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Health Insurance....HELP!!!!!

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/20/2008 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

Well here I am, my coverage ended on the 1st of January, and now Im uninsured.  I was under my parents employer plan.  Well now I'm scrabbling to find an individual plan.  My parents plan offered the COBRA option but at 650 a month..thats not possible.

I'm not working, and I want to go back to school. 

Does anyone have individual health insurance if so with who??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks :)

 

Posted 1/20/2008 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
you can probably get a good rate thru your university.
Posted 1/20/2008 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
Pick up the cobra.... if you go uninsured then the next insurance company can put clauses in your contract for pre-existing conditions and not cover you for your UC the first year of coverage. Every State is different with insurance company rules but this is probably the case because you are no longer in a group health insurance plan.

--Keith
Posted 1/20/2008 9:41 PM (GMT 0)
Check out your states plans, you may qualify for a plan through the gov't. Other than that, cobra, or having insurance through a job, it is very hard to get individual health with UC. If you can find it, it's going to be very expensive. Colleges and univerisite usually have a medical plan you can sign up for.
Posted 1/20/2008 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
It really depends on what state you live in. In NY, for example, people with UC can get insurance because the insurers can't discriminate based on a pre-existing condition. In states that ask you about your previous conditions, you'll likely get turned down everywhere.

I believe that all states have something call High Risk Pool insurance, which is for people who get turned down everywhere else. It's not great insurance, but it is something. If you qualify based on low income, you can get it at a reduced price. If you look at your state government website, that's where you'd find the info.

Having a gap in insurance coverage is really not good. Insurers who insure you later can sometimes exclude some coverage just because you haven't had continuous coverage. The rules are complicated and vary by state. You might want to pick up the COBRA coverage for a month while you figure it out another option.

Gotta love this. I got turned down everywhere and it made me crazy until I found another option. Good luck!
Posted 1/20/2008 10:52 PM (GMT 0)

OUsooner, I'm assuming you're in Oklahoma because of your name. Here's a link to a site that talks about the high risk insurance pool in OK. 

    http://www.ahirc.org/quickguide_oklahoma.html

Hope it helps.

Posted 1/21/2008 5:22 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. This was worrying me but now I have some advice to go  on.  So thanks again.  I love this place.

  :-)

 

Posted 1/21/2008 5:23 AM (GMT 0)
And yes Im in Oklahoma and 25.  thanks again
Posted 1/21/2008 5:38 AM (GMT 0)
I had a hell of time trying to get temp insurance when i switched jobs last summer, (60 days) whenever I mentioned UC they couldn't deny me fast enough. I basically took the risk, I had a 90 day supply of ASACOL on hand from my previous employer so I just sucked it up.
Posted 1/21/2008 9:37 AM (GMT 0)
and does anyone know of any insurers in uk when u have uc?
Posted 1/21/2008 12:34 PM (GMT 0)
Maud, why are you looking for health insurance in the UK. If you're not getting the treatment you want, get your GP to refer you to a different consultant or even hospital.
Bal
Posted 1/21/2008 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
How long until you graduate? I went for about 8 months on COBRA until I graduated and got a job with health coverage, and I'm glad I did because of the pre-existing condition restrictions.
Posted 1/21/2008 3:05 PM (GMT 0)

what are pre-existing condition restrictions?  Will a company's health insurance not cover my UC if I go somewhere else in the future?  Not sure if I completely understand that..

Is that if you are without health insurance coverage?  Or if you go from one job that has health insurance to another company with different health insurance?

I was dx'd a couple months before starting my current job (which I have been at for almost 8 years) so I haven't run into that and never really thought about it.

Just curious thanks.

Posted 1/21/2008 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Beth. . .
If you don't have insurance, and you get sick and then get insurance, you will not be covered for your condition for a certain amount of time (1 year for me)

If you have insurance and switch from one insurer to another, there's a law (I believe federal) that they must cover you right away.
Posted 1/21/2008 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
Just some info on Cobra (thought it varies sometimes)... typically you have 90 days to decide if you want Cobra or not. You don't have to pay it until you decide that you want it but if you do want it you have to retroactively pay back from the day you lost your insurance. But you will be covered from that day too. So it is ok to not sign up right away while you look at your options but know your limit and don't let it pass. If you get Cobra and then go to another plan or go to another plan in less than 90 days you will not be exempted from pre-existing condition coverage. But, If you let it pass and then get on a group plan your UC may not be covered. I know it is a ridiculously large sum of money but it is worth it. Being without will cost you a lot more in the long run.
Posted 1/21/2008 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
If you lost your insurance your options other than Cobra are a plan through your university which usually is cheap but will have lots of limitations since it's not made for people with chronic diseases.  Your state medicaid may cover you if you aren't working and are supporting yourself (not getting help from your parents).  Most states have a high risk insurance pool to cover people in your situation......but in the long run it may be just as expensive as Cobra coverage.  The pre-existing condition requirement will screw you if you go without some type of coverage.  This happens if you go without insurance usually for longer than 90 days between.  If you can prove you have maintained insurance, or a lapse of less than 90 days you waive the pre-existing requirement.  Pre-existing condtion requirements can vary from insurance to insurance usually at least 6 months and as long as a year.  If it's just prescriptions you need help with there are programs that can help with that and even some states WA and OR have a Rx discount plan for free for anyone with out insurance coverage.  Hopefully our answers helped a little, I do coding, billing and insurance work for my job so let me know if anyone has any questions I can help with I know the insurance language can be confusing sometimes.

Posted 1/21/2008 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
One more thing, you will probably be denied for individual coverage. Whatever you do....do not look at Mega Life and Health! If you find an insurance company that says they will cover you read the info very carefully before you sign up or pay anything.
Posted 1/21/2008 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
As far as help with meds...look for a group that Montell Williams is involved with, that asssists those who cannot pay for their prescriptions

                                                   Deacon

Posted 1/22/2008 9:12 PM (GMT 0)

Great info guys. Keep it coming!!

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