Keeping Coverage
Eleanor: Keeping coverage
when your job ends
Eleanor lost her job, and it took eight months to find a new one. “I kept my HMO through COBRA. I had to pay the whole monthly premium and I had to pay it on time or I would have lost my coverage.”
She adds, “When I got my new job, I did not have health benefits for the first three months, so I kept on COBRA during that time.”
Rachel and Josh: Keeping your plan when your employer changes plans
Rachel’s employer switched plans, but she and Josh wanted to keep their doctors. “So we applied for individual coverage with our current plan. I was accepted, but Josh wasn’t, because he had a pre-existing condition. So we decided to enroll in our employer’s new plan.”
Francisco: Choosing a HIPAA plan
Francisco, 35, a self-employed contractor, had a group plan through his professional association. When the plan cancelled its contract with the association, Francisco was worried he wouldn’t be able to find another policy. “Then I found out I could get a HIPAA plan, even though I have diabetes.”
Francisco was eligible for HIPAA because his group plan ended and his association couldn’t find any other plan. He couldn’t get COBRA, but he could get a HIPAA plan. “I really gave a sigh of relief when I read that,” he said. “After that, the decision was easy. I just called and asked companies for their HIPAA plans and picked the one that worked best for me.”
More about pre-existing conditions.
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