Changing jobs and keeping insurance

[statichope]

Since I was diagnosed I have had this feeling that it is time to move back home and be close to family and friends. I currently have a job and group insurance through my job, my question is if I quit and move back home (which is a few hours away) is there a way to keep group insurance so I don't lost out on medication? I do not have a case worker(?) I believe they are called (someone or a group to help me out with questions and what not) that I can talk too about this and in fact that brings up another question in a bit..but back to insurance, so after talking to my doc about it he told me I really do not need to worry about insurance unless I let a month or so lapse with none at all, he said the way it works is, if i quit, I will need to switch my group insurance to COBRA, which has like a 60day after termination to sign up, then pay COBRA until I find a new job and once start I will switch my COBRA to the new jobs insurance, that way I never lapse and therefore not considered as pre existing to the new insurance. Now, I do assume that this will only work if the new job has a group insurance policy as well and everything I have read is that companys with 20+ employees will have group policies. So, is this correct?

Next question from above is, do I need to have a case worker? If so, where would I go to find one and how
would I go about it? Do I just walk in somewhere and say Hi, uhhh I need a case worker I guess??? lol

[Assurbanipal]

Life is more complicated with HIV, and one of the most complicated parts (in the US) is getting and keeping medical coverage.

Your doctor's summary is not bad, but only if everything works out as planned.  And there are a lot of places where things could go wrong and you might find yourself without coverage.

 For instance, while most employers with over 20 employees offer medical insurance, not all do -- and some others severely limit coverage or charge a lot just to participate in the medical plan.  Many employers also do not allow new employees to join the plan immediately on hire, but impose a waiting period (until the start of the next month, or a 6 month waiting period are common alternatives).  It may also take longer than you expect to find a new job.

All of these issues can screw up your ability to get new coverage within the 63 day period.  In that event you would either need to pay the full price (not just the employee price) for COBRA coverage under your prior employer's plan retroactive to the day you left, or risk exclusion under a preexisting coverage exclusion.  Now, not every health plan excludes coverage of preexisting conditions  -- the larger the employer, the more likely they will cover you immediately without worrying about whether you have a preexisting condition or not -- but you won't know until you get the terms of the new employer's policy.

Many employers would rather hire someone who is currently working than someone who has quit a job without a new one in hand. So, just in general, if you are already working you are usually going to have a better result if you find a job first, and then move.  Given that you are dealing with medical coverage too, if looking for a job long distance is at all an option for you, you might want to explore it first.


Good luck
A

[JR Gabbard]

Assurbanipal, you rock!

But I would like to fluff a couple of your points.

As things stand today (as opposed to how they might be in the future, under ACA), there are no pre-existing conditions exclusions for group health insurance policies.  Insurers have to treat all members of the group equally.  That includes all group insurance--whether you got it from a job, a trade group, professional group, or social group membership.  There may be an exclusion period at the beginning where you can't make a claim, but that shouldn't last longer than 90 days. 

There is also no pre-existing condition exclusion in private insurance when you haven't had a break in coverage of more than 60 days.  So if statichope moves but can't find a job, he could still purchase a private policy with no worries except for the expense.  The expense would be about the same as COBRA, since you would be paying the full premium in either case.  The difference would be that COBRA is your old policy, so you might be able to save a little by comparison shopping.

The thing to avoid is a break in coverage of more than 60 days, because then you can be denied a private policy for a pre-existing condition, and your options dwindle to the very expensive high-risk pools, or Medicaid.

[Hellraiser]

As things stand today (as opposed to how they might be in the future, under ACA), there are no pre-existing conditions exclusions for group health insurance policies.  Insurers have to treat all members of the group equally.  That includes all group insurance--whether you got it from a job, a trade group, professional group, or social group membership.  There may be an exclusion period at the beginning where you can't make a claim, but that shouldn't last longer than 90 days. 

This was exactly how my coverage worked and it shocked the hell out of me.  I thought I would go a year before they would cover me and I was way wrong.  Within 30 days I was covered.