I've been on disability for A Very Long Time. I've had BC/BS since I was a child. After my last attempt to return to work failed, I switched my coverage to a Medigap policy (still thru Anthem/BCBS). At first it was fine, but once Anthem took over, the premiums more than doubled. Because I am under 65, they're allowed to do this. I now pay $370/month for that secondary policy. Now that I pay all the bills, that amount is killing me. I'm less than $2k/year over the federal poverty level. I've been told that I shouldn't drop this policy b/c I will never be able to replace it. It seems like a luxury at this point.

My big worry about dropping the policy is that I'll need more healthcare than I do now. I'm eligible for partial Medicaid (SLMB) and on a huge spend down for full Medicaid. I plan on saving some of the premium in a bank account, but can only have a certain amount in my bank account.. I know that my copay will be 20% of what Medicare approves. (Except for outpatient mental health, which is higher.) I know that what Medicare approves is usually much less than the billed amount, so my copays won't be as high.

I've been freaking out about this for quite a while now. I have schizoaffective disorder and, until they died, lived with my parents pretty much all my life. I'm scared all the time trying to figure things out.

Does anyone have any input, pro or con, as to what I should do and/or potential issues that could arise?