Completely and totally disgusted.

[flightnurse2b]

i'm pregnant.

i'm moving from north carolina to florida in three weeks.

i am a nurse and i currently have health insurance.

because i'm leaving the state and my job, my insurance plan will terminate with my employment here in NC. because the rich fat cats in charge of the health care in this country consider pregnancy a "pre-existing condition" EVEN THOUGH I HAVE PROOF OF COVERAGE AT THE TIME OF CONCEPTION, i cannot get health insurance for another NINETY DAYS until my new employer's group coverage kicks in.. and even then, i can be denied.

i am pure sick to my stomach. i am completely and utterly disgusted with the health care system in this country.

so, now, because i make too much money for any assistance, and there is not one insurance company who can help me, i am going to go bankrupt to have this baby.

now i have to pay for COBRA, for an insurance company that NO provider in florida takes. what do i do? quit my job and not work so i can get on medicaid?? maybe then i can afford my prenatal vitamins???? i have to see a high risk OB bc of my asthma. can i afford that out of pocket? NO. and no one seems to want to help me.

i guess me and my baby don't DESERVE health insurance or prenatal care. shame on me for moving out of state and getting pregnant.

the HIPAA law says that pregnancy cannot be deemed a pre-existing condition for someone who has health care coverage at the time of conception. however, BCBS wants $500 a month plus a $2500 deductible and a $1500 maternity deductible. the guy at cigna said "there's nothing i can do for you", and hangs up.

for those of you who are opposed to universal health care because you think "its my money and i shouldnt have to help pay for anyone else and if you want insurance go get a good job like i did", i ask you to have a freaking heart. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL.

what am i supposed to do now????

the land of opportunity in deed.

here i am, a nurse, i spend every day of my life taking care of sick people. NO ONE WILL TAKE CARE OF ME@!!!!!!!!

:crying2::crying2::crying2:

[leslie :-D]

woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

congratulations, allie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clpty:

leslie:bby::balloons::bby:

[kss0740]

Appeal, appeal, appeal. Lawyer up if you need to.

[ozoneranger]

Lawyer up & consider going to the local media. There have been people who posted their situation on you tube & the story gets picked up on the news. Call your state representatives too.

If you can't afford a lawyer, go to your local Legal Aid Office, they'll help you.

Please keep us updated, God bless you.

[BroadwayRN, ASN, RN]

Don't believe a word they're telling you! Insurance companies will try to keep from paying at any opportunity. It is against the law to consider pregnancy a pre-exsisting condition. I can understand them dropping your coverage since you are leaving but they have to allow you cobra. It will undoubtly be more expensive but not as expensive as mortgaging everything you own to pay the hospital and nursery bill.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

This situation is one of the many loopholes people can fall through and find themselves without coverage and without the ability to obtain coverage.

Keep in mind insurance is regulated by state, so each state will have different regulations. In my state, health insurance companies can cancel anyone who has been out of the contracted service area (county or state) for more than 30 days. Depending on the plan, an out-of-network benefit may or may not be available.

Also, in my state, not a single insurer will provide insurance for a pregnant women unless it's through an employer-group plan. They all decline pregnant women because it's a sure $$$$$$ loser for the insurance company.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

thank you all you guys for your kind responses so far. i am going to try and calm myself down and call the florida board of labor tomorrow. and then i am going to have to call my current provider and inquire re: out of network maternity coverage and COBRA.

i am an emotional wreck. this was an unplanned pregnancy and although JB and i are very excited about our blessing, we are so scared.

we have already sent in our down payment for our townhome and i turned in my notice at work weeks ago. it's a done deal. besides, JB and i are the only ones here in NC. both of our families are in FL. i am not willing to go through an unexpected pregnancy alone when i have a big fat italian family i can lean on.

for the BCBS plan, it's $500 a month with ONLY 50% coverage for all maternity fees only after the $2500 out of pocket plus $1500 maternity rider out of pocket.

right now i have medcost preferred, which is a company that really only exists in NC, SC and GA. i am more than happy to pay for COBRA coverage for whatever the requirement is, since it seems that i can be denied for group coverage as well. however, my issue is that everything will be completely out of network and i will be paying $300-$400 per month for insurance that will probably not be accepted by any high-risk specialist.

i am so scared. i am so, so, scared that i am going to lose everything.

i'm having this baby, unless the good lord takes them from me. but i am so scared.

i am disgusted with the health care in this country.

even with the COBRA or the BCBS blue opts, we can still lose everything if something goes wrong with me and/or baby. it just takes that one bill for you to lose everything you have.

what i am praying for is that i get a 30 day grace period of coverage from my employer since my last day is after the 1st of the month. i'll have to get with my nurse mgr about this bc she can't cancel my coverage until my last day, which is the 3rd... but from the little i know about insurance plans, they only can be cancelled @ certain times, i believe.

so with a 30 day grace period until may, i can pay COBRA. my U/S is next wk, but i presume to be approx 6-7 wks prego. that puts me @ a due date in december. so if i can just pay out of pocket for 6 months or so, i think we have enough savings. but thats IF AND ONLY IF everything goes well.

please pray for me guys. i am scared to death.

i wish insurance companies didn't play God so much.

[Neveranurseagain, RN]

Are you reading this Obama?

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

Won't you be on your new employer provided health insurance plan in Florida by the time the delivery occurs sometime around December? So you'd just be looking at the cost of prenatal care, out of pocket?

Also, I wouldn't call the Florida Board of Labor - they have nothing to do with health insurance. I'd call the Florida Department of Insurance and ask if employer plans (your new employer in FL) can have a waiting period for covering pre-existing pregnancy. For example, in my state, employers can exclude pre-existing conditions from their health insurance plans for up to one year, but many choose not to.

Good luck.

[Circl8r]

The travesty here is that someone can come from a foreign country 9 month pregnant; no prenatal care, no cash, and no English, and walk into any hospital to give birth. After birthing that baby, (who is now an American citizen, by the way; we, the taxpayer gets to foot the bill. And YOU can't move across state lines?>? That's just plain cra*pioka!

This is BEYOND wrong!

[PICNICRN, BSN, RN]

Do not panic! But PLEASE check in to what is covered under your COBRA policy--- I moved out of state and kept on paying my COBRA coverage for the 90 days until my insurance from my new employer kicked in. I found out after about 60 days that my COBRA policy did not cover me AT ALL if I actually lived out of state. So I was really going around with NO insurance the entire time and paying big time premiums anyway!! Make sure they will even cover you if you do not live in NC. If not... no need to pay!

Also, if worse come to worse, you will need to pay cash for the 90 days, after that, your employer MUST cover you- like others said- pregnancy CANNOT be "pre existing"- you have been misinformed. If you mush cash pay for a couple months, most OBs will work with you. Or there is always Planned Parenthood or other clinics in your area. There are lots of options out there- it may seem like you are in a bind, but you will be able to take care of yourself and your baby!!! Sounds like you have a great support system too.

Hang in there........ and Congratulations!!

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

I say that insurance should not be connected to an employer- worst case scenario- someone gets sick, is unable to work, gets terminated from their job and loses their insurance. This happens all the time.

Also, it would greatly lower costs for employers if they did not pay for health ins. Maybe they could hire more workers if they didn't have health ins costs. Hospitals would not have to eat/write-off the cost of caring for the unisured.

I think that we should all have insurance, and it should be some type of universal coverage run by our gov't. We could pay premiums on a sliding scale- based on income. For those who don't voluntarily pay, the premiums could be taken out of tax refunds, Pell Grants, Disability payments, wage garnishments, or out of Welfare payments.

I also believe that all Welfare/food stamps recipients should have to do some kind of work- even if it is only something like picking up garbage by roadsides and in parks, etc.

To the OP- I hope you get your situation resolved.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

Won't you be on your new employer provided health insurance plan in Florida by the time the delivery occurs sometime around December? So you'd just be looking at the cost of prenatal care, out of pocket?

Also, I wouldn't call the Florida Board of Labor - they have nothing to do with health insurance. I'd call the Florida Department of Insurance and ask if employer plans (new employer in FL) can have a waiting period for covering pre-existing pregnancy.

Good luck.

well, i'm pretty positive my new employer in FL has cigna. so, if the jack in the box i talked to at cigna today tells me theres nothing he can do for me, wouldn't i still be liable to be denied for a group coverage plan, also? i start my new job the last week or so of april, and they have a ninety day waiting period. now i'm scared the job i got is going to not want me... they don't know i'm pregnant. i got the job before i found out (which was like, monday.).

my mind is just racing.

the lady @ COBRA told me to call the FL board of labor bc she said that there was nothing she could do for me as far as COBRA alternative plans go, the only way i could get COBRA coverage would be to get the packet from my nurse mgr before my termination of employment.

i am so confused.

the guy at BCBS told me there was nothing he could do for me either, until i spat that HIPAA law out at him. and then he said oh, well, maybe we can get you a guarenteed coverage policy. and then when i told him i had asthma, he said that made it worse.

i will get the # for the FL dept of insurance, too. thanks for the great advice. i will tell them my situation and ask if i enroll with my new employer if i can get maternity coverage.

i'm just going to keep praying.