With most health insurance companies like CareFirst, you either pay for an individual or family plan.  As the Duggar family of Arkansas announced today that they will be having their 20th child in the spring, I was wondering if their health insurance plan would cost the same as mine.  Their last baby was born very prematurely and spent a great deal of time in the hospital before being released to go home.  But she still requires more medical care than a healthy child at nearly two years old.  It’s possible that their 20th child will also have health complications with a mother who is at the high end of the age range for pregnant women at 45.  But they say that Michelle Duggar is healthy and has a good chance of a healthy pregnancy.  If not, their medical costs could be steep just like with the last pregnancy and birth.

The Duggars likely have individual health insurance rather than employer-sponsored health insurance because they are self-employed.  Health insurance rates vary on many factors, but they would likely pay the same as another family with individual health insurance that only has two children.  Since every plan is different and every insurer has different rules, it is possible they pay more because of their nearly 20 kids.  When looking for individual health insurance rates, it’s really important to see what kind of treatments and products are covered by your insurance.  For instance, some companies don’t cover circumcisions because they consider them to be cosmetic procedures.  Look into all of the details before purchasing a health insurance plan from a company like CareFirst.