Penalties for not buying your mandated insurance...

[pnwmom]

64. The Washington Health Program was part of Basic Health.

And it provided very poor maximum coverage -- only $75,000 - $100,000 a year. One stay in the hospital for a car accident could easily blow through that. So you're comparing apples and oranges.

You will need to buy a policy with the Essential Benefits for yourself. But your daughter, who is under 30, will have the option of a much cheaper policy offering only catastrophic coverage. (the opposite of the kind of policies you've had till now, which covered most costs except for catastrophic.)

http://www.wsma.org/Media/PRC-pdfs-Operations/HI_WA_HEALTH_Overview.pdf

Washington Health is part of the state’s popular Basic Health program – both are administered by the Washington State Health Care Authority. Basic Health provides coverage to 68,000 Washington residents, with the state paying a portion of their premiums based on their income level. WHP provides essentially the same benefits as Basic Health, but with no subsidy and no cost to the state. Enrollees pay the full premium, plus a small amount for administrative costs. HCA contracts with Community Health Plan of Washington to provide WHP coverage.

Premiums are as low as $100 per month. A 35 year old person can expect to pay between $125 and $183 depending on their location and the coverage options they choose. This is far less than what is available in the private insurance market. Enrollees also have low deductibles and copayments.

To hold down costs, WHP members have the option of choosing $75,000 or $100,000 in health insurance coverage every year. This is lower than payout maximums in other plans, but in most cases, $75,000 or $100,000 is plenty of coverage throughout the year. By comparison, less than 2% of Basic Health enrollees reached $75,000 total cost in 2009.