Health Insurance Gap?

okay, so i turn 19 in may and then i can no longer use the insurance my dad gets through his work. my new insurance through my employer doesn't kick in until i've been there six months. so, there is going to be a three month gap. recently, i found out i have asthma and i cannot go that long without the medications. is there anything i can do to get coverage during the gap?

Your best bet would be to see if you can't get a three month prescription filled before your insurance under your father runs out. There may also be some gap coverage available from your dad's company, but you would have to pay for it yourself. It's best to check on this or private insurance before your current insurance ends.

If you do cover the gap, you may find the cost is more than the cost of the medication without insurance. Especially if you have to start a yearly deductable over again.

Remember too that insurance is just protection against significant loss. It was never meant to be discounted health care.

What you do is stock up on the meds before you turn 19 explain it to your doctor and he should write a 90 day prescription !

You might try and bookmark this website I have used for insurance research and news:

www.healthinsurance-guide.net

You have an existing condition that a new insurance carrier will not want to have. So first try to get your father's insurer to sell you an individual policy. If that is too expensive try temporary health insurance which is available for 6 months and sometimes longer. Type in temporary health insurance in your search engine and you'll see the choices, some more expensive than others.

You will be eligible for COBRA from your father's job. It will be expensive, but it will keep you from having a pre-existing condition later....

I'd still recommend getting a 90 day supply of your meds before your plan terminates. COBRA can drag.

good luck.

Under Federal law, if your father has been listed on a group policy that's subject to COBRA laws (be sure to check with them) and you have been listed continuously for at least 18 months, you cannot be turned down for coverage on an individual policy and, most importantly, they cannot turn down coverage of a pre-existing condition (as long as you do not allow longer than a 63 day lapse in coverage.)

Yes, I know, it's complicated. Find yourself a good agent. Ask them to quote you an individual policy. At your age, assuming asthma is your only pre-existing condition, you can certainly do better in terms of rates than the COBRA coverage that'll be offered to you through your father's company.

There are short-term policies designed specifically for those with gaps in coverage; however, do NOT be talked into one of those UNLESS they show you, in writing, that your pre-existing conditions will be covered. (I've never seen one that would cover pre-existing conditions; they may exist, but you need to be VERY cautious about it.)

Also, the advice to get a 3-month supply of your medications before your current coverage runs out is excellent. Even if you get an individual policy (which I highly recommend -- you may have more go wrong than just needing your current medication --) few individual policies offer the same type of copayment arrangement for name-brand medications that you will likely have on a group plan. In other words, where a group policy may offer a $10 copay for generics, $20 copay for tier 1 drugs, and a $30 copay for tier 2 drugs most individual policies offer a set copay for generics and then only covers a percentage (typically 60-70%) for tier 1 and 2 drugs. Believe me, that one factor can make a HUGE difference in your out-of-pocket costs.

The most crucial thing is not to miss your deadlines. If you go beyond the 63-day lapse, you can be declined for coverage and, even if you qualify, you'd no longer be covered for your pre-existing conditions.

Keep in mind more than 50% of all bankruptcies were filed as a result of medical bills. (See link for article below.)

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