Advice in chicago illinois– family of 4, highly variable income

Hi benevolent strangers of the internet, looking for advice here.

I (32f) and husband (35m) are both members of a film/tv industry union that's been devastated by the long strike, and just found out we're losing our amazing union healthcare in the new year. (we have the option to pay cobra but it's so outrageously expensive we can't consider it). We have two young children ages 1 and 3. For the past year my husband has been mostly self-employed/ doing side jobs/ general contracting. I've mostly been caring for the two babies. It's been a rough year but we've made it work but now this healthcare thing is threatening to sink our ship.

We now qualify for food stamps. We also qualify for a hefty subsidy on the healthcare marketplace, including a CSR discount, and I'm working on getting the kids on medicaid.

We truly don't know what the new year will bring– the tv industry could come booming back and we could work a lot and make more than twice what we made this year. Or my husband's general contracting business could make twice as much. Or we could wallow in poverty/ experience more unexpected blows!

On the marketplace it shows that we qualify to pay premiums that are about 50% discounted. What if we have a good year financially, could we end up responsible for paying back all those tax credits at the end of the year?

Is the threshold for getting governemnt healthcare for the kids different than for us adults? does it make sense to seek medicaid or 'all kids illinois' etc for the kids nad just look for a marketplace plan for my husband and I?

The CSR thing– is that as good of a value as it looks or is there a catch?

It's just so hard to predict the coming year– right now we need all the help we can get, though.

anyone in a similar spot , or have any insight? TIA

submitted by /u/lokiparo
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