cobra

[flounderman]

My wife had to take a fmla leave from her job a while back while she was taking chemo. She was given short term disability with some problems due to the company changing policy to let the insurance company handle it. The long term has been a series of delays, no returned phone calls, repeated demands for paperwork they claim not to have received. The insurance ran out the middle of September. Cobra was supposed to seamlessly assume the insurance. Wife had to go back to three times a week chemo and needed medicine. Yesterday she found out at the drug counter, she didn't have insurance. I had to cover 400 dollars. Called Cobra, they said they need the money a week before the month to be insured, send them 500 dollars today and they will renew the insurance and in two weeks they want another 500 to keep it in force. If this isn't bad enough, to pay on line, they are charging you 20.00 as a courtesy charge for letting you pay on line. I never had to deal with Cobra but I thought it was just an extension of your existing insurance. Who are these people and has anybody else been charged 20.. for the privilege of paying their bill on line?

[big bore 99]

It's a big run around. I had it for awhile between jobs. Very expensive deal. Retired and on medicare now and my advantage plan goes up 3.5X after first of the year. I'm checking out other options now. Don't know what a retired person is supposed to do. A big mess...

[Freightman]

It's a big run around. I had it for awhile between jobs. Very expensive deal. Retired and on medicare now and my advantage plan goes up 3.5X after first of the year. I'm checking out other options now. Don't know what a retired person is supposed to do. A big mess...
You are suppose to die! i have been retired so long they count days till i die but I am stubborn I ait going to do it [smilie=p:

[dtknowles]

My wife had to take a fmla leave from her job a while back while she was taking chemo. She was given short term disability with some problems due to the company changing policy to let the insurance company handle it. The long term has been a series of delays, no returned phone calls, repeated demands for paperwork they claim not to have received. The insurance ran out the middle of September. Cobra was supposed to seamlessly assume the insurance. Wife had to go back to three times a week chemo and needed medicine. Yesterday she found out at the drug counter, she didn't have insurance. I had to cover 400 dollars. Called Cobra, they said they need the money a week before the month to be insured, send them 500 dollars today and they will renew the insurance and in two weeks they want another 500 to keep it in force. If this isn't bad enough, to pay on line, they are charging you 20.00 as a courtesy charge for letting you pay on line. I never had to deal with Cobra but I thought it was just an extension of your existing insurance. Who are these people and has anybody else been charged 20.. for the privilege of paying their bill on line?

I believe that the insurance companies have a lot of techniques to avoid or delay paying claims or getting sick people to drop or lose coverage. One I hate is what I call deliberate incompetence, that is where they lose your paperwork or reject claims for erroneous reasons that force the insured to refile possibly many times before they pay the claim. Hospitals and doctors play a similar game with inappropriate charges or inflated charges. It is in no way in their best interest to play straight. They stand to lose a lot if they don't play these games.

For Cobra you do have to apply and pay the premium before you are covered, approval should be automatic, they can't deny you coverage for any reason except failure to pay the premium. The coverage should be retroactive, you should be able, once you pay the premium for file a claim for the meds you paid for out of pocket. I think you have 30 days to signup after you lose your job.

The $20 for using your credit card is just one way for them to collect more money. If you were dealing with someone here, charging 3 percent to use paypal or a credit card is not unheard of. 3 percent of $500 would be $15 so it is not outrageous.

Tim

[shooter93]

Cobra surprises a lot of people. Made you feel safe if you lost your job because you'd have insurance. They didn't mention cost. You get to pay what your employer actually paid for your insurance the same as people like me who have always paid for their own insurance. many people think they're 50 or 100 dollars a month the employer deducts from them is the cost of insurance and then along comes cobra and a big surprise. Almost impossible to buy if you're out of work. My wife and I had decent insurance....no eye or dental and some copays.....and it reached nearly 24,000 bucks a year for two of us. Health insurance is a staggering cost. A friend of mine with an excavating company had to raise his employees part a couple years ago. He has 126 employees....his rate went up one million dollars a year. Not to a million but another added million.

[10-x]

Well, the *** bc&bs of GA is in for a surprise as I'm calling my state Representative about their bs. Wife had breast cancer last year and they could not/ would not keep up with our payments to our deductable, $15,000.00!!!!!!!!!! Then I see a nerve specialists, have an EMG,no big deal, but,his nurse/pa gives me a script for some topical lotion for my sore joints. Says " won't cost you anything". Basically forgot about till a box with 2 bottles shows up on front steps. It's this mustard looking/feeling topical cream. Tried it and all it did was tingle
for a while. Tried it more,less but really no good. Forgot about it till another box shows up with 2 more bottles. Did not order a refill. Call the pharmacy( out of state) and tell them not to send any more as I did not ask for the
first,not knowing what it cost and certainly did not ask for the second. Well, after talking to many idiots( I'm being nice) at bc&bs of GA .I learned they were billed over $7,000 for this " snake oil" cream and paid over $4,000for it!!!!!!!!!!!***??????? I've talked to the last agent or supervisor they have. Took the mustard looking topical cream to local Pharmacist, he said he would charge about $125.00 per bottle. Go figure. I've had it with these idiots at GA bc&be. I can go to the VA,don't laugh, but the wife is stuck with these fools. Obongo etal wants everybody over 60 to die off ASAP.

[MrWolf]

Cobra will typically cost the amount the company is charged plus up to an additional 2% for administrative costs. I hate insurance companies!

[lead-1]

When I had to use cobra it cost me one dollar more than my sick pay per month. That set up is a scam for sure.

[Hickory]

Obamacare is the monkeywrench in our healthcare system now.

[Lead Fred]

Obamacare isnt for you and me to be healthier by

Its so they can bag and tag us

I will not comply

[Ed Barrett]

Sorry I thought this thread was about colt revolvers!