HELP INS PROBLEM!!!

I am scheduled for surgery 1/30/04 and i was fired from my job on 1/2/04. I have been told that my ins terminates the day i was fired and that the day after that I am eligible for COBRA? What is that? I know i have to pay a premium of 367.00 a month to keep ins, but will my surgery still be covered? Will i now be denied for the surgery? Please some one help me out w/ the questions i have! I am freakin out, first because i lost my job but more i think because i was so close to getting the surgery done and i am so upset about the whole situation! Aprile Lynch

I know about this a little..but am by no means an expert. COBRA is a law that states that if you are willing to pay for your insurance then, BY LAW you can continue your coverage as it was when you were employed. There is NO INTERRUPTION of service if you pay for the insurance as soon as you get the information from your old employer's human resources department. Typically you have like a week or two in which to pay, but it could be as much as 30 days. I know a bit about it because I was laid off in 2001 and had the COBRA option offered to me and I know other people who have used COBRA until they were eligible for insurance with their new employer. I would suggest that you post your questions on the main message board since more people read that one and they have a "wealth" of information. One thing I am sure of is that your insurance is EXACTLY the same if you choose COBRA and pay for it, so if you were covered for WLS on 1/1/04 then you will still be covered if you pay the COBRA premium. Good luck and hugs, Harriet

Hello April! I'm having my surgery on Jan. 8th and I'm on Cobra. I have been since November. All you'll have to do is pay your premium. Just Make so you pay on time and make sure you enroll right away. You may want to call your Insurance company to let them know what's going on and to insure there will be no problems. Relax you'll be ok. Oh and make sure you get the papers from your job right away. The worst that will happen is they will have to pay retro active once payment is received. Hope I have eased your mind. Lisa B.