cobra

[badbadbrain67]

Unfortunately I was recently "let go" from my job because i have not been able to go back since my surgery in Dec. of '09 to remove a 5cm acoustic neruoma.
I still have balance issues. As a result my insurance was canceled but was eligible for COBRA. COBRA didn't send out my payment stubs for me to start making payments until the 17th of August. By the time i got them, it was way past the middle of the month. The first payment I was to make was for the month of August.
It's costing me over $500 a month (no small fee when you consider that I am on disability and also had problems with them but that's for a different post).
Does it seem right that I am paying for the whole month of August when they sent the stubs on the 17th? On top of that, they only send out their info to insurance
companies once a week (that would be on Tuesday the 31st). BCBS still has to process that info before I'm am technically back in the system. That can take
up to 5 business days. Although I am "covered" for the month of August, I have no way of proving it because my insurance card is no good for now.
I can go to my doctor and explain the situation, but I should not have to. I can go to the pharmacy and bill insurance later but that's not the point.
I am up to my neck in bills, paperwork and dealing with disability (both private and SSD). It's all too much.
Anyway, I had to stop physical therapy (for my balance issues) because they never told me I was covered for August until this week. Like I said, the real issue
is that they didn't even send out payment paperwork until mid August. Does anyone see anything wrong with this or am I just nitpicking?
Oh, and the bastards charge a $9 fee to pay on-line. Can you believe that?
Sorry for rambling, but i just had to vent. I'm sure someone out there knows where I'm coming from.

[Crazycat]

It's a strange and even bizarre world we've (or "they've")  created for ourselves; a mixture of weird draconian capitalism (which is becoming increasingly totalitarian) together with a kind of bleeding heart socialism.

I don't blame you one bit for being angry, disappointed, disillusioned or whatever. I'm sorry to see you going through that. I wish I could offer some solution but I really don't know what to say. It angers me to see hard working people that have conscientiously paid into the system their entire lives end up being heartlessly bled white by it when they eventually become ill and need assistance. It just isn't fair or right.

Hope you get through it all....

[KarenE]

I'm on COBRA too right now.  I actually found out about my tumor 1 day BEFORE my insurance stopped from my last job.  I started freaking out about how long it would take before I could sign up for COBRA to schedule my surgery.  Mine started in the middle of the month too, but they said that they were going to retro it to go back to the beginning of the month.....it didn't matter, since I just didn't go to the dr until I knew I had it or else I would be considered a self pay and being a teacher, I don't have money for that!
I do pay my (expensive) premiums online - but with no fee, that stinks.
I'm having surgery again on the 30th and had to make sure to pay them today so that while I'm in the hospital, they don't say I'm uninsured on the 1st.  That happened to me this month.  I thought they automatically took the money out of my bank, but apparently not and one of my dr's told me they couldn't schedule my appoint since I didn't have any insurance.......but I thought I did~
Geez! 
Take a deep breath
Burn all your bills
Go outside and watch the sun set
 
Karen

[badbadbrain67]

Burning my bills is the best advice I've ever gotten. There's is a pile of them on a  corner that give me a serious pang in the very pit of my stomach every time I see them . I posted another complaint about problems I was with the Hartford disability insurance and because of that, it makes everything seem worse. My bills are piling up. I have to start paying COBRA over $500 a month and I can't even get a prescription until next month without paying out of pocket. The system sure is slow. Like I said, I already gave COBRA the first installment but my insurance card is no good 'ti next month yet I'm out over $500.
Let's all get together and have a cathartic bonfire. We'll start an AN survivors commune and Popeye can be our mascot since he already looks a lot like some of us do or did.