COBRA and healthcare coverage woes

10 years ago

Chisue's post named "The Axe Has Fallen" really made me feel less alone in my struggle to find affordable healthcare coverage. Due to numerous hard drive failures, lost bookmarks and password files, and the assumption I had paid for three months in advance, I failed to make my last COBRA payment on time and as a result was canceled. I've appealed to COBRA, the COBRA admin company and my previous employer and was denied reinstatement all three times. I am devastated.

For the past year, I was with Kaiser at a cost of $771/mo for COBRA coverage. Still had another six months of COBRA. Now, it will cost me $1,350/mo for the same coverage and it won't begin until January 2014. I had been scheduled for tests due to some worrisome health concerns and those had to be canceled. Not knowing I lost coverage, I had an epidural and mammogram in July meaning those costs will have to be out of pocket. Looks like I need to find a job again but just hate the thought of the stress and long hours involved in my profession.

My husband is in the insurance business and even he can't find anything affordable for us because of all my health issues.

Just needed to vent. ugh.

Jodi-

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Comments (14)

fran1523
10 years ago
That's horrible Jodi. Is it possible to get catastrophic coverage with a high deductible or is there always a 90 day waiting period? I think in January you should be able to get some kind of coverage under the new Health Care Act. You will have to shop around of course. Good luck and try to stay healthy in the meantime.
dlg421
10 years ago
Jodi,

So sorry for your insurance problems especially at the time that you are having health concerns.

If you have not already done so, you may check to see if the state of California has an insurance commissioner, and if so, file an appeal with them.

I am hoping that Obama Care will make insurance available and affordable as my daughter is in a situation similar to yours.

Best wishes.
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**Also, if it so wonderful, why won't congress and the first family take this coverage** That's sort of a confusing question--it seems like you think the new law creates new insurance policies that we all have to switch to, or something? And so you're wondering why Congress and the first family don't switch to the new policies? But the law doesn't do that. There is no coverage that Congress or the Obamas, or you for that matter, could switch to. The only new coverage options are the state-run exchanges for people with preexisting conditions who cannot get insurance on the private market, and a few new options for low-income people. But if you don't have a preexisting condition that has prevented you from getting insurance, or if you aren't low-income enough, you don't qualify for those new options. So there's nothing that Congress, the first family, etc., could switch to. Under the new law, you just keep your existing insurance (or move to whatever other policy your employer offers that you want). And so does Congress and the first family. What the law does is (1) change the rules for insurance companies so that your existing insurance is more reliable, (2) requires everyone to have health insurance, and (3) creates more options for lower-income people and for people with preexisting conditions, so that such people can get insurance more easily (through state-run exchanges, Medicaid and so on). So in other words, the coverage you have under it is the same as the coverage you have now--and the coverage Congress and the first family have is the same as what they have now--except with better rules: now your insurer can't cancel you for getting sick, can't exclude your kids for pre-existing conditions, as of 2014 also won't be able to exclude adults for pre-existing conditions, has to let you keep your children on your insurance until they're 26 if you want to, can't impose a lifetime cap on benefits, and so on. As for the waiver, I really have a problem with Fox News and others leaving out a few critical details, like the fact that McDonalds, Universal Orlando (the theme park), and other very mainstream companies got it (and you can google "McDonalds political contributions" to see that most of McDonalds' donations went to Republicans), and the fact that the waiver only lasts for one year. Apparently the purpose of it is to let part-time lower-income workers keep their extremely basic plans, which do impose a lifetime cap on benefits, while the details of their new plans get ironed out and the new system gets up and running. Most employers don't offer such bare-bones plans, so they don't need a waiver. I'm also a little confused by what you said about creating dozens or hundreds of new federal agencies. Here's an article (link below) that clarifies that. I took a look at the letter you posted, but there's no sense in responding to it because it's not talking about the law that actually got passed. It's talking about certain things that, at the time the letter was written, were being considered. I'm just going to stick to the law we actually have, not a 15-month-old letter about other possibilities. But I do want to point something out--you were comparing the price projections on page 28 of the letter to your own insurance premiums in 2010. Those price projections were for 2016. Even assuming those projections turn out to be correct--which would be a total fluke, since they were based on things that did not end up being passed in the actual law--it doesn't make sense to compare your price in 2010 to a projected 2016 price and then say, based on that, that the new law is going to increase your costs.
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YogaLady1948
10 years ago
AW Jodi, that is so sad. All of the insurance info is just so much to me and so confusing.
magic_arizona
10 years ago
Jodi,

I don't know what January 1st will bring (ObamaCare) but as I understand it, you will be able to get insurance that will cover you, pre-existing conditions or not, and they can't charge you any more than they would charge a healthy woman of your same age.If you can hold out for 4 months, you should be okay.

You can Google Pre existing condition insurance and get more info but they are not accepting new enrollees any more.

Here is a link that might be useful: information
samkaren
10 years ago
Jodi - I feel for you. When I went to part time and lost my insurance I got information from COBRA.

WHAT A JOKE! They wanted $961 for insurance. I don't even make that a month! How do they think anyone can afford their prices?

So I do not have insurance and just pray I stay healthy until I get full time work.
SamKaren
your resident DJ
Jodi_SoCal
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the link Magic, I will be spending some time there reading up on the new plans.

Jodi-
morz8 - Washington Coast
10 years ago
Jodi, I'm sympathizing with you and understand, I'm in the same boat. DH is still working and loving it even though he's Medicare/supplement age now. He's self employed, we have a small business and have been buying insurance out of pocket the last 10 years. What a blessing it was when he reached 65, I hate to wish any of my life away but I've got a year to go (64 next month) and my standard 80/20 $1500 deductible is $1182 a month....I have another $14,000+ in premiums to pay before the monthly costs go down.

I've had a couple of health issues but the annual increases have been across the board, they aren't penalizing specifically me for any health history. When I look at their list of prices for the 'products', meaning policies, they offer, I'm paying what any healthy non-smoking woman my age - 63 - would pay.
Chi
10 years ago
You have probably already found it but coveredca.com is the California site and they have price plans,etc that seem very reasonable compared to COBRA. I think you can enroll October 1st.
alisande
10 years ago
Jodi, if you end up having to pay for those tests yourself, you should be prepared to negotiate. When I was uninsured I quickly learned that although hospitals will be perfectly happy if you pay the full amount, they don't necessarily expect you to. If you can pay up front, eliminating their billing hassles, they'll often lop off 30 - 40% instantly.

My first out-of-pocket procedure cost $600. I called and expressed my shock (today that would hardly be shocking), and the billing person said, "How does $300 sound?"

No kidding......you can end up saving yourself a lot of money by asking for a lower amount.

Best of luck to you on the insurance issue. I, too, have read that pre-existing conditions can't penalize you under Obama's health care plan.
morz8 - Washington Coast
10 years ago
Alisande, that's a good point. I called about the balance of a hospital bill after my insurance had made their (substantial) payment and while it wasn't anything like 30-40%, it was 15% discount for payment in full rather than payments over time and worked out to several hundred dollars less. No more money than savings accounts are earning, it made sense to pay it all at once but there isn't anything on the actual bill that references that - a friend suggested I call.

My mothers dentist offers 20% discount for payment in full within 30 days of billing for those who don't have dental insurance.
pam_25f
10 years ago
No advice Jodi, just lots of sympathy. Hubby and I did not make great money, but we have great insurance and we are very grateful.
Jodi_SoCal
Original Author
10 years ago
Good advice Alisande. Not sure Kaiser will negotiate but will find out if I'm faced with a large bill.

Jodi-
dedtired
10 years ago
I am truly tken aback by what people pay for health insurance. I feel angry about what I pay for Medicare and Supplemental, but it is a bargain compared o what I am reading here.

Before that, I always had insurance through an employer or COBRA. I lost my job at a lucky time when there were programs in place to help the newly unemployed. Of course I had to fight with my former employer to get them to acknowledge that I qualified for those programs.

Anyway, I think you have gotten some good advice. My son cannot afford insurance. I don't know what he would do in an emergency, and this is in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It is a crime. I am hoping Obamacare makes it possible for him to be covered.

Good luck to you.
sephia
10 years ago
"...this is in one of the wealthiest countries in the world."

Huh? This country is so in debt. How can we be one of the wealthiest countries in the world with how much we owe everyone else?

COBRA and healthcare coverage woes

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