glassphoebe
Junior Member
How Long Can I Stay in My Former Employer's Group Plan if I Pay the Premiums?
What is the name of your state? California
Someone recently told me that, so long as I continue to stay with the same health insurance plan that I signed up with when I was with my former employer, that that health insurance company cannot consider any condition that I acquired while I was signed up with them, as being "pre-existing".
Furthermore, I was told that they can never drop my insurance, nor increase my premiums, nor make any other changes to my policy UNLESS they do the same for everyone else in my former employer's group. All that's necessary is that I pay the health insurance company what my employer pays them per each employee. I was assured that this had nothing to do with COBRA either. So long as I stay with the same health insurance company, this applies.
For someone with a pre-existing condition, who might not be able to get private health insurance, nor a job with group health insurance, this all sounds a little too good to be true. Is it?
Just some additional detail, in case it's relevant. My former employer has given me a severance package which includes 25 months of covered health care (BCBS). As I understand it, COBRA is considered part of that 25 months (the difference being, I guess, that my employer is footing the bill instead of me).
What is the name of your state? California
Someone recently told me that, so long as I continue to stay with the same health insurance plan that I signed up with when I was with my former employer, that that health insurance company cannot consider any condition that I acquired while I was signed up with them, as being "pre-existing".
Furthermore, I was told that they can never drop my insurance, nor increase my premiums, nor make any other changes to my policy UNLESS they do the same for everyone else in my former employer's group. All that's necessary is that I pay the health insurance company what my employer pays them per each employee. I was assured that this had nothing to do with COBRA either. So long as I stay with the same health insurance company, this applies.
For someone with a pre-existing condition, who might not be able to get private health insurance, nor a job with group health insurance, this all sounds a little too good to be true. Is it?
Just some additional detail, in case it's relevant. My former employer has given me a severance package which includes 25 months of covered health care (BCBS). As I understand it, COBRA is considered part of that 25 months (the difference being, I guess, that my employer is footing the bill instead of me).
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