Been there with our former nanny. We were so GLAD she had insurance when she was in a horrible car accident and they discovered a brain aneuyrism! We used to write the checks directly to the insurance company. This way it prevented the temptation to use the money for something else, and it also avoided the tax issues other raised.

Anonymous wrote:Direct her to a health insurance broker. They can break down the benefits and costs of the dozens of plans available and help her select the best fit for her, all at no cost.

+1.

Call The Hammond Agency. They are local and have been in the business for decades, so really know their stuff. 703-849-1200

http://www.hammondagency.com

Good luck OP!

PS -- if you are claiming the money as a health insurance benefit, and therefore it isn't taxed, that money needs to be used for a health insurance policy and you are required to keep a copy of it on file.

I use United Health One/Golden Rule

https://www.uhone.com/
http://www.goldenrule.com/

For me, it's about $120 per month.

Kaiser works well for us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Direct her to a health insurance broker. They can break down the benefits and costs of the dozens of plans available and help her select the best fit for her, all at no cost.

Where does one find a reputable broker?

http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/washington/health-insurance-brokers.htm

http://www.dexknows.com/local/finance/insurance/insurance_agents_and_brokers/geo/m-washington_dc_metro-dc/att/health-insurance/

Etc.

Honestly, I've used brokers in four different states and every time I have simply googled, called a few places, chosen a broker I felt comfortable talking to, and gone from there. Had great experiences all four times!

Anonymous wrote:Direct her to a health insurance broker. They can break down the benefits and costs of the dozens of plans available and help her select the best fit for her, all at no cost.

Where does one find a reputable broker?

Direct her to a health insurance broker. They can break down the benefits and costs of the dozens of plans available and help her select the best fit for her, all at no cost.

She might qualify for medicaid if she was in a dire situation. You can help research the literature and maybe find her some brochures, printouts of options that she can then go buy herself.

I know some people do more than this but I would recommend not doing any more because employer provided medical insurance can get complicated and if say, her insurer were to go out of business or other issues came up, you may be stuck with her medical bills.

When we hired our nanny a year ago we built in an additional amount of money to her compensation to help cover the cost of health insurance. (This was her preference.) She has chosen not to obtain health insurance but to get by w/ urgent care and passed on medications from friends and family. (!) We are concerned for her, especially as she is 58 and I don't feel good about her not having the safety net of some level of coverage.

As we head into year two of employment we want to do something about this but are a little stymied by trying to understand the health insurance market for individuals (especially w/ all the reform stuff going on) as we have coverage through our employers so don't purchase coverage individually.

Does anyone know of affordable health insurance coverage options (in the DC/MD market) that provide decent, basic levels of coverage and are fairly simple to understand? (Part of why she hasn't dealt with this is because it's terribly confusing to her - which I completely understand.) Also, this will be an important part of our decisions about raises and bonuses so if you can share any info about what the plans cost it would be terrific.

Thanks so much.