Question about health insurance

**blackfive-o** · 01-31-2013, 01:52 PM

Say a person is leaving a job that has health benefits for a new job where the health benefits won't take effect for 90 days. What is the best approach to have coverage for those 90 days? Any experts out there?

**street591** · 01-31-2013, 01:55 PM

Lotsa vitamins.

**juice_man_86** · 01-31-2013, 01:57 PM

you could always get Cobra coverage from your previous employers health care at there rate...maybe less

**Terminated** · 01-31-2013, 02:10 PM

^^^ Was gonna say Cobra as well.

**PaxtonShelby** · 01-31-2013, 03:02 PM

You can continue your "old" coverage after leaving you job. This is called "Cobra" coverage. I think you can continue the cobra coverage for a limited time - maybe 6 months or a year. But it will cost you the full premium amount, as your old employer will no longer be paying for part of it.

**juice_man_86** · 01-31-2013, 03:17 PM

my employer pays for all of it...so i never even thought about the employees share, lol

**GOT SVT** · 01-31-2013, 03:23 PM

this may sound odd, but check with your car insurance

i have state farm and they were able to cover me for the time i was without coverage

it was not that expensive either

**cLockWise** · 01-31-2013, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by blackfive-o

Say a person is leaving a job that has health benefits for a new job where the health benefits won't take effect for 90 days. What is the best approach to have coverage for those 90 days? Any experts out there?

Cobra is going to cost you some money, but certain car insurance companies do carry health insurance for limited time (typically when changing jobs). Liberty Mutual I believe is another company that does that. You can also look online at other places to get an idea of how much an insurance plan out of pocket would cost. I can probably guarantee you that buying a plan out of pocket versus cobra will be cheaper. My Cobra rate for my old job was like 750/mo. I got a BC/BS plan for 94.08 a month (a few years ago).

http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/

Try that site, you can type in your information to get quotes from multiple insurance companies. Also try looking into each insurance company: UPMC, BC/BS, UnitedHealthCare, etc. And if I were you, id go with the highest deductible possible. Mainly because your only on this plan for 90 days. Don't waste money when its not necessary.

I went to bcbs.com, plugged in my zip code, selected individual (assuming your only carrying insurance for yourself) and plugged in my information (I'm 27). If you scroll down there is a Short Term period. Its based from 2.18/day to 3.17/day. If you choose 60 days for 2.18 a day, thats 65.00 a month. I think thats a comfortable price to pay to have insurance in case anything was to happen to you. Its good from 31 to 180 days, which is right in your time frame.. Just do a little research, you'll get what you need in no time! Hope that helps ya!

Originally Posted by juice_man_86

my employer pays for all of it...so i never even thought about the employees share, lol

must be nice.. i work in healthcare and have one of the worst health care plans money can get..

**blackfive-o** · 01-31-2013, 05:17 PM

Hey thanks all for the feedback. It is family coverage. I expect to pay big time. I have State Farm, so I will be calling them.

**SonofaBish** · 01-31-2013, 06:42 PM

you aren't going to want to pay for Cobra coverage - its really expensive.... typically, its the full Employer premium, plus a 2% admin chage

As for Highmark BCBS, one option is to sign up for a medically underwritten individual policy - the second is that we offer a plan called Short Term Blue.... its specifically for situations like this... its low cost, provides a good number of benefits, but excludes certain things that are unlikely needed from such a plan.... i think its good for 31-180 days, and you pay for it per day, so if you need it for 43 days, that's all you pay for...

research it online, and/or take a trip to one of the Highmark Direct stores.... health insurance isn't always clear cut if you're not dealing with it every day - those people are trained specifically to help people in your situation.

**SonofaBish** · 01-31-2013, 06:53 PM

If you have other questions, i'm more than happy to answer them "if i can".... i happen to know a little bit about health insurance, since i develop the pricing for Highmark's middle market and large group insurance plans... it may be my professional responsibility to not answer certain questions, but i'll do what i can to help....

But still, the folks at the Highmark Direct stores are the ones who would be the best to talk to for discussion about what all we offer and what is best for you.... When pricing plans, i don't particularly care what plans are out there - you tell me what you want, and i'll tell you what its going to cost.

**cLockWise** · 01-31-2013, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by SonofaBish

If you have other questions, i'm more than happy to answer them "if i can".... i happen to know a little bit about health insurance, since i develop the pricing for Highmark's middle market and large group insurance plans... it may be my professional responsibility to not answer certain questions, but i'll do what i can to help....

But still, the folks at the Highmark Direct stores are the ones who would be the best to talk to for discussion about what all we offer and what is best for you.... When pricing plans, i don't particularly care what plans are out there - you tell me what you want, and i'll tell you what its going to cost.

Call my company and tell them to get with the program cause my insurance sucks haha

**blackfive-o** · 02-01-2013, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by SonofaBish

If you have other questions, i'm more than happy to answer them "if i can".... i happen to know a little bit about health insurance, since i develop the pricing for Highmark's middle market and large group insurance plans... it may be my professional responsibility to not answer certain questions, but i'll do what i can to help....

But still, the folks at the Highmark Direct stores are the ones who would be the best to talk to for discussion about what all we offer and what is best for you.... When pricing plans, i don't particularly care what plans are out there - you tell me what you want, and i'll tell you what its going to cost.

Thanks Bish, we're goin tomorrow to check it out got an appointment. Gonna check State Farm too. Will I get a discount if I mention ur name? What IS your name? Thanks. If you ever need a big heat exchanger designed, I'll help you out!

**juice_man_86** · 02-01-2013, 09:42 PM

insurance is negotiated in my Union contract, including dental and vision and chiropractic care...considered part of my salary...between pension and health care my job pays 24k a year per employee, plus hourly wages...so yeah, it is nice...but my job sux, lol

**SonofaBish** · 02-01-2013, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by blackfive-o

Thanks Bish, we're goin tomorrow to check it out got an appointment. Gonna check State Farm too. Will I get a discount if I mention ur name? What IS your name? Thanks. If you ever need a big heat exchanger designed, I'll help you out!

haha... no, no discount ... and Bish is my last name, thus the s/n -

Good luck!

**blackfive-o** · 02-02-2013, 06:34 PM

Thanks Bish. $1,158.90 for 90 days, me, wife and daughter. 1K deductable. Not bad. Wife pays almost 800 a month now for the coverage at her job she will be leaving (better coverage, no deductable). New job will be 100% paid by her new employer! Really just getting it for something catastrophic. I will check with State Farm, too, see what they come up with. It amazes me that people who choose not to work get everything for free.

**cLockWise** · 02-02-2013, 07:16 PM

We live in a society that rewards laziness. What's worse is that they seem to promote it constantly and nobody seems to step up and fix the issue so more and more people do it :(

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

**SonofaBish** · 02-03-2013, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by blackfive-o

Thanks Bish. $1,158.90 for 90 days, me, wife and daughter. 1K deductable. Not bad. Wife pays almost 800 a month now for the coverage at her job she will be leaving (better coverage, no deductable). New job will be 100% paid by her new employer! Really just getting it for something catastrophic. I will check with State Farm, too, see what they come up with. It amazes me that people who choose not to work get everything for free.

Is that the short-term plan, or an individual coverage plan?? Sounds like individual coverage.... i was thinking the short term was like $2.50 - $4 a day, but i'm not sure that you can get it as family coverage - might have to buy each person their own policy... I don't know much about Short Term Blue - its a fairly new product, and i don't do the pricing for that product, so i've never cared to learn all the details around its eligibility requirements.

**blackfive-o** · 02-04-2013, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by SonofaBish

Is that the short-term plan, or an individual coverage plan?? Sounds like individual coverage.... i was thinking the short term was like $2.50 - $4 a day, but i'm not sure that you can get it as family coverage - might have to buy each person their own policy... I don't know much about Short Term Blue - its a fairly new product, and i don't do the pricing for that product, so i've never cared to learn all the details around its eligibility requirements.

It is 3 individual policies, short term (90 days), pay all up front. I'm a little older so the daily rate is a little higher. Still not bad.

**Terminated** · 02-04-2013, 12:53 PM

Bish do you know or work with Brian Featherstone? I know he works for Highmark, I think he mentioned something in Actuarial... Just made the connection seeing where you work. I play hockey with him occasionally.