Posted by noa on July 19, 2003, at 18:28:03
In reply to Re: I Quit My Job... But I'm Not Sure They Believed Me » Dinah, posted by Tabitha on July 19, 2003, at 16:57:27
The reason I think it is better to get COBRA coverage is that in order to benefit from some of the benefits of HIPAA (like no exclusions based on pre-existing conditions), you need to have continuous GROUP coverage.
If you buy insurance on your own, it could cost less, but then you also might lose your HIPAA elegibility, which could later affect whether you are denied certain coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Also, individually purchased plans tend to have more scanty coverage options than group plans do (although I don't know what your current group plan is like).
In addition to COBRA, I think many states have emergency gap coverage so that you don't lose your HIPAA elegibility if your COBRA runs out before you get new coverage.
I am not sure of all the details--
See the HIPAA website for more info:
poster:noa
thread:243375
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030719/msgs/243552.html