Comments on: Losing My Job: The Things I’m Most Concerned About

By: Sass

Sass — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:19:17 +0000

If your husband has group coverage through his employer, you should be able to go on his plan outside of open enrollment due to the loss of coverage through your employer as it is a HIPAA qualifying event. When your current coverage ends you will be issued a certificate of creditable coverage by the carrier which you can then give to the new carrier (keep a copy for yourself as it can be a PITA to get another copy). As long as you have not had a greater than 62 day break in coverage, the pre-existing exclusions (including pregnancy) should be waived. You should be able to move from your current group health plan to your husaband's group health plan with no problem and without having to resort to COBRA. The main problem I can see is if your current OB and preferred hospital are not in the new plan's network. Hope that helps!

By: One Frugal Girl

One Frugal Girl — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 21:34:32 +0000

@Cindy Brick – Sorry to hear about your flooded basement! I know that my dream job and the actual position I take will probably be very different! I think it's important to dream big, but be realistic 🙂

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:48:16 +0000

I really feel your pain. Our COBRA insurance was prohibitively expensive, and although it did lead to a bunch of sleepless nights, at least it got us through. Please do make sure that you can find another insurer, though, to cover yourself! Good luck.
Jerry

By: Cindy Brick

Cindy Brick — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:59:34 +0000

Serves me right for doing something else (in this case, cleaning up our flooded basement, which is a whole 'nother story), instead of reading your posts the last few weeks!
I was going to say I was sorry you've had to go through this...but I also wonder if this is God's way of giving you more time with the baby. And you will cherish that time. Trust me.
My guess is that you will have difficulty covering your medical condition. Try looking for a high deductible, or a company that specializes in unusual conditions like yours. (Agreed, though, that you should pick up Cobra -- unless you find out ahead of time that your husband can get a policy that will cover you as-is.)
I hate to say this, but you will most probably find yourself offered one week of vacation -- not two. And your stay-at-home-work-when-I-choose schedule will be hard to find in a new position. I hope you get what you're looking for here, but don't be surprised if you don't.
Have you ever thought about working for yourself, and contracting out?
At any rate, you will look back on this period, I think, and be grateful for the timing and your new baby.

By: One Frugal Girl

One Frugal Girl — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:16:49 +0000

@Anonymous - I can remain on COBRA insurance for up to 18 months, so I'm not too worried about not finding a new job in that time. However, I do plan to call around to find out if my particular medical issues would cause me to be excluded. It's a very rare disorder.

@Pam - No bankruptcy. Don't worry ;-) Anonymous is just saying that a serious medical problem could result in that if I'm not insured. Given the time frame I have on COBRA I should be able to find a job in time.

@Newlyweds - I love your advice on taking a job to attain insurance. Hopefully I won't have to travel that route, but it's good to know there would be options. By the way I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to stay home with little one!

By: Newlyweds on a Budget

Newlyweds on a Budget — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:04:17 +0000

so i was on vacation and just went back and read the last 4 posts. Honestly, it seems that this is a blessing in disguise. And I think you should definitely take the time off to enjoy the time with your baby. Also–if you worry about finding health insurance, follow the steps of blogger, Our Little Apartment. She got a part time job at Starbucks and they offer health insurance. The hours are low and you're paycheck would probably go to pay your insurance, but you'll be insured. And it will give you peace of mind. You could also work there until you found a permanent full time job with benefits.

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:12:11 +0000

Bankruptcy? Have I missed something?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:51:35 +0000

I had forgotten about your medical history. It's going to be almost impossible to get any meaningful insurance for you outside the workplace. In your shoes, I would seriously reconsider going after the other position at your company, even if it meant giving up your time off. One episode could put you in bankruptcy without insurance. You could find it impossible to get another job with a bankruptcy on your credit report.