Medical Insurance

[sam123]

I have one simple question. If you are planning to leave your current job and taking up a new job, will you have any problem in getting a medical insurance from your future employer (because I heard that some insurance companies won't accept people with preexisting conditions such as diabetes) assuming you currently have a medical insurance from your current employer?

[shinystereo]

It depends on the insurance carrier, I think. I was diagnosed just about a month ago now and did not carry the Blue Cross/Blue Shield offered by my employer at the time. I am now signing up for it during open enrollment, and there is a 6 month waiting period before they will cover anything related to diabetes for me. That is the policy for Blue Cross/Blue Shield.. not sure about other places.

Off topic, congrats on cutting your A1c in half in just 3-4 months.. that is amazing.

[JediSkipdogg]

I believe that under HIPPA that at long as you had coverage on your previous job, were treated in the past 6 months for the condition, and were unemployed for less than 63 days then the pre-existing condition clause may not come into play.

FOr more information check out the department of labor's Health Coverage Portablibility information at...

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/consumerhipaa.pdf

[gettingby]

I have been covered under hubby's ins. through his employer for quite a while now. I inquired about ins at my job today. Was told that our ins company would cover anything diabetic related as long as I proved I had been under medical insurance that covered the diabetes.

[KAnderson]

JediSkipdogg is right - and when you go to change, the first thing you want to get from your former insurance company is a "certificate of credible coverage". They will send you this upon request. File it with your new ins co right away so that the can't deny a claim until you have provided this to them. In my case, I changed jobs in May of this year and after many phone calls, faxes and letters, my claim from June was finally accepted today. No one told me about having to have this certificate submitted until my new ins co denied my regular 3 mo check up claim. Then it has taken me since July to finally get the claim properly processed.

Also - make sure you find out from your new company how long it will be before their insurance will cover you - some companies have up to a 3 month period before their insurance kicks in. You may need to pay for your old insurance (or negotiate for your new company to pay) for the waiting period if one exists to ensure you are covered.

Good Luck!

Ken

[parrotletzoo]

If push comes to shove you can always purchase COBRA COBRA Insurance Fact Sheet 2007 (http://cobrainsurance.com/information/articles/14/1/COBRA-Insurance-Fact-Sheet-2007/Page1.html)
insurance until your new insurance kicks in. That way you will not have a gap in insurance coverage.

[RobiJo]

It depends on the insurance carrier, I think. I was diagnosed just about a month ago now and did not carry the Blue Cross/Blue Shield offered by my employer at the time. I am now signing up for it during open enrollment, and there is a 6 month waiting period before they will cover anything related to diabetes for me. That is the policy for Blue Cross/Blue Shield.. not sure about other places.

Off topic, congrats on cutting your A1c in half in just 3-4 months.. that is amazing.

I have BCBS in Michigan and was covered right away, no questions asked. I think it depends on your employer and the level of insurance they use. I've never heard of a 6 month wait period.

[JediSkipdogg]

I have BCBS in Michigan and was covered right away, no questions asked. I think it depends on your employer and the level of insurance they use. I've never heard of a 6 month wait period.

I've heard of some businesses doing that. They do that to make sure that you will be a valued employee to the company. AKA a waiting period before you receive the benefits that are sometimes equal to 5-10% of a person's salary or more.

[RobiJo]

I've heard of some businesses doing that. They do that to make sure that you will be a valued employee to the company. AKA a waiting period before you receive the benefits that are sometimes equal to 5-10% of a person's salary or more.

Maybe I misread that then. I read it as No diabetes supplies will be covered for 6 mo but other things would be. If you worked there for a while and just didn't take the coverage offered and then decided to take it later, I don't see why you would have to wait out that wait period though.

I had to wait about 6 weeks for my coverage to start after accepting my current job. That waiting period I understand for the reasons you have mentioned.

[Erin]

Insurance companies can deny payment on "pre-existing conditions" for up to 1 year (i think) only if the person enrolling in the insurance had no insurance before. This is to prevent people from not getting insurance until they have an expensive health problem. This way the insurance companies have a bunch of healthy people paying premiums "in case they get sick" and those premiums pay for medical coverage for you and me.

If you have insurance from an old job or a spouse and then get new coverage from your job, there is no wait.

If you have no coverage, or your coverage stops for any length of time (which could happen if you move from job to job, or decide to get coverage when before you had none) THEN the insurance company can deny claims for any condition that you had previously for a set amount of time.

When you are switching jobs the safest thing to do (although it can be expensive) is to pay for COBRA until your new coverage kicks in. This way there is no lapse in coverage and you don't get sucked into a pre-exisiting condition clause.

[Jill-O]

Yes, read up on HIPPA. I think that stands for Health Insurance Plan Portability Act. It's primary purpose is so that employees do not feel "job locked" simply out of fear of loosing insurance coverage. You have many protections under HIPPA and you should be fine if you read and understand what you are to do, and not to do.

A few months after I was diagnosed, the company I own had to change health insurance carriers because the previous company had gotten out of the small group market. I'm actually the agent for our health insurance policy, but it's the only one I ever tried to sell :) I'm licensed for it but do not use it (in my state, the health insurance license was part of getting licensed for life insurance and annuities which is part of what I do for a living as a financial advisor / investment broker).

[princesslinda]

If you are covered under a self-funded plan, be very careful. My employer pays for my insurance as a benefit for us, but at quitting time on my last day there, my insurance will stop when I walk out the door.

Like everyone has said, as long as your coverage doesn't lapse, you should be able to get coverage without problems (though some waiting period may be in place, so ask BEFORE you drop your current coverage).

If you have a spouse who has insurance coverage, often you can be picked up by them if you have a "qualifying event." When my husband lost his job a few years ago, my insurance immediately picked him up because that was a "qualifying event" with no pre-existing clause. Might check to see if a new job with a waiting period for insurance is considered a qualifying event.

[sitheref2409]

Qualifying events are defined by the IRS: loss of job, starting a new job (either you or your spouse), death, birth, marriage, change in coverage eligibility....bear in mind that you MUST make any changes within 31 days of the qualifying event.

If you have sufficient creditable coverage, then your pre existing condition should be covered. However, if you don't have that - and that is usually defined as being uninsured for gretaer than 63 days - then the pre-ex clause can come into play.

KANderson is right - get the cert. And do bear in mind that you employers are legally bound to offer COBRA when you leave, whether by resignation or termination. Assuming you have the money - and COBRA can be 102% of the TOTAL (that is, the sum that the company pays the insurers) premium cost - there is no good reason to be uninsured.

[palefacegirl03]

Being covered depends on the insurance. I had one job where, daibetes was a preexisting condition for 12 months, but all my prescriptions for D where cover immediately.
I have BCBS with my job now, I was hired May 15 of this year and had full insurance benifits on June 1, no waiting period for anything diabetes, no problems getting my pump and supplies covered either.