Looking for individual insurance for wife but my income invalidates her from lower monthly payment plans

My wife needs individual health insurance. She makes minimum wage so we are looking for low monthly payments. I get Kaiser through work (86 a month) and adding her onto mine adds roughly 350 dollars to my monthly payment so it isn't an option.

She also has type 1 diabetes but we found help resources for that.

But we are looking up insurance plans and because I make almost 10 dollars an hour more than minimum wage (only 260 days a year though) our combined income is making her ineligible for the lower cost plans, making most costs in the 200-280 dollar range a month.

Her income is low, but because we are married and live together, it is screwing hers over. Would it be more worth it for us to try to find insurance outside of my work together since those are the rates she is getting anyway?

I asked my benefits rep why it is so much more to add my wife and she said, and I quote, "to discourage employees from taking advantage of our lower rates provided by [business name]"

submitted by /u/Your-Friend-Bob
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