>> And, according to eHealth.com, Homer doesn't qualify for 'savings'. He doesn't make enough, 42K/year is below 138% of the poverty line for a family of five

>> And, according to eHealth.com, Homer doesn't qualify for 'savings'. He doesn't make enough, 42K/year is below 138% of the poverty line for a family of five (barely). So it looks like instead they would be eligible for Healthy Michigan which is part of expanded Medicaid. That income limit is based on MAGI (how appropriate!) so if they were slightly over, they could work around it. And even if they were over the limit, the limits for CHIP are higher so they could make more and still have coverage for the kids. Looks like he would be eligible even with insurance from work, that coverage would be primary. Total cost of premium/co-pays limited to 5% of income. This was enacted around 2013 so people with that income today would be way better off than a similar family in the 1990s as far as health care goes. The problem isn't a 42K income in Flint, the problem is there aren't enough jobs in Flint that pay $20 an hour, the median household income is around $29K.