Insurance Denying Our Medical Coverage

Peg is right. I have read many times about something like this happening and the State Insurance Commision or whatever it is called is the next place to go. Send all copies of your payments, cashed checks, even copies of your bank statements (account number blacked out) with your letter showing that you did in fact pay. The problem we have as an advanced society is that computers are not always right. Everything is electronic now. I am not saying Cobra or Cigna are in the right but sometimes there is an electronic miss big time. I had COBRA years ago and oh my gosh so expensive. I had one month that I was told I did not send in my payment. I had the company that was making it for me send in all copies of the check and it got fixed. Send certified letters if you do correspond by mail so they cannot deny receipt. Get names of people in charge if you can.

Your state government more than likely has an insurance commissioner. Tell each company that you plan to call the commissioner's office within 24 hours and file a complaint if they don't get this straightened out, retroactively. I've seen this get quick results.

Good luck. Insurance-for-profit is a seriously flawed concept. I've paid almost 1/3 of my small income for 20 years for a policy with exclusions and such a high deductible that they've never had to pay a penny of my medical care (they do pick up a very small amount yearly on prescriptions). Yet I keep on paying because I might have an auto accident or a cancer diagnosis that I know will be beyond my means to pay.

Someday we'll have better insurance options, and wonder why the heck we put up with the current system for so long. I understand that even those in other developed countries who rail against paying taxes for universal coverage will admit, when asked directly, that they wouldn't want to give up their own government-run insurance plans. They just resent having to pay for other people having the same benefits. Sigh.

Ugggggh... if anyone can explain to me how single-payer coverage is a bad idea, I'd LOVE to hear it...

Anyhow, off my soap box, YES, this has happened to me. I kept calling, and calling, and calling. Daily. Our stuff actually DID go to collections, so I'd get the collections agency, the insurance company, and the Cobra people on the phone at the same time. But yes, as you say, half the time that didn't work either. Insurance companies make money by denying your claims. It's what they do. Now, fully a year after starting my new insurance, I'm still fighting about the last lab bill that somehow never got paid by my insurance company. It makes me sick to think I paid over $1000/month for this insurance (plus a $3500 deductible) and yet I'm fighting them over a $50 lab bill.

Try the insurance commissioner, and keep calling, every day if you have to, until it's resolved. It's exhausting, but they are banking on you just giving up and paying it yourself. Don't let them get away with it! Good luck!!

I am not going to chime in on the universal health coverage debate...what I am going to do is agree with the Moms who are saying to call your State Insurance Commissioner and make copies of everything...payments to Cobra...medical bills...letters from the doctor etc etc. Document, document, document. I Would also start a log of when you make phone calls and WHO you talked to...no detail is too minor to overlook!!
Good luck

Just go on the Texas State Dept of Insurance website and file a complaint.

We had a similar problem when we had to use COBRA coverage. There was a "disconnect" between the co we were making payments to and the one actually providing the coverage. We directly contacted my husband's former employer, found out who the "benefits" person was that we needed to talk with and HE straightened everything out.

So I would recommend contacting the former employer who gave you the info to enroll you in COBRA. They should be able to assist you in ensuring that your coverage from "regular" benefits to COBRA coverage is seamless and running smoothly until you end COBRA.

The "benefits people" be it the Director of HR or a VP will know who in the company can help you get this straightened out. I am sure the company would like to know if one of their former employees is having a hard time continuing their coverage though a health care company THEY chose and continue to offer benefits through.

C.O.B.R.A (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) is not an "entity" or a company, it's a law that allows you to keep current insurance when you lose your job.
Here's a website that might help:

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.HTML

Good luck. Remember: the squeaky wheel always gets the grease!