Insurance questions

[peytons mom]

Is anyone an insurance pro? I currently live in Texas and my husband has insurance for our family through his employer in California. He is contemplating changing jobs and his employer is telling him if he changes employers and insurance, that because of my breast cancer,being a pre existing cause, it woulde only be covered for $4000 a for the rest of my lifetime. What is the deal??? I'm a bit paniced! What is the law?
Thanks for any help!

Peytons mom

[Cathya]

Hi;

I don't know if this helps or not as we have a very different system in Canada but I happened upon this so ....

www.scld-nci.net/presentations/breastcancer020623.pdf

www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/ NCI_Cancer_Bulletin_052504/page4

State Legislative mandates for insurance coverage for breast cancer.

Cathy

[sassy]

If your husband is covered by a group policy at work, with you as a dependent, and he goes to another company with a group policy, taking the new coverage with you as a dependent with no lapse of coverage, it is my understanding that no pre-existing conditions can be placed on you. He should check with the new employer about the policy they have available and make sure that is the case.

Sassy
________
Laguna Heights Condos Wong Amat

[Esther]

I would call the potential new insurance company. It is my unerstanding also that as long as you have continuos insurance coverage there is no pre-existing condition.

Isn't there a federal law that mandates that employers with more than 50 employees have to take everyone on the insurance policy and there is no pre-existing conditions clause?

[Kim in CA]

My husband recently changed employers when the company he had worked for for 30 years was bought out by a larger company. As long as you don't have any lapse in your coverage greater than 63 days I believe, you would be eligible for coverage under a new plan. Also, if it is group coverage, they can't single you out for higher premiums because of pre-existing conditions. This wouldn't be true if you were to apply for insurance on your own. We found this out when investigating other options. We had applied for an individual plan thru Blue Cross and were denied their regular insurance and referred to their High Risk plan, which is very expensive. My husband ended up working for the new company, mainly because of the medical insurance. We pay the same monthly premiums as everyone else, and all of my treatments are covered!

Hope this made sense. Kim in CA

[Monique M]

My husband changed jobs during my treatment. I believe that as long as you do not lapse in coverage then your breast cancer is not considered a pre-existing condition and will be covered. We actually paid for COBRA for one month and continued his insurance with his old employer to make sure that the new insurance was in effect and would cover my treatment. While it was not cheap ($800) it was worth it to us. You should have your husband speak with the HR people at his new job to see when your new coverage will become effective. Also, he should be offered COBRA benefits from his current employer when he leaves the company.

I run my own business and want my husband to come and work with me. If he works with me we will lose our medical insurance (after we have exhausted the 18 months of COBRA). I have consulted various insurance options through my business and unfortunately no one will insure me on a private policy. So we are currently researching where he could work part-time to get us on a group insurance policy. He may end up bagging groceries or making lattes at Starbucks just so we have insurance coverage.

Good Luck!
Monique

[peytons mom]

Thanks guys, I'm feeling better now! I'm doing research and think not having a lapse in coverage is the big deal.

Peytons mom