Changing Jobs - What About My Present Insurance? Posted: 02-04-06 10:28am
Hi all,
i have an employer-provided medical
insurance. I am changing jobs now, and
the new job starts from the first of
april. I am leaving my current job on the
first of march. My question is:
what happens to my insurance in the
meantime? Is there a period of time
during which my old insurance is valid, or
will I have to get some temporary medical
insurance during the one month that I will
not be working?
Also, I have had a seizure, and so I don't
want this to go as a pre-existing
condition in my insurance plan at the new
company. My present company uses blue
cross blue shield (bcbs) as the provider.
I found out that the new place also offers
bcbs plans. Can I transition between the
jobs and hae the same insurane policy,
without making my seizure as a
pre-existing condition, since it is the
same insurance provider?
Any guidance is appreciated. Thank you.
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fatfamily02
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 3050 Location: Georgia, USA
Posted: 02-04-06 10:46am
Usually there is this option called
cobra--where you are allowed to keep your
insurance for a short period of time,
after leaving the job. Just see if the
insurace company has the cobra option.
Quote:
congress passed
the landmark consolidated omnibus budget
reconciliation act (cobra) health benefit
provisions in 1986.
Cobra contains provisions giving certain
former employees, retirees, spouses and
dependent children the right to temporary
continuation of health coverage at group
rates. This coverage, however, is only
available in specific instances. Group
health coverage for cobra participants is
usually more expensive than health
coverage for active employees, since
usually the employer formerly paid a part
of the premium. It is ordinarily less
expensive, though, than individual health
coverage.
this site changes the lower case letters
to upper case letters in the link. In
this link when posted the .C.O.B.R.A_.L is
captital letters, only--if it changes it.
Nothing else is caps--you can change it
in your browser.
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arkay
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 4
Posted: 02-04-06 11:07am
Thank you for your response. Do you mean
to say that once I go to the new job, I
will be able to transition to the new
insurance without having my seizure being
reported as a pre-existing condition, or
transfer the current plan that I have to
the new employer?
I will check the site out on cobra that
you listed.
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fatfamily02
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 3050 Location: Georgia, USA
Posted: 02-04-06 11:31am
If you are on constant medical
insurance---they cannot call your
condition--pre-existing--because you are
being treated for it. You can only be
out of insurance for 30 days before it
falls in the "pre-existing condition,"
catagory, on the new plan. And will
possibly cause you trouble in getting set
up with new plan. Now if you had
something 10 --5--15 years ago and they
can prove you had it, when you go to dr
for it, and you have not been receiving
the proper treatment for this condtition
or have not had constant insurance they
can --exempt you from treatment for it.
Atleast that is what my insurance provider
told me.
And that is why the cobra--to hold you
thru-- until new plan starts is very
important. Then you will not have to be
without insurance for the 90 days that
most company's usually make you wait to
get on the new insurance.
Hope this helped
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arkay
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 4
Posted: 02-04-06 12:09pm
Thank you so much for your response. It
was very clear. I did not know that there
was a 30-day period of being uninsured for
something to be called pre-existing. I
thought it was immediate, i.E. When I get
off one plan and try to setup another.
Thank you for your response.
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fatfamily02
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 3050 Location: Georgia, USA
Posted: 02-04-06 15:31pm
No, I was saying that if you are without
insurance for 30 days, then it is like you
have not been getting treatment for the
condition, and now it is consider not
managed. So pre-existing catagory comes
up again for you, on that otherwise
managed condition.
I dont know exactly how to explain it.
But I had insurance man tell me if I was
constantly insured then, I do not fall
into the pre-existing catagory for my
multiple conditions. (if my conditions
are being taken care of and managed by a
.Dr) and unless I was without insurance
for more than 30 days I would be okay for
the new insurance plan.
As far as I know, all insurance plans are
the same way on this. But I dont know
for a fact. My insurance provider
said--no pre-existing conditions, and this
is why we had this conversation. But I
had been under constant insurance plans
for years. I was never refused treatment
for any of my existing conditions, or any
new ones that came up.
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arkay
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 4
Posted: 02-04-06 18:52pm
Thank you for your response. I understood
what you are trying to tell me. I also
found a link where it is explained
clearly. Here is the link for anyone who
might have the same question as I did:
