Newbie to Cobra. Need Help/advice....

[atwnsw]

Hi there,

I had to recently stop working for health reasons and am starting on COBRA. My health insurance for both myself and my wife was through my company under CIGNA. The company was based out of Oregon but our division was in Florida.

I will be buying my personal policy through COBRA since I am uninsurable. However, my wife (who is healthy) is being quoted $550 through Cobra for the same Cigna plan (not including dental).

I have 2 issues and would appreciate your input:

Having learned the value of health insurance with my disease, I only want the absolutely best policy for my wife. As I mentioned, she has the option of paying for Cigna through our Cobra plan. However, I have been told that $550 is high for her individual plan. We received a certificate of insurability for her.

1) When I called Cigna for her, they said to apply online for a quote on her policy. The problem is that the extensive online application asks for so many details that if she gets anything incorrect, I fear that they may dump her. My goal would be to have them look at her existing policy/history and then just quote us. My understanding is that one can often get a quote for an identical policy from the same carrier that is cheaper than Cobra. Anybody have a contact phone number for Cigna department that can do a conversion?

2) If we end up going with another carrier, who has the best health insurance plan for her in Florida?

Thanks in advance.

 

[souldeux]

Hi there,

I had to recently stop working for health reasons and am starting on COBRA. My health insurance for both myself and my wife was through my company under CIGNA. The company was based out of Oregon but our division was in Florida.

I will be buying my personal policy through COBRA since I am uninsurable. However, my wife (who is healthy) is being quoted $550 through Cobra for the same Cigna plan (not including dental).

I have 2 issues and would appreciate your input:

Having learned the value of health insurance with my disease, I only want the absolutely best policy for my wife. As I mentioned, she has the option of paying for Cigna through our Cobra plan. However, I have been told that $550 is high for her individual plan. We received a certificate of insurability for her.

1) When I called Cigna for her, they said to apply online for a quote on her policy. The problem is that the extensive online application asks for so many details that if she gets anything incorrect, I fear that they may dump her. My goal would be to have them look at her existing policy/history and then just quote us. My understanding is that one can often get a quote for an identical policy from the same carrier that is cheaper than Cobra. Anybody have a contact phone number for Cigna department that can do a conversion?

2) If we end up going with another carrier, who has the best health insurance plan for her in Florida?

Thanks in advance.

You can get an independent agent to submit a trial app or pre-screen your wife. However, if she's healthy, you can just get a quote and run with it.

Let me make sure I've got everything clear -- you want to keep your personal policy on COBRA and get an individual policy for your wife?

 

[djs]

I can't advise for Florida, but whatever state I was in, I would check the new cobra rules, where your ex-employer may pay up to 65% of your cobra bill for a while.

Not many will have details on this yet though, we are all still waiting to see exactly how this works. Mostly, it will depend on your termination date.

Dan

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

I am an expert in Florida health insurance, so perhaps I can be of assistance.

Since we've got a couple of issues here, let's take 'em one at a time.

I will be buying my personal policy through COBRA since I am uninsurable. However, my wife (who is healthy) is being quoted $550 through Cobra for the same Cigna plan (not including dental).

What you're buying is a continuation of the group plan you had with CIGNA through your former employer.

However, I have been told that $550 is high for her individual plan.

It sure is - especially if she's in relatively good health. In addition, CIGNA individual coverage here in Florida has been available for only about a month...so it's way too early to say whether it's good, bad, or indifferent.

My understanding is that one can often get a quote for an identical policy from the same carrier that is cheaper than Cobra.

While individual and group plans can have some similarities, they won't be identical. The laws for group and individual policies here in the Sunshine State vary greatly! All things being equal, individual coverage will be a fraction of the cost of group, or COBRA continuation coverage.

If we end up going with another carrier, who has the best health insurance plan for her in Florida?

There are so many variables, it's impossible to generalize. Depends on your wife's age, where in Florida you are located, and myriad other factors.

What you need is an experienced broker who can shop the entire market to give you the best alternatives and answer questions you don't even think to ask, such as "what happens when her COBRA period is up?"

I will send you a "Private Message" through this forum with my contact information. Please feel free to contact me for help and guidance - if you like.

 

[atwnsw]

You can get an independent agent to submit a trial app or pre-screen your wife. However, if she's healthy, you can just get a quote and run with it.

Let me make sure I've got everything clear -- you want to keep your personal policy on COBRA and get an individual policy for your wife?

Exactly