insurance ?

[Lacey1981]

so my husband lost he job a few weeks back now we're w/o insurance.  he has a job lined up to start soon but it's temporary w/ the option of becoming permanent  in the future if the company decides they like him but they are not giving him insurance until they decide if he will be permanent which could be up to 6 months. we're finding insurance companies really don't like sjs (especially since I've only been dx for a little over a year). we can't be w/o insurance especially since we have 2 small children.

has anyone on here been able to get insurance that wasn't provided by an employer? if so which one and were there any exclusions? we have a broker who says he may be able to get an insurance company to take me if we write in an exclusion in regards to treatment for sjs. if we can't find an insurance company that will take me we will just get insurance for my husband and the kids and pray that I don't get sick or hurt. ugh i hate this any advice would be great.

[Wynter]

Can you not get COBRA? Your husband's employer should offer it. Of course you will have to pay the full premium and that can be expensive. There was a post in here a few months back about the federal government passing a law that required employers to offer COBRA at 35% of the full premium. Below is the post. It might be worth you looking into.

https://sjogrensworld.org/index.php?topic=8789.0

[Epson]

Cobra is very expensive, I know first hand and that was 13 years ago, I can only imagine what it cost now   This is exactly why we need single payer health insurance.  Over 60% of bankruptcies are do to medical cost, under insured and people with no insurance.

If my wife didn't have insurance through the federal government, I wouldn't have any insurance and would be broke, living in a cardboard box under a bridge.

[jonnell]

Make sure you bring your night vision goggless and your spf70 and the baby.

[Pisces24]

HEY!  I thought I heard that if you lost your job the government was going to pay part of the COBRA insurance for you up to so many months. Course the employers won't TELL you that.

Please look into that!   I had COBRA years ago and it was expensive then and I was healthier. I have yet to figure out how they think you can afford COBRA when if you were working and had to pay the COBRA prem.s you couldn't - so definitely can't when you have no income. Geesh!

[lynnmarie219]

Even though COBRA can be expensive...the new laws are requiring the employer to pay a good size portion of the premium if you lost your job. And of course as has already been mentioned they may not tell you that! My advice would be if you can in any way afford COBRA....get it.....and keep it until your husband gets his new insurance. If you don't lapse any time without insurance (even a day) they will cover you as would the old insurance or as the policy states. If you let your insurance lapse (even for one day) everything becomes pre-existing. 

So please all...think carefully BEFORE letting your insurance go if there is ANY way to keep it!

Just my 2 cents worth....

[JJ]

Lynnmarie is right on the money there...please do not let it lapse

JJ

[eyeamdry]

I'm with Pisces on saying the "government" is picking up 65% of the COBRA expense if you have been permanently laid off.   Actually, I think the company is given a "tax (or other) credit" by the government.  My daughter lost her job in Feb. and they don't tell you these things.....Don't let the insurance lapse.  You have a certain time you can go back and pick it up, like 60 days from your last day at work. 

This is good for 9 months of payments.  I don't know how they arrived at that number.  If you're still unemployed at 9 months, you need help all the more.  Lucy

[irish]

Our state has what is called the "insurance pool" where insurance companies bid for the priviledge of providing health insurance to the uninsurables. I was on that for many years and it did cost a fair amount but I could not do without.

The other thing is that one has to make choices on what they are going to give up when the going gets tough. I have always been one to buy ahead some on groceries when on sale. After the first time hubby was laid off I learned the hard way to be ahead of the game as much as possible. After he got back to work I bought groceries ahead, etc cause I never wanted to be caught like that again.

Another option is the medicaid insurance in your state. I think you have to go without insurance for a certain period of time though. Had friends who went through this. Have to apply and meet criteria, etc. Life is so darn complicated sometimes. Hope you can get info on the Cobra. Call right away on Monday and find out. If the company did not tell you about it I would think that they have broken some rule,etc. Good luck and let us know how you come out. Irish