helpful information. She's not in California, unfortunately, and I know she can't afford private insurance for her family. I'm also almost certain the prospective employers can't afford to insure her and her children.

[Anonymous]

She's not in California, unfortunately, and I know she can't afford private insurance for her family. I'm also almost certain the prospective employers can't afford to insure her and her children.

This. It makes more sense for her to work for a daycare center that is part of larger company and offers insurance. The employee still pays insurance premiums (it isn't free) but the costs are less because the plan is negotiated by the employer. Private insurance for families and multiple kids is much more expensive than a policy for a young, single nanny with no pre-existing conditions. Employers that offer healthcare usually only offer a $100 or maybe $200 a month contribution toward a private plan. They don't take on the responsibility of insuring the nanny or nanny's family at whatever cost it may come.

Its a shame that there are not more affordable health care options for individuals not employed by large companies. Some nannies choose to work under the table so they can claim a lower income and stay on Medicaid for this reason.