Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, surfgirl said:

I wouldn't call that low, the father not paying for the surgery, now that's the lowest. But a mother doing what she has to so that her child can have surgery?

She had money from the show and bought multiple houses.  She was not penniless by a long shot.  She could have gotten a real job with benefits but chose to go with MLMs and "reality" TV. 

Obviously, YMMV.  Sparkle Pony is a user in my eyes.

 

[General Days]

6 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Christine is doing the best that she can given her circumstances. She also seems committed to never having to depend entirely on someone else ever again.  I have no issues with that.  I can choose to watch her or not, contribute to her causes or not (that would be not by the way), etc. I have seen go fund me requests for far more inconsequential things that a daughter's surgery

 

Did she do a Go Fund Me, though? I was under the impression she just did a lot of live sales to raise the money. 

[Soapy Goddess]

12 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

She had money from the show and bought multiple houses.  She was not penniless by a long shot.  She could have gotten a real job with benefits but chose to go with MLMs and "reality" TV. 

My sister had a similar surgery and the cost was OVER 300K!  And that was just  the surgeon's fee! That doesn't include the hospital costs, medication and all the follow-up appointments. Oh, and let's not forget airline travel from LV to NJ (and back again), as well as their hotel stay, food, vehicle/transportation, etc.

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

My sister had a similar surgery and the cost was OVER 300K! 

Did insurance cover it?

[Jeanne222]

5 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

My sister had a similar surgery and the cost was OVER 300K!  And that was just  the surgeon's fee! That doesn't include the hospital costs, medication and all the follow-up appointments. Oh, and let's not forget airline travel from LV to NJ (and back again), as well as their hotel stay, food, vehicle/transportation, etc.

Christine could have bought health insurance like the rest of us.  She did have money to pay for it.

None of us can afford $300,000 hospital bills and that is why we pay for insurance.

Christine did what she does best with her 'poor me'.  They are all grifters!

[Roslyn]

17 hours ago, General Days said:

 

Did she do a Go Fund Me, though? I was under the impression she just did a lot of live sales to raise the money. 

I remember that she would sell the clothes on the "live" sales and tell people that she needed $50,000 for the co-pay for the surgery. She also would do specials where she gave copies of her recipes and even would sign them etc.

On one of these sales she also mentioned that she was also still paying the bill from Truely's hospital stay that cost $450,000. Which also calls B.S. on Kody saying that the family fund covered large expenses for the kids.

[RoxiP]

Insurance generally doesn't cover 100% of surgery.  Some plans have high deductibles and some require 20% until you reach a certain amount.  I was in treatment for breast cancer on a high deductible plan several years ago and had to reach a $3000 in-network copay and a $7000 out-of-network.  I reached the in-network on January 15 and the out of network on April 15.  I would hate to think what I would have owed if I had a 20% plan (I know that my total bill before my double mastectomy was over $100,000).  As I am sure many of you know, major illnesses are no joke.

[Absolom]

Yes, they waited to do the surgery until Christine got on some kind of insurance plan and she was trying to get the deductible or co-pay amount before they could do the surgery.  The incidental costs do add up, but they stayed with Christine's sister I think she said so that would avoid some of the hotel and I'm guessing transportation costs as I expect her sister helped with that.

[Soapy Goddess]

18 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Did insurance cover it?

80-20...which was repriced, but still expensive.

Obviously, coverage depends on what plan you have (i.e. HMO, PPO, etc.)

[General Days]

What I have read (NO IDEA IF IT IS TRUE), is that Christine got a cheap insurance plan, with a huge deductible ($50K) in advance of Ysabel's surgery. 

I know that in S16.E05, Christine said (in a self-recorded car segment in the hospital garage or something similar — see attached screenshot), that she started applying for insurance after she realized Ysabel was in pain every single day.

I don't think Christine did a Go-Fund-Me for the bills.

She sold her crap to fools willing to part with their money for moldy leggings and ugly shirts. I hate MLMs, but they're not a new concept, and I'm watching my television without pity for people who perpetuate them by buying and/or selling their crap in a predatory business model.

Back to Christine (and Kody). It is so frigging irresponsible to be pulling in the kind of money the Browns were pulling in with the show (even if was not BIG BUCKS, it was comfy middle class bucks), and have six kids (or 18, in Kody's case), but not get health insurance for them.

I have literally taken jobs I hated, for the health insurance. My husband chose the job he is in now, because of our chronically ill child's particular need for insurance from a company that would cover treatment at a certain major medical center in our area.

(And don't get me started on the political side of this. That is not aimed at any of you all. It is aimed at the Browns, whose politics are pretty baked into the cake at this point, which would be all well and good, had they not lived off the social safety net for decades.)

In my opinion, the Brown parents are all grifters, all of them, including the ones with whom we sympathize.

37 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

80-20...which was repriced, but still expensive.

Obviously, coverage depends on what plan you have (i.e. HMO, PPO, etc.)

Do you remember where you got the 80/20 from? It doesn't comport with what I've heard (but I cannot back up what I've heard, except from Google hits that lead back to Reddit posts, which is probably where I heard it).

[Soapy Goddess]

4 minutes ago, General Days said:

Do you remember where you got the 80/20 from?

If you're asking me where my sister got the money from, when the hospital and  anesthesiologist submitted her claim, it was repriced. She didn't tell me the exact figure for her portion (responsibility or deductible).

Also her surgeon was out-of-network, so that was on her dime. Again, I didn't pry as to the exact figure...but my guess would be under/around 10K.

[General Days]

7 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

If you're asking me where my sister got the money from, when the hospital and  anesthesiologist submitted her claim, it was repriced. She didn't tell me the exact figure for her portion (responsibility or deductible).

Also her surgeon was out-of-network, so that was on her dime. Again, I didn't pry as to the exact figure...but my guess would be under/around 10K.

 

I'm so sorry. No. I wouldn't ask a question that personal in a forum like this. I lost track of the conversation. I misinterpreted your post as being a claim that Christine got 80/20 coverage. Thank you for setting me straight. 

[Soapy Goddess]

3 minutes ago, General Days said:

 

I'm so sorry. No. I wouldn't ask a question that personal in a forum like this. I lost track of the conversation. I misinterpreted your post as being a claim that Christine got 80/20 coverage. Thank you for setting me straight. 

No worries, GD. Medical insurance can be very complicated.

[BAForever]

Have followed these bozos from Day 1. Love that posters here can  disagree and still be kind in comments. My 2 cents- the way Christine was raised did not give her a realistic view of her life options. Unless she was pretty strong as a young woman, polygamy was most likely her future. She married Kody and started fulfilling her destiny. The show (and Robyn) come along and we all know what happens. The shows money and exposure give her a way out.

Both things can be true- she's a grifter and a good mom. I actually do think of her as Sparkle Pony. Thanks to the wise poster who coined the term.

I do wonder why neither Janelle or Christine went back to college to get education/training for a different career. They obviously have the money- the farm in NC and the Moab rental to pay for adult education. Why chose a career that relies on visibility on social media? Love that some of the OG kids  Aspyn, Logan, Hunter have made that choice. 

[lookeyloo]

regarding medical costs, remember back when stephen brill did a big article in Newsweek about the charge master that hospital billing uses.  And that we were told to "shop around" because there are lower prices to be had.  Because that is easy to navigate, with who is in network, out of network, what does the fee include.  People in crisis or stress have all the time and mental bandwidth to do this.  Imagine a heart attack in a family.  One person says call 911 and the other folks say, wait let me call around to the one with the best rates and see if our doctors are in network.  And sometimes the best hospitals for a condition are the most expensive.  One of my friends was being treated at MD Anderson and they left her in the hall before her treatment until they could be sure her insurance would cover the treatment.  Who knows if Christine tried any of shopping around or found what she thought was the best option for Ysabel.  I am not a big fan of any of them and yes they should have had insurance but even then it is not that simple.

[LilyD]

4 hours ago, BAForever said:

I do wonder why neither Janelle or Christine went back to college to get education/training for a different career. They obviously have the money- the farm in NC and the Moab rental to pay for adult education. Why chose a career that relies on visibility on social media? Love that some of the OG kids  Aspyn, Logan, Hunter have made that choice. 

Both trained as real estate agents. It was on the show back in Vegas. Don’t think either ever took up a serious job in it, unless you count Janelle’s attempts at selling their houses as a real job?

 

[precious pupp]

I remember Christine said she didn't want to work weekends, and that's not going to work when people want to see houses for sale.  I don't think Janelle got serious about selling houses, either.  

[BAForever]

43 minutes ago, LilyD said:

Both trained as real estate agents. It was on the show back in Vegas. Don’t think either ever took up a serious job in it, unless you count Janelle’s attempts at selling their houses as a real job?

 

Thanks @LilyD, I had forgotten that. That's a tough career choice- very competitive. Not sure if either sold a home. I have a love-hate relationship with Meri, Janelle and Christine and a hate-hate relationship with Kody and Robyn. I wish the OG 3 well, but will not be stunned when they fail.

[Orcinus orca]

37 minutes ago, precious pupp said:

I remember Christine said she didn't want to work weekends, and that's not going to work when people want to see houses for sale.

Sparkle Pony actually finished the course (as I recall) and then was stunned, I say stunned, to learn she would need to work weekends.  Dense as a brick.

[Elizzikra]

29 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

Sparkle Pony actually finished the course (as I recall) and then was stunned, I say stunned, to learn she would need to work weekends.  Dense as a brick.

You work weekends and also live with your phone attached to your ear. It’s a tough way to earn a living; you sometimes do a lot of work and don’t earn a dime.

I wonder if Christine’s kids didn’t qualify for Medicaid/CHIP. Perhaps they make too much? Or they just didn’t want the state digging around in their finances?

[Gramto6]

13 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

You work weekends and also live with your phone attached to your ear. It’s a tough way to earn a living; you sometimes do a lot of work and don’t earn a dime.

I wonder if Christine’s kids didn’t qualify for Medicaid/CHIP. Perhaps they make too much? Or they just didn’t want the state digging around in their finances?

Absolutely not an easy job!

Wasn't the original plan for them to be trained as Agents and then sell their own homes in order to keep all the "profits" for themselves? Then maybe they thought this was going to be easy money...which they soon found out, not so!  With the problems selling their own homes, it was obvious this wasn't the easy-peasy money source they thought. 

As far as qualifying for Medicaid/CHIP, yeah, I suspect with the show money, they probably wouldn't qualify (but I know nothing of the rules). And along with that, they probably really  didn't want the state digging into their finances.

Edited Saturday at 06:19 PM by Gramto6
typo

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

As far as qualifying for Medicaid/CHIP, yeah, I suspect with the show money, they probably wouldn't qualify (but I know nothing of the rules). And along with that, they probably really  didn't want the state digging into their finances.

So weren't folks like that supposed to utilize the Affordable Care Act to find insurance for their families??? 

[Salacious Kitty]

48 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

So weren't folks like that supposed to utilize the Affordable Care Act to find insurance for their families??? 

You would think so. It beats going without. 

[precious pupp]

Many of us (my husband and I included) work or have worked shitty jobs for the benefits.  It beats being wiped out financially by an illness or injury.  (Although the copayments can be big, it's still better than having to pay for everything.)

[Elizzikra]

6 hours ago, AZChristian said:

So weren't folks like that supposed to utilize the Affordable Care Act to find insurance for their families??? 

That was the idea, yes though you could pay a penalty instead…

[LilyD]

On 2/15/2025 at 7:05 PM, Elizzikra said:

You work weekends and also live with your phone attached to your ear. It’s a tough way to earn a living

I suspect that any real job (i.e. a non-influencer or mlm) is tough in their book.

Edited Sunday at 06:18 PM by LilyD

[Ms.Lulu]

23 hours ago, AZChristian said:

So weren't folks like that supposed to utilize the Affordable Care Act to find insurance for their families??? 

There was originally a mandate that everyone not covered by employment, Medicaid, or Medicare were required to go through ACA or similar  to ensure they had minimum essential coverage or face a federal tax penalty. It was repealed.

I did a quick calculation on what Christine would have paid for medical insurance when she first moved to AZ. With herself and three eligible kids, and a salary of $150K (show and MLMs), for the lowest level coverage she would pay ~$800/month.

We've heard that the Browns didn't always insure their cars. It isn't surprising they don't have insurance for their kids.

Edited Sunday at 06:56 PM by Ms.Lulu

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, LilyD said:

I suspect that any real job (i.e. a non-influencer or mlm) is tough in their book.

Or is beneath them.  They are, after all, huge celebrities.

[surfgirl]

1 hour ago, Ms.Lulu said:

I did a quick calculation on what Christine would have paid for medical insurance when she first moved to AZ. With herself and three eligible kids, and a salary of $150K (show and MLMs), for the lowest level coverage she would pay ~$800/month.

We've heard that the Browns didn't always insure their cars. It isn't surprising they don't have insurance for their kids.

Your post sounds like you are assuming that the wives had control over the show money, and it seems like Kotex was the one holding and controlling the purse strings until the wives began planning their exit strategies from him. So no, it' is not necessarily true that Christine could have taken whatever money she wanted from the show money and used it for insurance, because she likely did not have control over show money since, IIRC, it all went into the family pot, aka K&R's personal play pen account. Also, we all saw what K thought of medical care for his and Christine's children, so why would anyone be surprised that he might not approve using show money for health insurance? I'm not surprised at all, he showed us all he doesn't care about that sort of thing.

[Ms.Lulu]

9 hours ago, surfgirl said:

Your post sounds like you are assuming that the wives had control over the show money, and it seems like Kotex was the one holding and controlling the purse strings until the wives began planning their exit strategies from him. So no, it' is not necessarily true that Christine could have taken whatever money she wanted from the show money and used it for insurance, because she likely did not have control over show money since, IIRC, it all went into the family pot, aka K&R's personal play pen account. Also, we all saw what K thought of medical care for his and Christine's children, so why would anyone be surprised that he might not approve using show money for health insurance? I'm not surprised at all, he showed us all he doesn't care about that sort of thing.

I am not assuming that the OG3 controlled the show money.

I believe:

1)  None of the Brown adults may have prioritized health insurance.
2) The OG3 were given a smaller portion of the family money, but received some money from the pot.
3) The OG3 all participated in MLMs.

We know by Flagstaff the wives had separate funds (in addition to the family pot) as they all talk about paying the rent or mortgage themselves. In the case of Christine, it may have been the multiple MLMs that she was engaged in that paid her mortgage and other expenses.

What I assume:

Christine and her kids made more than what would qualify them for medicaid she would have been able to make up to $40K to qualify.

She was paying her household expenses herself (she has said that she was paying them herself so assume she isn't lying).

I looked here at the expenses for a family of 4 in Flagstaff and assumed the childcare expense would be for college expenses. They suggest that a family of 4 would need between $140K-150K for a living wage.

https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/22380

I get that families of 4 in Flagstaff can live on less--Janelle seemed to live on a lot less in 2018 when she was supporting Garrison, Gabe and Savannah. 

 

Edited Monday at 05:37 AM by Ms.Lulu