Vent: COBRA insurance, seriously??

Nurses General Nursing

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So I was laid off last month. Still waiting to get my application for COBRA insurance. I called the number to ask them when it was coming and asked them how much it was going to cost to have me and my husband on COBRA....$1,000 a MONTH just for medical. Seriously??? My unemployment check will not even come close to covering that, not even half! I am not in favor of Obama Care, but today I am seriously wishing some one would come up with a reasonable universal health care...Take my job away so I have no income and expect me to pay THAT for insurance...what are they smoking?

"You cannot be denied due to preexisting conditions if you have not had a break in insurance for more 63 days..."

Most of the time that is true for "group" plans or COBRA (which is a group plan), but to purchase an individual policy with a "preexisting" condition" much more often than not you are either denied coverage altogether or your particular condition (epilepsy like the previous poster said or heart condition, etc.) will be "excluded" from coverage. --Again, that's for indiv. policy and preexisting...

If you're fortunate enough to afford COBRA that's great, but it is only temporary...

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention earlier -- I have a "preexisting condition" that is stable and controlled with common, inexpensive (when you get the generic) medication. Because of the law about not being denied if you have previous "creditable" coverage and no break in coverage greater than 63 days (who dreams these things up? Who decided "63 days" was the magic number?), the insurance companies were willing (required, actually) to cover me. Most companies "offered" me a policy with a huge, impossible monthly premium. The company with which I finally went offered me a policy with a reasonable monthly premium (the one that's going up 15% next month :)), but only because they required a separate deductible for my "preexisting condition" -- my general deductible is $2500 annually, but the deductible for my condition (and anything related to it) is -- are you sitting down?? -- $14,000. That's annually, not lifetime. (This is because lots of people with my condition choose to have surgery to treat it, even though it's not really medically necessary, and the company doesn't want to have to pay for surgery if I end up deciding or needing to have it). They also refuse to pay for any medication related to my "preexisting condition" -- so I have coverage for Rx medication, except for the only Rx medication I take regularly.

Doncha love it??

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

True. If you claim your rights under a HIPAA-portability coverage plan in my state, the kind where you covert from COBRA and cannot be declined due to pre-existing conditions, the premiums are around $2400 per month for an individual. It's useful for affluent people protecting their assets, but it's a not a solution for most with pre-existing conditions. In just a very few blue states, insurers are prohibited from jacking up monthly premiums in this manner.

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True. If you claim your rights under a HIPAA-portability coverage plan in my state, the kind where you covert from COBRA and cannot be declined due to pre-existing conditions, the premiums are around $2400 per month for an individual. It's useful for affluent people protecting their assets, but it's a not a solution for most with pre-existing conditions. In just a very few blue states, insurers are prohibited from jacking up monthly premiums in this manner.

NYS must be one. My copays only went up because I went from union to nonunion work. Although we are taxed up the yingyang here and businesses are leaving, there are some good options for health care. Also the law now states that your child can still be covered up to age 29 if he can not get it at his place of employment despite dependent/independent status. Yes, Patterson has done a couple good things..lol. Too bad things differ so much from state to state.

Too bad we can't take what's best from them all and get some type of reform. Time to go to bed, my mind is getting blurry. :rolleyes:

elkpark, amazing on who comes up with the stupid number..i.e. 63?? I don't get it either. And the decisions some of them make when it comes to treating conditions..don't get me started. Delaying a test in my husband will end up costing our insurance company more in the long run.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.
We do need some type of reform.

The sheer fact that they (ins. companies) can deny someone coverage for a preexistng condition is a crying shame. Imagine not being allowed to buy coverage on your own...Forget the premium amount--you're just not "coverable."

Most people end up in poor health at some point in their life, whether it be from an accident or an illness. Being deemed "pre-existing", really blows...Big time.

CIGNA is currently refusing to pay for my husband's surgery because of a pre-existing condition: 65 days without health insurance. If he'd paid for COBRA, it might have been covered. Then again, CIGNA doesn't like to pay for anything. I've had them before, and they're every bit as evil as people say they are.

Medicare was enacted because insurance companies were either dumping senior citizens or raising their premiums by huge amounts. Medicare was extremely controversial when it started, but today, millions of senior citizens rely on it. Unfortunately, many of those same seniors oppose government health care for anyone else.

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And No, I dont support Obama and his insurance reform.

Its going to end up causing more problems than it solves in the long run.

It seems like people say this but they can't back it up. How do you justify your reasoning? What specifically do you think should be different about the plan? Do you just dislike Obama, or have you read various viewpoints and thought this through before announcing your position? Just curious.

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Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.

I had complications and hospital acquired infection that kept me out of work. Note: I came close to death more than once. Interestingly,I was considered to have left my job Voluntarily....Not that there was any way that I could have worked.... I was sicker than many I have cared for in the hospital. You go figure....

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.$1,000 a MONTH just for medical.

Be glad it's only $1,000 a month. That is CHEAP.

Be glad you are able to buy it somewhere and not turned down by everyone for a pre-existing condition. There are people out there who simply cannot get insurance.

I have one friend who has insurance with so many holes in the coverage, it's sickening... she's almost retirement age and has spent most of her nest egg in the past few years on all the things her ins did not cover. She's currently on one drug which runs something like $1,500 a MONTH and she will need to be on it indefinitely. For other people, they just lose the coverage, pay 100% of the bills, and end up going bankrupt trying to stay alive.

I am not in favor of Obama Care, but today I am seriously wishing some one would come up with a reasonable universal health care...Take my job away so I have no income and expect me to pay THAT for insurance...what are they smoking?

The majority of people in the US feel health care is a privilege, not a right or basic necessity. If people die of curable diseases because they can't afford health insurance or treatment, the sentiment from some is "too bad, their problem not mine." Until that mindset changes, this is just how things in the US will stay.

How a civilization cares for its elderly, children, and most vulnerable says a lot about its progress. I personally find it troubling that a tiny fraction of our current (non-wartime) military budget would be enough money to give every American basic health coverage. Over 40% of our entire federal budget goes under the vague title of "military", and nobody is asking if it's really needed or not.

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What is shocking is that someone could work in the health care industry and be so unaware of the heath insurance industry. The current debate about health care is actually about health insurance. Personally I see them as unnecessary middlemen that are parasitic. Although I do like Japan's system. PBS did an excellent special on it and other socialized systems around the world. Perhaps it could be a pre-requisite of nursing school to have a little more life experience that way we would not have hard hearted medical professionals who treat Medicaid recipient badly.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

I'm from NZ we have a socialized system of healthcare but I will say one thing I'm not sure that the same system I enjoyed back home would work here. People in the US seem to love going to the DR. I think the system back home works because there are people like my parents who never go to the Dr mainly bc they are in good health for ppl in their 70's. The emphasize is on keeping people healthy so they don't need expensive medical care later on.

Maybe what we need to do is to bring things in gradually rather than expecting an overnight miracle. Make basic health prevention care affordable and accessible.

My plan would be to say everyone gets one free annual physical to start with and move from there.

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What is shocking is that someone could work in the health care industry and be so unaware of the heath insurance industry. The current debate about health care is actually about health insurance. Personally I see them as unnecessary middlemen that are parasitic. Although I do like Japan's system. PBS did an excellent special on it and other socialized systems around the world. Perhaps it could be a pre-requisite of nursing school to have a little more life experience that way we would not have hard hearted medical professionals who treat Medicaid recipient badly.

The problems in the US system are not just with the insurance coverage aspect (although you are correct that the debate quickly became all about that) -- we also have serious problems with actual healthcare delivery/services in the US. Many people can't get treatment, but there are also many people being over-treated (too much healthcare), lots of unnecessary or unhelpful treatment, etc., etc., etc. IMHO, the entire system needs a complete overhaul (the first step being elimination of the for-profit health insurance companies ...)

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The problems in the US system are not just with the insurance coverage aspect (although you are correct that the debate quickly became all about that) -- we also have serious problems with actual healthcare delivery/services in the US. Many people can't get treatment, but there are also many people being over-treated (too much healthcare), lots of unnecessary or unhelpful treatment, etc., etc., etc. IMHO, the entire system needs a complete overhaul (the first step being elimination of the for-profit health insurance companies ...)

One lady comes to mind with your post...

Over 20 years in a comatose state. No hope for improvement. Tried to committ suicide and did not succeed...but was revived enought to exist in a neverland. Tube feeding, trach, total care, etc. I believe last quote was $7k/mth. I'm too tired to do the math, but I can generalize that would have bought a few health care plans for the uninsured.

In regards to the unnecessary tests....doctors trying to cover their butts from lawsuits. So a good health care revision would have to include some tort reform.

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You don't always need insurance. When I was in my early 20s, I didn't have insurance, my doctors office prorated my visit fees according to my pay. There was also a free client I could go to if I was really sick and the doc. office was closed. Talk to your doctors' office and see what kind of plans they have for uninsured low income or unemployed patients. Also talk to your local health department or social services office. There are a lot of programs out there that can help cover some or all of your medical bills if you get sick.

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