It stinks, it stinks, it stinks!

[azurite]

My Kaiser coverage lapsed on 5/1. No one [from Kaiser] told me-- Mom didn't get the letter from her work notifying her until yesterday, a.k.a. two days before an appointment I made weeks ago. How was I permitted to make an appointment if my coverage lapsed? (Oh, wait, I think I know: northern California and southern California are considered separate "regions" and don't share information. LAME!)

I tried to call the student health center here on campus, but (somewhat unsurprisingly), they have no appointments available until THE SECOND WEEK OF JUNE. I'll be out of a good number of my pills by then, and, because it's during summer semester, when I'm not taking classes, I might not be able to get "coverage" there either! I'm going to try calling tomorrow morning, when my double dose of Kaiser appointments would have been, just to see if someone cancels (please, please, please)!

Kaiser gave me two options:
(1) Find out if I can somehow still get covered under my mom's COBRA (employer health insurance)

(2) Get "continuance" coverage-- no medical reviews, coverage is retroactive to 5/1. Problem is, while the copay and prescription costs are reasonable ($25-30), the out-of-pocket cost for each month is $214 - $405! Those same plans for an "individual" (meaning a medical review would be required, approval is necessary, etc.) would be around $126 - $237, which is still out of my budget. I'm a broke college student with credit card bills to pay! But health is important....

They do offer other, more reasonably priced plans, but they might not have the coverage I need. I can't stand looking at all these lame charts and brochures on the sites-- I want to talk to a person who understands HMO/PPO, HSA and DED and all these other terms! They drive me batty!

And then there's Anthem, another medical insurer I've been considering. Unfortunately, the guy chosen to be my rep is out of the office until Monday.

Any suggestions for other health insurance? I figure it's smarter to get something that'll do what I need and last beyond my graduation. Better still if it's not a pain to transfer records from Kaiser, go to the actual hospital for appointments, and have coverage elsewhere without too much hassle. Does such a thing exist?

Anyway you dice it: no appointments tomorrow. Of course, I'll still call the Klotz Student Health Center and try for a cancellation there and, barring that, at least make an appointment for the summer (if I'm eligible), but the new big project for the summer is "find health insurance!"

Aaah.

Comments

[kysras-baby.livejournal.com]

I literally work with insurance companies all day (a lot of 'em) and generally speaking they all work along the same lines unless you're talking state/federal coverage - i.e. Medicaid/Medicare. Would it be possible for you to get Medicaid? I'm sure their rates are more reasonable than a private policy (which runs in the ballpark of $100-300 a month depending on HMO/PPO and deductible amount).

Anthem is a blue cross plan and fairly reliable as long as you don't try to go through customer service which Blue Cross is a fucking travesty when you're trying to get to an actual human.

You might also want to look into Humana. I believe they have student specific policies at affordable prices . . . and most major insurance companies also have student oriented programs.

As for medical review - I can tell you that any new policy you open will be tied up by the pre-existing clause. When you DO open the policy, ask if there is any way the pre-exist clause can be waived. This is usually done by submitting a letter of credible insurance - basically you have to prove that you had x amount of years of CONTINUOUS insurance coverage. Also ask about the pre-existing clause deadline . . . it's usually 6months-year from the date the policy became effective. This means that anything they deem pre-existing will (potentially) be your liability until the clause is expired. This is if the clause CAN'T be waived.

Not many people know they have that option so I'm putting it out there for you. Otherwise, every claim you submit will be pended for pre-existing information/questionnaire/investigation. It's fucking ridiculous, I tell you.

I'll keep my eye out for other companies that might offer something that will fit you.

[azurite]

I hesitate to sign up for a student plan, considering I'm only going to be a student for another few months. So I'm looking for something more permanent.

But thanks for the tips-- I will look into Humana, and please let me know if you find anything else!

[cutieme4u.livejournal.com]

I also literally work with insurances all day long but I personally prefer Kaiser. Sure, you have to stay in the network for anything to be covered and it can get a bit pricey, but at least you know that everything the doctors their prescribe will be covered. With a lot of other insurances, that's usually not the case. Plus if you switch off of Kaiser, you'll probably have to find new doctors and they might not be able to switch your medical records over. Kaiser doctors also have access to all your medical records so they can make sure none of your meds conflict with each other.

But if you want to switch away from Kaiser, I know a lot of people that have Aetna PPO and I've heard good things about that plan too if you want a PPO. Humana's a good one too.