they are dropping our insurance?

[cloud393]

Help!! My husband came home from work Friday and said his employer informed his that effective December 1st, we will NOT have medical coverage.  They can't afford it!  What do we do?  I know I can get Medicare but what about everything they don't cover?  Meds too!  I am so upset.  I worked for the same company and when I started having problems last year, I got "laid off".  They've been after my husband about finding me other coverage because I'm making they're rates go up.  I'm only 40 so don't think I can get the "gap" coverage.  His boss says there are insurance companies out there that will cover me.  I'm on dialysis due to polycystic kidney disease and this close to getting on transplant list or living donor transplant.  Any advice?  Thanks for listening.

[texasstyle]

I know you must feel like the weight of the world is on you at this moment.I feel for you.I really wish I had more to offer but the only thing I can share is our experience getting Medicare. My husband has to take early retirement because of his illness.(was only in his 50's) He still had BC/BS but his sister convinced him to go to Social Security office. They told us no one on dialysis gets turned down. We expected to have to appeal but didn't. It took about 3 or 4 months to kick in. Just a thought here to see if you  can get social security disability income due to your dialysis. If it worked it could provide some supplemental income.They gave him medicare to cover the dialysis treatments. I'm sorry for the stress you're going through. I'm sure the others have much info for you but this was how it worked for us. Not having insurance is SCARY and that's horrible. I think we all worry about this.Hang on.

[Wallyz]

Fight for the private coverage.  Go talk to an employment lawyer, seriously. If he is just dropping you guys because of your illness, you have a discrimination case.

Good luck, and fight for it.

[aharris2]

Cloud, my brother was in a similar situation due to layoffs. We found out, through the social worker at the dialysis unit, that the Kidney Fund will pay the Cobra premiums for a dialysis patient. While that does nothing for your family, it helps you. Have your husband elect Cobra coverage and get with your social worker. I don't know if Cobra is available when a company quits insuring, but let the social worker help you.

What about Medicaid? Their "Medically Needy" program works in  a strange way. Again, I recommend talking with the social worker.

[pdpatty]

On dialysis and with Poly,you are entitled to Medicare. You will also have to get a supplemental insurance. These are hard to find (maybe not in your state) for younger people on disability.. I have Americanlife. It will cost over 200$ a month but considering the 20% Medicare does not pay,it is a good deal.

I would make appointment to talk to the local SS office soon to put in for disability. Remember though that can take a year or more.

[glitter]

It only took my husband 3 or 4 monthes for the medicare to kick in, and not too long for disability,ESRD is automatic approval- you shouldn't have to fight very hard- some people do- but it was really smooth for us


.My husband also had a private policy I had bought and been paying for 10 years 'just in case' and the National kidney fund did pick up those premiums for him for 2.8 years.

[plugger]

We live in Colorado and I know we have this CoverColorado plan for people with pre-existing conditions - maybe your state has something similar?  I read over the following and they help out those with esrd where medicare doesn't (page 12) and if you miss an open enrollment for a medicare supplemental plan:  https://www.covercolorado.org/documents/COB%20Policy%20book.pdf

[RightSide]

The handling of hardship cases varies from state to state.  What state do you live in?

In some states, you cannot be turned down for a pre-existing condition.  Could you afford to purchase private individual insurance?  Since you're going to get Medicare, which will pick up 80% of the cost, you could afford to take a large deductible to hold down the cost of the individual policy and just use it to cover some of the remaining 20%.

Some states have high-risk pools for those with pre-existing conditions.

Some states have a subsidized public option for health insurance.

Your social worker should know what's the situation in your state.