I got the first COBRA bill today for my daughter.

[Bunny]

$600.13, due Feb. 1. She turned 19 and because she's not enrolled in college, she's being dropped from my insurance. My company's plan renews on July 1, and she can go back on my benefits then. But for the next five months, we've got to cough up that money to keep her covered. Those Dems in the Senate better not let HCR get repealed.

[Zywiec]

1. It would be cheaper to enroll her in junior college for a semester. n/t

[Bunny]

21. Yeah, probably. But there's another consideration:

The community college is about 20 minutes away, and there is no public transportation here in Hooterville, so she'll need a car. We're a one-car family right now, so between buying a car and paying the increased car insurance premium, we're actually better off in the short term to just pay the COBRA.

[Shagbark Hickory]

33. Unless something's changed since I was in college...

Just because one is enrolled doesn't mean one has to show up for class :-)

You know the college may offer some basic health plan to students.

The four year schools I went to covered everyone with this commie universal death panel system. Sick kids would go to the doctor and get treated. Horrors!

[Obamanaut]

40. Some community colleges have on-line classes. Enroll in those.

Don't know the minutes to miles conversion, but how many miles is 20 minutes away. A bicycle is cheap, and I see hundreds of students in Gainesville riding them, some to the other side of the city.

The college might have a share-a-ride data base, possibly someone in your area can carpool.

Real cheap used car, one for which you need not pay for insurance to pay for damages to it might be workable for you.

[pacalo]

2. They gave you less than two weeks to get the money together.

Call them & explain that it would be a hardship to send a full payment in so short a time. Ask if you could send a partial payment.

:hug:

[Bunny]

13. I've actually known about it for several months.

Getting the bill yesterday was a real eye-opener.

[greytdemocrat]

3. I'd wait till July...

600 is a lot and the odds are simply with you she'll be fine till July.

[Bunny]

16. We considered that.

She *is* healthy, but I'm pretty fatalistic about these sorts of things. In other words: as soon as you don't have insurance, you'll find yourself needing it. It's too risky for me.

[RichGirl]

23. I pay under $200.00 a month.

With United Health Care. Take a small risk and get a huge deductable.

[bullimiami]

4. If she is healthy an individual private policy should be much less.

We had our 21 yo daughter insured through Humana for around 200.00/mo for a couple of years.
Thanks to HCR she is now on my work policy.

[Bunny]

14. We looked at plans like that, but the deductibles and co-pays were

insanely high. Like, thousands of dollars high, whereas my company COBRA has no deductibles, $15 co-pays, prescriptions for $10 and $20, and pretty much every doctor and facility in Western PA is in the network. So, we decided to go with the COBRA. But we can only afford the $600/month for a limited time, not indefinitely, and she needs to be able to go back on my plan in July.

Which is why the Dems better stand up to the Republicans and not let them repeal HCR.

[Statistical]

28. Another way to look at it is.

The private insurance would just be for catastrophic event.

Say you could get private insurance for $200 per month. You are saving $400 per month. Over 6 months that is $2400. If she just needs a doctor's visit, or some meds she can just pay out of the deductible (w/ $2400 you saved). If something catastrophic happens she still has the coverage.

[still_one]

5. Depending on the college she is going to, you might check what plans they offer students there /nt

[Bunny]

19. She'll be going to the local community college in the fall. By then

she'll be able to go back on my plan, so we'll be covered.

[midnight]

6. K&R That's a Cadillac car payment.... Why is this consumer gouging allowed....

[Bunny]

18. It's insanely expensive, isn't it?

We have a 'Cadillac plan' at work, though, and it's 95% paid by the company. I feel very fortunate to have such excellent coverage.

[Extend a Hand]

7. did you check on an individual plan

I got my 19 year old son an Aetna plan for $50 per month.

[uppityperson]

8. What sort of Aetna plan? I'm interested since my COBRA is nearing $400/month

and soon will be cut off. Cheapest I've been able to find for me and MrUP is $350/month. Thanks.

[Extend a Hand]

9. We pay $375/month each

for my husband and I. :( We are middle-aged and I have a chronic autoimmune disease.

My son is so cheap because he is only 19 and in good health. We got a high deductible plan for him because he can use the health service at college for free and the walk-in clinic in at our grocery is $55 for kind of standard stuff. The plan we got him pays 0 on the first $5000 and 100% over that. It is truly an emergency kind of plan.

Good luck finding something. It really sucks.

[Beaverhausen]

10. good idea. We paid $138/month for my stepdaughter in San Fran until Obamacare

now she's covered on my plan!

[JTFrog]

30. It's called the Affordable Care Act.

Obamacare is right wing terminology.

[Beaverhausen]

39. I know- but since I'm happy with the changes, I call it Obamacare to give him credit

throw it back in their faces.

[frazzled]

11. Put her back on your insurance: it's the law

And you should know that. The Affordable Care Act means your daughter, even if she is not enrolled in college, can go on your plan:

Who's covered: The law takes effect for insurance plans that already cover dependents, starting on or after Sept. 23, 2010.

Those plans will cover policyholders' children until age 26 -- even if those adult children no longer attend college, don't live with their parents and aren't dependents on a tax return.

Finally! We can get health insurance
Under-26 children who were previously dropped from dependent coverage will also be able to re-enroll as long as they don't have access to an employer-sponsored plan.

If an adult child has access to another employer-sponsored health plan, insurers can generally refuse coverage, but only until 2014.

Also, the re-enrollment option only applies to plans that already offer dependent coverage. If a company has such a plan, it must inform employees their children, who may have aged out of the plan, will be eligible again starting Jan. 1, 2011.

The policy applies to married and unmarried children, but does not extend to their spouses or children.

How much it will cost: Insurers must treat all dependents the same, regardless of age. That means that companies cannot jack up costs or limit coverage for the under-26 group.


Parents will face a 0.7% increase in insurance premiums, across the board, for adding dependents to their plans, according to HHS. That will rise by an additional 1% in 2012 and in 2013. "ither ... stockholders or consumers" will shoulder that extra cost, HHS said in its report.

For those who enroll in the dependent coverage, the average policy will cost $3,380 for each dependent in 2011; $3,500 in 2012; and $3,690 in 2013, according to HHS's mid-range estimates. Those extra costs are tax-deductible.

How to get it: More than 65 health insurers have said they are now offering dependent coverage ahead of the September deadline.

But it's up to individual employers to decide when to offer the provision, and experts say most companies will opt to do that during open enrollment. That period typically happens in early fall.

For plan-years that start on or after Sept. 23, insurers must give qualifying young adults a 30-day window to enroll, according to HHS.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/12/news/economy/health_care_dependents/

[udbcrzy2]

12. Yes, that's what I thought too. Thanks for posting. n/t

[Bunny]

15. Not quite.

But it's up to individual employers to decide when to offer the provision, and experts say most companies will opt to do that during open enrollment. That period typically happens in early fall.

My company chose to opt out, and is not required to cover her until our policy renews, which will be on July 1.

[frazzled]

27. I don't get why they were able to drop her, though

You say she was recently dropped from your insurance because she turned 19 and isn't in school. Being in school shouldn't matter anymore, because of the law that kicked in back in September I thought. Are you sure they were justified in dropping her from your plan if she was already on it, and then making you wait to reinstate her?

[tritsofme]

34. It is my understanding that the ACA did not alter the provisions of policies already in effect.

Since the OP's plan does not renew until July, the pre-ACA policy provisions are in place until then. Many employers voluntarily took dependents up to age 26 this year in anticipation of compliance, but this employer apparently did not.

When the policy renews, the OP's daughter can again be added as a dependent due to the ACA.

[Bunny]

37. You are exactly right.

My employer opted out and is not going to comply with the law until it absolutely has to.

[Orrex]

17. COBRA is a joke.

Anyone who can afford to use it could basically afford to pay cash for their medical care in the first place.

When I was let go from a job in 2008, the HR demon went of the details of COBRA for me. I could maintain my existing coverage for somewhere around $875 per month. Considering that unemployment was about to start paying me a sweet $1400 per month for my family of four, I had to decline the generous offer.

[Bunny]

20. Yes, it's mostly a joke.

Not many people who are about to become unemployed can shell out that kind of money. My daughter is working and she'll pay 1/3 of the monthly payment, I'll make up the rest through my tax return and other sources, but overall we can't pay this forever. It's just too much money to scratch up every month. I've budgeted out the money for the five months that we'll need to pay it, but that's about all we're going to be able to swing.

[hunter]

22. COBRAs are poisonous and they bite.

Or maybe they're the bus they run over you with after they shove you off the curb.

They are one more reason (among many) that I hate the health insurance industry and our government leaders who work for them.

[madmom]

24. What about an on-line class or two? Don't know if that would work, but it's a thought!

[Bunny]

38. It is an option, and we've considered it.

My employer requires that a student be enrolled for the equivalent of full-time status (12 credits, I think) in order to be eligible for coverage. (The health care provider doesn't require this, my employer does. :eyes:) So we may give it a month or two and then see if she can get enrolled in online classes, but I'm not sure she wants to take four of them online. We'll play that by ear.

[Obamanaut]

41. She should be willing to do whatever it takes to assist in this, which is her

problem as well as yours "...but I'm not sure she wants to take four of them online..." Sometimes the "have to's" outweigh the "want to's." This might be one of those times.

[sarcasmo]

25. I looked into this for my wife back in 2008 and it made my head spin.

Wound up telling her that if came to cobra I would have no insurance and make sure she had it since she needed it most. Such a messed up country we live in.

[Codeine]

26. She's 19.

It may just make sense to let her be uninsured for six months. If there's ever a time where she can get away with it this is the time, assuming she's in good health.

[NNN0LHI]

29. I think the break in coverage can have detrimental ramifications though?

Not sure about this? But I think come June or July when she can get on her parents policy the insurance company may not cover her for any previous medical conditions if there are any? I am just guessing here but I bet there is some catch to it like that. Always is.

Don

[Codeine]

31. Oops. I hadn't even considered that. nt

[jxnmsdemguy65]

32. Probably better off just going without health insurance...

better off in being proactive in avoiding risk and learning about how to take care of yourself.

I'd rather do that that be a slave to a corrupt health care system.

[dd2003]

35. enroll her in community college

Most cc's have online classes. I took one last semester. If she took two online classes it would be under $200....They really dont take very long either...Maybe a total of 3 hours for a semester

[BoWanZi]

36. I pay over 400 dollars a month for my Cobra and i'm not sure how much longer i can keep it up