Posted by loni on December 5, 2003, at 18:40:19
In reply to Mental Health insurance?!!, posted by Karalyn on December 5, 2003, at 17:07:52
Karalynn--
Find out from your pharmacist and treatment providers how much your treatment would cost without insurance per month.
Then find out how much COBRA would cost per month (COBRA allows you to continue the coverage that you have now under your parent's plan if you pay the full monthly premium...I think they let you take if for a maximum of 18 months.)
If they the COBRA is cheaper or even $100 more, TAKE THE COBRA. If you STOP insurance coverage, your mental health diagnosis becomes a pre-existing condition. This limits your choices under your spouses health plan later on.
If you do NOT take a "break" from insurance coverage, you should be protected under the Insurance Portability Act (I believe it is called) and you should be allowed to switch to your new husband's coverage on the day of your marriage (or the first of the month after you are married) without dealing with "pre-existing condition" issues.
If you have have a "pre-existing condition", some plans will make you pay for a year of insurance coverage but will not cover your "pre-existing condition" until the beginning of the 2nd year. That means that you would be paying for insurance PLUS your mental health prescriptions and visits for one year.
Try to avoid that break in coverage. COBRA is expensive, especially when you are a college student. But living without coverage is even MORE expensive in the long run.
poster:loni
thread:286920
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031202/msgs/286935.html