Temporary Health Insurance

Hi, I've got the same idea, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. Also, go and sign up for food stamps while you're there. They may offer it anyways if they see the need. And don't forget to change the status on the kids lunch at school. If you paid for full lunch prior to the job loss, you may now qualify for free or reduced. Anything helps. Good luck and hope things work out for you.

N.

Sorry to hear about your husbands jobloss!
My family has Blue Shield of CA. We are self employed and it has been the best thing for us..
I would be aware of what your needs are. I.e. amount you can pay monthly, # of doctors visits- which will help with what kind of plan you need.. If you go alot get a lower copay if you only go once in awhile maybe checkout a higher co-pay with a lower monthly cost.. Also keep in mind what doctors you use and if they accept this brand of insurance...(are they on the preferred provider list= PPO)..
We utilize an HMO so we can just go anywhere.. I hope this helped a little bit..
If nothing else keep your head up there are alternatives out there..

You should be able to get health insurance for the children through SCHIP. http://healthyfamilies.ca.gov/Home/default.aspx
Healthy Families is low cost insurance for children and teens.
It provides health, dental and vision coverage to children who do not have insurance and do not qualify for free Medi-Cal.

Healthy Families is amazing! It's a full-blown health policy for kids that costs, at the most, $17 per child per month. The policies are regular Kaiser, Blue Cross, or Health Net policies (plus dental and vision insurance through major providers as well). And co-pays for everything are only $5.00. If you don't qualify for Healthy Families you can check to see if your county offers a Healthy Kids policy. Start by Googling Healthy Families California. Then, call them and get the local number for your county. I found that the application process went a lot faster when I went to the representative in my own county. My qualification was a bit borderline when I spoke to folks on the 800 number, but the local guy qualified me right away. Good luck!

There may be a cheaper COBRA alternative. I found this on hillphysicians.com/COBRA. Also, check into HealthyFamilies for your kids.

COBRA
COBRA premium reductions are available for many.

Eligibility Criteria | I Didn't Get Cobra | How it Works | What is COBRA? | Printer Friendly Version |

Many people have lost their jobs in this difficult economy. If you’re one of them, you may be eligible for a new program that provides reduced premiums for continued healthcare coverage.

The federal stimulus package, “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA),” provides for a 65% reduction in COBRA premiums for certain assistance eligible individuals for up to 9 months. This program was signed into law on February 17, 2009 with the first covered month being March.

This means that your COBRA coverage may now be much more affordable, allowing you to keep your health insurance and physician relationships intact.

This is available for people who meet the following Eligibility Criteria:
Must be eligible for COBRA due to an involuntary job loss between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.
Have no other coverage available through another group health plan or Medicare.
Have modified gross income less than $145,000 (single) / $290,000 (filing jointly).
Who Is Not Eligible?
If you can obtain insurance from another group plan, such as a spouse’s insurance or from Medicare, you will not be eligible for this program.

There also are income restrictions that impact the amount of any reduction. For taxpayers with adjusted gross income between $125,000 and $145,000 (or $250,000 and $290,000 for joint filers), the amount of the premium reduction that must be repaid is reduced proportionately.

If an individual’s modified adjusted gross income for the 2009 tax year exceeds $145,000 (or $290,000 for joint filers), then the amount of any premium reduction during the tax year must be repaid.

Individuals may permanently waive the right to premium reduction but may not later obtain the premium reduction if their adjusted gross incomes end up below the limits. If you think that your income may exceed the amounts above, consult your tax preparer or view the IRS information related to the stimulus plan here.

[back to top]

What If I Did Not Sign Up for COBRA?
If you were eligible and didn't elect COBRA, you may have an additional opportunity to elect it now and take advantage of the premium reduction.

Individuals involuntarily terminated from September 1, 2008 through February 16, 2009 who did not elect COBRA when it was first offered or who did elect COBRA, but are no longer enrolled (for example because they were unable to continue paying the premium) have a new election opportunity.

This election period begins on February 17, 2009 and ends 60 days after the health plan provides the required notice.

This special election period does not extend the period of COBRA continuation coverage beyond the original maximum period (generally 18 months from the employee's involuntary termination). This special election period opportunity does not apply to coverage sponsored by employers with less than 20 employees that is subject to State law.

How the New Program Works for COBRA Beneficiaries
When you were first hired you should have received an informational packet identifying your employer’s COBRA plan administrator. That administrator will send you a notice about COBRA eligibility and the new program. This notice must go to all individuals, whether they have COBRA coverage or not, who had a qualifying event from September 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009. Individuals eligible for the special COBRA election period also must receive a notice informing them of this opportunity. This notice must be provided by April 18, 2009. You also may wish to proactively contact your plan administrator.

[back to top]

Can I Switch Health Plans?
You may switch plans during the annual open enrollment period offered to active employees. If your former employer allows it, you also may be able to switch to a lower cost plan now; however, the plan can not be just for dental, vision, a health flexible spending account or treatment that is furnished in an on-site facility maintained by the employer.

What If I Run Into Problems?
Individuals who request treatment as an assistance eligible individual and are denied by their plan, employer or insurer can request an expedited appeal to the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration. The Department must make a determination within 15 business days of receipt of a completed request for review. The Department is currently developing a process and an official appeal form and will post new information as it becomes available. View the Department of Labor's ARRA site here. You can also contact a Benefits Advisor by calling toll free 1-866-444-3272 for more information.

How it Works for Employers.
Eligible individuals pay only 35 percent of their COBRA premiums and the remaining 65 percent is reimbursed to the coverage provider through a tax credit against certain employment taxes. If the credit amount is greater than the taxes due, the Secretary of the Treasury will directly reimburse the employer, insurer or plan for the excess.

The premium reduction applies to periods of coverage beginning on or after February 17, 2009. A period of coverage is a month or shorter period for which the plan charges a COBRA premium. The premium reduction starts on March 1, 2009 for plans that charge for COBRA coverage on a calendar month basis. The premium reduction for an individual ends upon eligibility for other group coverage (or Medicare), after 9 months of the reduction, or when the maximum period of COBRA coverage ends, whichever occurs first. Individuals paying reduced COBRA premiums must inform their plans if they become eligible for coverage under another group health plan or Medicare.

[back to top]

What is COBRA?
COBRA gives workers who lose their jobs, and thus their health benefits, the right to purchase group health coverage provided by the plan under certain circumstances.

If the employer continues to offer a group health plan, the employee and his/her family can retain their group health coverage for up to 18 months by paying group rates. The COBRA premium will be higher than what the individual was paying while employed because the individual will pay up to 102% of what the employer pays, however, this coverage may be less that what is available for private, individual health insurance coverage.

The plan administrator must notify affected employees of their right to elect COBRA. Typically, the employee and his/her family each have 60 days to elect the COBRA coverage, otherwise they lose all rights to COBRA benefits. Exceptions may be made for individuals who fit the eligibility requirements of the stimulus program.

COBRA generally does not apply to plans sponsored by employers with less than 20 employees. Many States have similar requirements for small plans providing benefits through an insurance company. The premium reduction is available for plans covered by these State laws.

[back to top]

The following links provide more information about this new program:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
see page 341 of this bill.

Department of Labor's COBRA web site.

Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration Home page

IRS' COBRA web site

Printer Friendly Version
Hill Physicians' Info Sheet on COBRA Extension

[back to top]

Dear Rose,
There are temporary health insurance plans. And, you most likely would qualify for Healthy Families for your children. You may qualify for medi-cal, but that depends on your assets. Healthy Families doesn't ask those questions. Individual and temporary health plans take your health history into consideration.
I am a licensed agent, although I'm not working for anyone right now as I'm recovering from a broken leg. If you'd like to send me a private message, I can get someone to help you. I helped another family that posted on this site back in December. Or, I can help you find information on the web. Just let me know.

Take care!

We've had really good luck with https://www.ehealthinsurance.com . It is WAY cheaper than cobra, and you can often get better coverage for a lot less money. They also have short term insurance - one to two months. Be sure to specify that you want short term insurance when you apply (it is all done online.)

Good Luck!
K.

Hi Rose,

I work in HR. I beleive someone has already mentioned it, but Obama did pass a stimulus package helping those who have been laid off. Here is a link that was sent to me by the broker we work with. I hope this helps.
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/fsCOBRApremiumreduction....

Rose, I understand that with Obama's stimulus package, there is a big change in cobra, especially for people who have lost their jobs. It should only cost about 35% of the standard fee.
Check out the article. It may apply to you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/health/policy/28patient...

Stephanie

I had this problem a few years ago when my husband work insure was $1200 a month. Act on this soon because its so much easier when you have been covered, I think in the last 69 days. Your old insure probably sent you and Evidence of Coverage or you can request one, that proves you have had insure and you are coverable. It was either Blue Cross or Blue Shield. Go see a local salesperson, find one in the yellow pages. It was about $99 a month and had a high dectuctable, but that isn't important when shi-t hits the fan. Its best to have an insurance, I delt with this for 3 years. Good Luck!

Try calling healthy families. They have low cost health care, the kids would be only ones covered, but it is based on income so the rates are low.
Good luck to you and your family.

I just heard on the news this past weekend that their is a new policy for Cobra insurance that is supposed to be cheaper than before. Look into that. Google "new Cobra Insurance Policy" or something to that fact. Also, Healthy Kids through Healthy families will work for your children. It is great! Good Luck and blessings to you and your family!

Hi Rose,
As many other mama's mentioned Healthy Families is available, that is what we have for our daughter. Also as mentioned Medi-Cal. You can also get your children on temporary Medi-Cal through the CHDP program. You should be able to sign up at your local health department. It goes based on the number of family members and the amount of income. I have that information available, if interested feel free to email me and I will provide you with that. Another option is to check out Tonik. You can sign up online and I'm sure it would be less than $1400/month.

You should try the Healthy Kids of California. Go on the website and you can download the application. If you do apply, send everything that they ask for at once. And if you qualify your children get their insuarance in a few weeks. Good luck!

I'm so sorry to hear that - the economy HAS to get better soon! My family was recently on COBRA to the tune of $1000/month, so I feel your pain.

But meanwhile, how about a high-deductible plan? They can be fairly low in cost, and being that it is just short-term, you probably just need to guard against catastrophic illness/injury, right? This way, you can show that you have had no lapse in coverage, and if something really awful were to happen, you would have coverage after paying a family deductible of... $1000-4000, depending on what kind of plan you have. We have this kind of plan where I work (although fortunately my employer pays most of the deductible), but my understanding is that it's low cost and still allows you a lot of options, should the need arise. Ours is through Blue Cross, but I think most insurers have a plan like this.

Otherwise you could try Kaiser; I have heard their plans can be reasonable.

Best of luck to you; may the job search be quick and painless for you both!!

Hi
Sorry to hear your husband was laid off, a lot of that is going on, hopefully he will get called back to work or find something better. Good Luck

My name is Evangeline Cook, I am an insurance broker, been with Met Life almost 20yrs. I might be able to help you. I do have an ad with Mama Source. Please contact me by phone or email and find out exactly what type of health insurance coverage you are looking for and we can go from there. My business phone numbers are: ###-###-#### or ###-###-####. Brokerage name is COOK INSURANCE SERVICES.
Looking forward to hearing from you

Sincerely,

Evangeline S. Cook
###-###-####

Hi Rose,

California has a program called Healthy Families. It will give you coverage at least for the kids. It is a program designed for people in your situation. It is not MediCal but is through the MediCal program. Check with your local Child Welfare Office for assistance with not only Healthy Families, but for any other help that may be available to you. This is not "Welfare". These are programs that have been paid for by the taxes you and your husband have paid into the system. Do not be afraid to use them.

My prayers are with you and your family.
L.

Have you tried Medi-Cal? You can go to the health and human services office in your area and ask if you qualify. You can have income and still receive Medi-Cal. It's hardly the best insurance, as it doesn't cover everything. But some insurance is better than none...

Have you thought of applying for medi-cal? If not, go to children & family services center where people get cash aide, food stamps or medi-cal for the needy families. If you both don't have jobs, you should be able to qualify for medical if there are no income in the house or limited income in order for you both get medi-cal. All of my 4 kids have medi-cal since I was off work for a while due to maternity leave and medical leave. I was qualified because due to financial situation even though I have health insurance through my work for me and my 4 kids. Give them a call and get info or go to the office and find out. I hope this helps.

We are in the same boat. Baby born 10/2, hubby's job gone 10/30, my job cut to 1/2 time this month!

I am applying for Medical for the children. My pediatrician will take medical for current patients so, if approved, my kids can continue to go to their pediatrician. This doesn't cover the parents, but will cover the children. If you don't qualify for Medical, there is also a program they will refer you to called Healthy Families.

Go for it!

Mom of 4: 19, 12, 7, 5 mos.

Depending on who your husband worked for, you can continue to get health benefits by paying 35% of the COBRA, and his employer would pay 65% and receive a tax credit for it. You can utilize this for up to 9 months. Employers either don't know about this new credit or they are electing not to tell laid-off employees because they have to come up with the money upfront, and get it on the back end for the 2010 taxes. Check into it and see if this can help temporarily. After 9 months, maybe he would be back to work or you would have employment. Good luck. My husband got laid off 2 weeks ago, but thankfully we have health insurance through my job. Things are so crazy right now. Hang in there, trust in your relationship, lean on your family (if you can), and trust in god.

You should receive a notice from your husband's previous employer soon due to the new regulations referred to as ARRA. The government is now subsidizing the cost of COBRA for people who had involuntary terminations anytime after 9/1/08 through 12/31/2009. The subsidy is 65% for most people, but it is based upon income. I would recommend contacting the previous employer's Human Resources department to find out if his company is subject to this. It is only for employers who had 50 or more employees. Good luck!