BLACKDODOGE

Ok I'm in Ca and want to relocate to Texas. My wife has a pre-existing condition we have an individual plan. What are the laws in Texas if anyone knows if we move there get a job, get group insurance, and a few years later I find a different job down the road that too offers group insurance, but only offers benefits after 3 months of employment. During that 3 months what would we do? In CA we can buy COBRA. Anyone know in Texas?

74dart

Im pretty sure COBRA is a national thing because we can do the same in NC. I belive it is a fedral law.

eddiebob

COBRA is Federal Law. Your insurance premiums will go up for that time interval but, it is still better than not having any coverage. Ed B

BLACKDODOGE

here is CA it doesn't matter if the employee has 1 or 1000 employee everyone can still receive COBRA. Is that true in the other states? Sometimes I hear the company has to have more then 20 employee to offer COBRA.

dssimecek

There is a lot insurance options in Texas. Do a google search on it. There is a web site that list all the insurance companies, and what they offer. Sorry I don't have the link handy.

JD Dearden

Carry cobra for those three months also the new hire waiting period wont count against you as far as a coverage gap, keep in mind you have 63 days to declare cobra once you are notified and if something happens you can back pay

all though you may not have a cobra option if you are on an individual plan right now

BLACKDODOGE

well right now wouldn't be a problem I'd stay on an individual plan until the group plan kicked in. I'm worried about say in a few years I get a better job offer, but the benefits won't start for three months.

JD Dearden

i dont really follow what your concern is

BLACKDODOGE

my concern is when I move have group ins. and if I get a new job sometime and the employer doesn't give me benefits until i've worked for him 3 months. that createsa 3 month gap in coverage.

D2 Cat

Might keep the wife on her individual program and you get ins. with your employer. With some pre existing situations you won't get insurance once your without ins. so if you're ever without work your on your own.

BLACKDODOGE

I forgot to mention her individual plan isn't available in Texas. Its Kaiser Permanente

annabelle

Try the Texas pool insurance. From what I've been told, it reasonablly priced and doesn't exclude pre-existing conditions ( important to me also). Cobra is an option, but an expensive one. I've been looking into it as I'm about to move back to TX.

BLACKDODOGE

please let me know if you find anything since your in a situation too. thanks

JD Dearden

If you where to switch jobs from one group plan to another you will have a cobra option to cover you during the new hire waiting period as long as you have worked for a company that is over 20 employes and been there for one day this is federal, if you work for a small employer than you have to work there for 6 months and you can carry mini-cobra for 6 months this is usually different from state to state but that is the law in Utah. Keep in ming a new hire waiting period does not affect your coverage gap it is waived, also keep in mind some companies have no waiting period and some can be as long as 180 days. I own an insurance brokerage here in Utah you may want to look into a carrier called Humana they are a good individual plan and you can carry them from state to state, a little advice if you can ever get on an individual plan than do that because you will never loose it as long as you pay the bill and this will never be a problem.

BLACKDODOGE

how can I get my wife on a new individual plan with a pre-existing condition. She has Kaiser Permanente HMO individual plan, but it is only in about 6-8 states. Thanks