ending employer insurance, COBRA not available

I have a friend who has been battling brain cancer for about 4 years.  She has been undergoing chemotherapy but was recently informed by her doctor that that cancer has spread to such an extent that she ought to quit her job and enjoy what time she has left to her.

She would like to take the advice to heart, but quitting would mean being removed from her employer's insurance program and apparently her employer is not large enough to offer COBRA benefits so that she can continue with her insurance.  Apparently she can apply for disability but would not be eligible for those benefits for two years.  If she used her own money to pay for care from now on she'd likely exhaust her savings in a few months if not sooner.

Can anyone point me in the direction of help or advice on what her insurance options might be?

Thanks,

Matt

This is as insidious as the cancer itself.  As if cancer patients don't have enough to worry about already.  If she quits, she'll probably terminate her life insurance coverage too.  Check into it Matt.

She will get social security payments,and there is an 18 month waiting period on the medicare part of social security.They should go back to when she was first told about the cancer and she can probably get the medical side but i cant promise anything for sure.I still have 11 months to go before i can get the part a/b card.I draw a check but still use employer insurance which i have to pay all the deductions about $210.00 a month.

Tell your friend to go to the website and check out the social security benefits.Take care.

Oh, sorry forgot about the life insurance part.I have that too and pay for it also.Call the life insurance company and ask for a conversion kit.They will cover you,i cant promise a cheap payment but mine cost me $135.25 for ***,000 in coverage.

My husband is facing a similar issue, he was on short term disability with his work (26 weeks), well the clock is ticking and the 26 weeks are almost up.  He will be terminated because he can't come back to work due to his stage 4 cancer and he has to go in for chemo treatments every other week.  He applied for SSDI, however, we won't hear back from them until some time in August.  So now we are going to lose a paycheck, plus we have to pay for COBRA, which is around $460 per month just for him.  I asked around for Medicare and I have been told that the coverage would only start 24 months after being on Soc Sec Disability.  In the meantime, he doesn't qualify for the COBRA stimulas package where the government will pick up 65% of the cost and the patient will pay 35%.  This deal only applies to people who have been let go, not for people who can not go to work due to illness.  UGH!!

I called Soc Sec and explained that my husband's cancer is terminal and his life expectancy is anywhere from 10 months to 2 years.  By the time he gets on Medicare it might be too late.

 

Hi,

If your friend has Brain Cancer she should receive benefits within 6 months.  Brain Cancer and some other cancers have been put on the "fast track" for Social Security.  My husband was diagnosed with in 11/07 and began to receive benefits 06/08.  He does not qualify for medicaid due to his age and also not for other benefits due to our assets.  But, he does draw money against his social security which he has paid in on and also our minor child gets benefits too.  Her doctor will have to fill out some paperwork,  You can get the process going over the phone and then send in or deliver signed paperwork to your local SS office.  Or have a social worker at the hospital help with completing the forms-they are very helpful too.

I don't know too much about the medicaid as I have private insurance thru my business.  If the cost of chemo is a problem the drug companies do have programs to help with or defray the cost.  There are some posts on the "Brain" board.

Hope this helps.  Don't lose hope!

I would seriously question the COBRA is not available idea. We owned a small business for years pre cancer and COBRA was available...maybe they won't administer it for you but I would contact the carrier as well as read my copy of the policy where it talks about COBRA. The idea behind COBRA was to provide protection so workers couldn't lose their health insurance if they were willing to pay to keep carrying it.

I hope I'm not too late in replying on this and that the posters see this:

By law, every state has to have one insurance plan that will provide insurance WITH NO PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS STIPUATIONS to those who are not eligible for COBRA. However there are two importantt points that I must make:

 1. One must rollover into that plan within SIXTY days of losing insurance and

2. It isn't cheap. In Pennsylvania the Blue's offer it for about $7,800 per year.

 If you think you qualify for this and can afford the premium, either go to the Blue Cross/Blue Shield website for your area (the Blues are the usual offerers of this policy but not always...some states may have their own plan, such as the one that the Congress is proposing). If you cannot find it easily than contact your state's department of insurance.

Joe