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Medical insurance alternatives?
My situation is very complicated. My girlfriend of almost 3 years cohabitates with me and we have a child. She cannot apply for RI state health insurance because of my income, and she cannot be placed under my company's health plan unless I declare common-law marriage (It's honored in RI). However, I do not think it is a good idea to force myself into a common-law marriage commitment (meaning to be legally married... and I certainly don't want that right now, given our relationship at the moment) just so my girlfriend can get insurance... but she really needs it. Is there anything else that she can apply for or do I have to bite the bullet?
Proper health insurance is the best thing to have in the US. While it is possible to get a discount plan, it simply isn't the same kind of coverage, and it could put her (and potentially you) in some significant financial difficulties if she got ill.
So, either the relationship is important enough to you to protect your partner or it's not. I'd say that some serious soul-searching is required. If she's not worth insuring, this does not indicate a good relationship. As for a commitment, if the two of you share a child, you already have a life-long commitment as parents.
Check out carecredit.com.
It is not health insurance, but many physicians do accept it as a form of payment. Care Credit pays the doctor and you pay Care Credit in very reasonable monthly payments. It's based on your credit, but you can have a co-signer. Check it out to see if there are enough physicians in your area who accept it to make it worth applying.
Best of luck to you!
if she has the money, she can shop around for independent coverage. or she can hope nothing goes wrong and get a medical discount card. or you can bite the bullet. its up to you.
You will have to bite the bullet. If it's worth living with her, it's worth being married. If it's not worth being married, you shouldn't be living with her.