I need help

I am overly confused with our insurance.

Ok January 30, 2009, Dh goes to work only to be told he needed to go home, that he was being laif-off. He knew this was coming so no big surprise. He was also told that we had 6 weeks banked insurance coverage.

I had JUST literally started my WLS journey and my first appointment was set for Feb 5th. I called insurance several times over to be clear on things. I asked about DH being laid-off about a week later and they told me that they didn't have it in their records. I told them that the company told us we had 6 weeks banked. They asked when he was laid off, and I told them Jan 30th. They told me that insurance would PROBABLY run out around March 14th then. So that was the date I had for looming COBRA payments.

We pushed every appointment through and on Thursday Feb 5th I received the call from the bariatric center telling me my surgery was approved. I am still waiting on the surgery scheduling girl to call and give me a date though.

Today DH called insurance to find out about the COBRA paperwork since we still haven't received any and the supposed cut off date is March 14th. But when he called the insurance they said he was still being covered and that they hadn't received any notice of his lay-off.

He was then told to call his work to fax over the paperwork stating he was laid-off. Work told him to call the Union Hall to get a withdrawl card which goes to insurance to cancel the insurance and to start the COBRA.

Now if none of this goes through then we're still covered by insurance because the company hasn't put through ANY paperwork claiming my DH has been laid-off. AND there is a strong possibility that my DH will be brought back to work by the end of the month.

My questions are, what's the worse that could happen if we don't do anything? Is it our job to do the work of the company and union? If he gets his job back after we went through hoops to get him claimed as laid-off, then will it take longer to put him back on insurance when and if he does get his job back?

I seriously have no idea what to do at this point. I don't want to cancel coverage and have to start paying COBRA if I seriously do not have to. At this point our whole family is covered and if we go onto COBRA then I'd have to cut it back to just me for the surgery.

If we're still covered, then we're still covered, right?! The insurance already approved the surgery.

UGH!!! Any help or advice is welcomed at this point.

Usually, you don't get Cobra paperwor****il the company cuts off the insurance.  Since you had 6 weeks of "banked" insurance coverage, I would anticipate you wouldn't get the paperwor****il that 6 weeks was up.

Then, you would still have 63 days to decide whether or not to pay for Cobra. 

i.e. Several years ago, my best friend was laid off from his job.  He had not chosen Cobra and had not paid for coverage yet (he thought he was young and invincible).  About 10 days shy of the end of the 63 day window, his appendix burst and he went into the hospital for emergency surgery.  Just before his window closed, he was able to pay for Cobra (just had to catch up since it was 2 months he hadn't paid) and it covered his hospital stay and surgery.

Does this help?

Yes this kind of helps. So would you say to leave the insurance alone until the company cuts it off? If thent hey decide to offer us COBRA and decide that we need to pay back payment for it then that is what will happen, right? I hope? Or they'll offer us COBRA from the point they cut us off. I guess it depends on the insurance and the company.

It is MANDATORY for the company to send you COBRA info when laid off. After your DH is officially laid off and paperwork processed you should receive COBRA info. It is their responsibility to file his layoff paperwork and I wouldn't do their work for them. Maybe they are holding  off filing his paperwork to see if he will be called back at the  end of the month.
If you accept the COBRA as soon as it is available you will be current on the payments. you have 63 days to choose it or not. If you choose it after,say,as an example,35 days,you would likely have to pay two months. Good luck. I would try to rush a surgery date while you are covered ffor sure.
Holly

Like the next poster said, don't do their work for them.  They should/will send you the paperwork at the end of the 6 weeks or shortly before that.  And the paperwork will come from the employer, not the insurance company.  If you are nearing the end of that 6 weeks, and are getting antsy, you would call the HR dept at your husband's employer...not the insurance company.

Good luck!