Question:
I have made up my mind to switch Ins providers.

Hi everyone, I have been racking my brain on if I should switch Ins. co because at this point Im with Kaiser (NORTH) and have the option with staying with them under cobra or switch to bluecross. Under cobra my monthly payments will be $178. I was told that since I have Kaiser now that blue cross doesn't apply the pre-existing 6 month period. The only thing is that I will have to pay 25% and other fees that Ive seen on here that other member are speaking about like the surgeon fee. Kaiser is very slow dont want to wait that long. Please tell me if Im doing the right thing. Also it I am are there any good PCPs in my area. I live in the bayarea(oakland,richmond, berkley)    — [Anonymous] (posted on April 25, 2001)

April 25, 2001
I had the same dilemma. I was leaving my job and had to decide whether to use Cobra or switch. I chose to switch and it was the best decision I could have made. My new insurance approved in two days, whereas I had applied to my old insurance six weeks before I left and they still hadn't made a decision. In your situation, I've heard that Kaiser usually denies. BCBS is pretty good about approving, but tend to require that you've been morbidly obese for at least five years. I wouldn't worry about the cost. Most plans have a total plan year out-of-pocket limit, usually $1500 - 3000 max, that an individual will pay. Many doctors take what the insurance will pay and write off the rest. If you have BCBS PPO, you will probably have to pay 20%, but only up to your yearly deductible limit (so you won't really be paying that much). As for the "waiting period", President Clinton signed a law that said as long as you have had continuous coverage, insurance companies cannot penalize you for pre-existing conditions. If you have a lapse in insurance coverage, they can only penalize you for a certain amount of time. Hope this helps.
   — PT LawMom