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What are my options for my insurance?

I can't afford cobra insurance; what are my other options? Thank you!?

  • I am on work-mans compensation and my employer cancel my health insurance without telling me. The insurance company let me know after the fact. Now I have some insurance claims that have not been paid and I can not afford cobra insurance. Do I have any other options? Thank you!

  • Answer:

    First of all, your employer was legally required to inform you that your coverage was being dropped & they should have informed you this way before the carrier did - there is a certain time frame they are required to notify you of this plus a certain prescribed period to elect COBRA coverage. When I was downsized, I also was unable to afford COBRA coverage; thankfully, I was able to find a cheaper plan that meets my needs (plus COBRA usually runs only 18 months - unless you get disabled during that period & you get an extra 11 months - if you lost coverage due to death or divorce of an insured person, you can get COBRA for up to 36 months). I am VERY suspicious of your employer dropping your coverage after you needed to file a worker's compensation claim. If your pending bills are from work-related injuries, the worker's compensation carrier is still on the hook for them. I'd see if I could talk to an attorney who handles workers' compensation cases; they work on a contingency (only get paid if they collect) basis & am sure he/she could investigate this matter of their suddenly dropping your health coverage with no notice. You may also want to (even anonymously) report your employer's action to the Department of Labor and/or EBSA (www.dol.gov) so they can pursue investigating your case. Also, see if you can check with state agencies for low-cost coverage; if you will have a long-term (over 12 month disability) you may be able to also enroll in Medicare. Also, some of the Blues do offer coverage for those with low income. Good luck!

Sharon at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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It's going to depend on what state you live in, but it's highly unlikely in most states, that with a current disability, you'd find ANY private health insurance willing to cover you, at any price. If you're in a guaranteed issue state, they'll exclude coverage for your preexisting conditions for a minimum of a year. You can always check with your state "high risk health pool" or "preexisting condition insurance plan", but depending on what state you live in, it will likely cost MORE than COBRA, and will STILL exclude preexisting conditions for at least the first six months. You can do that at www.healthcare.gov. Lastly, once you're out for two years, you can file for SSDI, or you can apply for Medicaid in your state. BTW, it's not your employer being the meanie here - they're just following the IRS laws. Once your 12 weeks is up from the FMLA, they're required to drop you if you're no longer working.

mbrcatz

Go to your state's website and see if they offer health plans. Like, in NY it's called Healthy NY and it offers "affordable" health insurance to people who qualify (earn less than certain amounts). You should also report your employer if they canceled your insurance without notification. Not only would they have needed to notify you, but they would have had to offer you the Cobra coverage before your insurance expired.

A

Workman's Comp will continue to pay for bills related to the original at-work injury. Your employer is required to tell you they are cancelling your insurance. Your other options are private insurance (which is generally cheaper than COBRA, but probably won't cover your current injury, because it's a pre-existing condition); walk-in clinics (AKA county health departments); or government health insurance (if you qualify, you can check it out at healthcare.gov).

Amaya Forever

they cancelled your insurance because you aren't working-which means you aren't paying the premium. your other option is to buy your own health insurance policy--which will be much cheaper than cobra. however, since you are on worker's compensation--you are prob going to have a hard time finding an insurance company to write the policy

s and d e

If the claims are more than COBRA, then find a way to pay for COBRA...otherwise you're going to have to find a way to afford the claims.

Insurance Pickle.com

Workmans Comp will pay for your health care related to your injury. If you have no regular insurance plan you should buy one, or go to any out patient clinic and pay cash.

Flower

Smartconsumer gave you an awesome answer. I can't think of a thing to add. Your work comp bills have NOTHING to do with your health plan.

Lynn

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