HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

getting jpouch surgery soon, just got laid off from blue cross blue sheild =(

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/13/2009 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
soooo, our whole dept found out yesterday that we are all gettin laid off soon, i was in the process of scheduling jpouch surgery next month, not sure if thats a possibility now=( depends on how long severence pay i get and if that includes health insurance, it stinks, i had such great insurance working here at BCBS! surgery was going to be paid for 100%, anyone have any advice on what to do after i am laid off?

i know i will get unemployment, but what about insurance? oklahoma has sooner care but i dont know if i would qualify yet... just starting my research..

Posted 8/13/2009 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
I think cobra is a possibility, but I have heard it gets expensive...
Posted 8/13/2009 3:20 PM (GMT 0)
Seems it would be worth paying for COBRA -- it will be the same insurance -- to get through the surgery. The government has a new program that makes it less expensive for you. Can you get the surgery sooner rather than later?

Be careful about discussing your situation with your employer. It may change what severance you (and everyone) gets if they know you have an expensive surgery planned. That's being paranoid, but I already don't trust the insurance industry!

Keep in touch --
Posted 8/13/2009 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
Start looking for a new job ASAP, and make sure that your coverage doesn't lapse (do COBRA or something), or else you might get denied for future policies based on a pre-existing condition. I agree it might be good to get the surgery done quickly, as well. Good luck!
Posted 8/13/2009 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
When my company did layoffs they extended full insurance coverage for a whole year. This was in the pharmaceutical industry so maybe BCBS will be similar. I agree with the others as far as planning your surgery sooner if it's an option.
Posted 8/13/2009 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
wow thanks for the quick replies! i am still waiting at my desk to find out when my last day will be, just got some good news tho, i think i will still be employed till jan 1st, not sure yet...that would be great tho...i called the surgeon and set up an appt for consultation aug18, i was planning on getting the first surg, and then waiting till after baby was born jan25, 2010 and getting the takedown surg after that...but if i can do it, i will do both this year, surely i can be recovered by january if i have the takedown in november??

oh and i did check on cobra, for my hmo it would be about 1300.00 a month!! cheaper than surgery, but i will just hope i dont need that =)

Posted 8/13/2009 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah Cobra would surely more than pay for itself in spades in your situation- eg pay a couple thousand or so and get $60,000 or whatever in surgery (and any post surgery issues) fully covered- I wouldn't hesitate to pay for Cobra if I lost coverage (always a fear in this jobless recovery) - not to mention to bridge the gap until you get on some other plan.
Posted 8/13/2009 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
peety, where can i find the info about getting government help with cobra??
Posted 8/13/2009 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
It was in the stimulus bill, the employer would pay 65% and get reimbursed by the government. Unless you work for certain non-profits not covered by ERISA. Your HR people will know about it. Google COBRA and Stimulus.
Posted 8/13/2009 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
got it! thats great information!! you guys are so helpful!
Posted 8/13/2009 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
You should still get your health coverage during severance (just depends on company). Then pick up the cobra. It is dirt cheap for 9 months with the stimulus that went into affect. After that we may be able to get insurance anyway with our pre-existing conditions depending on what happens with the health bill. If not and you want UC covered, either get a job with group plan or exhaust the cobra for 9 more months and pick up a private policy. After 18 months of cobra the pre-existing clause doesn't apply.
Posted 8/13/2009 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
ok so i just found out i will be here till january, which means my health insur will end january 31..that should be enought time to get both surgerys and recover huh?
Posted 8/13/2009 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
Who really knows! A lot of it will depend on the surgeon's availability and how quickly you recover from the first surgery. And just remember that babies can come early! My son was born three weeks early (if he'd been born one day earlier he would have been considered premature) and I'd had a perfectly healthy pregnancy with no risk factors for early delivery.
Posted 8/13/2009 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
ya, i just got my labs back earlier and my liver is fine, and no anemia, so hopefully the surgery will be a go...gosh, what a stressful day, we have been waiting all day to find out when we will be laid off only to find out they are going to tell us tomorrow for sure..
Posted 8/14/2009 4:58 AM (GMT 0)
Maybe you'll also get lucky and have the baby be a bit late like I was--ten or eleven days, maybe a bit more. Buy you some recovery time! hehe. I had two teeth lol. Hope everything works out! Good luck!
Posted 8/14/2009 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
I would deifnitely pay for the COBRA for a few months so you can get through the surgery and heal. You can probably collect unemployment and get COBRA, get your surgery over with and heal while looking for work. I hope you work things out before the baby comes.
Posted 8/14/2009 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Definitely get COBRA. In the event you have post surgical complications you want to ensure you are covered.

Sue
Posted 8/14/2009 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
How sucky is that to get laid off! I feel so bad for you! What a scary time to possibly lose your insurance. Because having babies is expensive, not to mention j-pouch surgeries!!
Good luck and be sure not to lapse, as other people have also mentioned! I paid whatever I had to on COBRA last time I was between jobs because I would be so screwed if I ever got denied for previous condition.
Posted 8/15/2009 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
Do the COBRA ... I am on it right now and you are guaranteed the cheaper rate based on the new bill passed for 9 months before the rate jacks up. I have UC too and insurance through COBRA is about $120 per month right now just for me (i'm in Texas and it's a PPO plan thru United Healthcare). This will buy me time to find insurance on my own ... do not let it lapse or you will definitely be denied when you seek out your own insurance.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply