You'd probably find easier to migrate from Android to Apple than vice-versa. Apple by intent and by design has made it difficult to leave its ecosystem. Be it proprietary file formats to non-standardized hardware once you've immersed yourself into the Apple world switching to anything else involves a lot of planning, a good amount of patience, and serious efforts on your part. iMessage is a good example. You cannot just start using a texting app on an Android device, you have to go through a process of un-registering yourself in iMessage, which include coordinated apps like FaceTime, then initiate the final step to have Apple free up your account.
https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage/
(Apple refuses to allow its proprietary services like iMessage or FaceTime to be used on any other platform so there are no iMessage nor FaceTime Android apps. Also because they're protected by patents no other developers can legally reverse-engineer and add iMessage or FaceTime compatibility to their own apps.)
While there are apps in Google's Play Store to aid in migrating from Apple to Android, you will still need to dedicate some time and effort to this whole venture. Also, if you weren't allowing your iPhone to link itself into your online iCloud account or weren't backing everything up locally using iTunes on a computer that makes everything a lot more difficult. As for a magic 'chip' that you just remove from your iPhone into a different phone -- if you were referring to the SIM card that's more of a carrier issue than an Android <<>> iOS issue. Otherwise, the memory storage chip in your iPhone is soldered to the motherboard, it's essentially a permanent component (and even if it was user-removable, because Apple uses a completely different file system, different file system structure, and a different operating system it wouldn't work in any Android phone anyway.)
There just isn't any 'push a button and it's done' solution for you in this matter. Sounds like you're going to have to just eat the expense of getting a new iPhone, or at least accept the fact that migrating away from iOS to Android won't be a simple task.
You mentioned your husband stopped by an AT&T store for assistance. Have either of you made an appointment with the Genius Bar at a local Apple Store? The staff at most are really well trained not just in Apple related issues but also customer service, you might get a lot better advice from there. Being an Apple customer you're eligible for that kind of tech support.
https://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/#mn_p