Hey y'all! I'm new to TuDiabetes. I joined because it looked like a good place to share and get information about diabetes. I'm from Texas. My name is Alton and my wife Kim and I are getting ready for our first child! I had a few things I was looking to get some advice on. I am looking at changing jobs soon and will need to get some kind of private insurance so there is no gap in coverage for my family. Has anyone tried to get private insurance for this reason and how was it on covering pump supplies ( I am on the MiniMed Paradigm)? Or is there another route, other than private insurance that would work better? Any advice or stories about your experience would really help me out. Thank you!!
Hi Alton,
Welcome to TuD! Congratulations on your baby. How exciting & wonderful.
Afraid I can’t answer your pump question, but there are many others here who can.
COBRA may be your only option…
We have thought about the COBRA insurance plan, but it seems when we call our current insurance company they will not give us any information on the COBRA plans available for us. Thank you for your reply.
Thank you, we are very excited and very close, just a few more weeks, my wife is due July 7th.
Very close! Just so you know, we’ll expecting lots of photos.
Your current employer should be able to tell you about COBRA, unless you can’t ask because they don’t know you’re leaving.
It has been my experience, and also what I hear from others, that it is EXTREMELY difficult, almost impossible, to get private insurance if you are a diabetic. That may vary from state to state, and I’m not sure what the current laws in Texas are, but I would plan on having to use COBRA. Also, try contacting your HR department about COBRA instead of your insurance company. It is my understanding that it is the legal responsibility of the employer to supply you with info about COBRA when you terminate your employment, so they should be in a better position to supply you with that info now. Also, just a heads up, COBRA can be very expensive.
I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, and sorry if that all sounds bleak! But until insurance companies are required by law not to deny you because of a preexisting condition (which doesn’t take effect until 2014), it will probably be hard to purchase a private insurance policy.
Good luck in your search, and congratulations on your first child!
Hi Alton,
Your current employer is required by law to allow you to stay on their group insurance plan for two years after you stop working there. You will have to pay full price for it, though, and that is usually pretty expensive. I think you need to talk with your employer about using the COBRA plan.
As far as private insurance…they probably won’t cover you. About two years ago after my COBRA was up, I tried to find private insurance. I tried to get coverage at about five different companies and was denied each time. I am from Missouri, and here there is a state program for people such as us, that can not find private insurance. There is probably a similar program in Texas. The way it works here is you have to prove you have been denied by three insurance companies and then you are eligable to be part of this state program that has plans set up with a private insurance company that is required to cover you. But that coverage was very expensive. COBRA is most likely going to be your best option.
Good Luck and congrats!!
In my experience, it is not possible to buy your own insurance with Type 1 diabetes, unfortunately. I cetainly tried in the past and was flat out denied, regardless of how much money I was willing to pay.
I would agree with others here that you should absolutely speak to your HR department about COBRA. It’s generally an expensive option, but when no amount of money can buy you any other insurance… it’s worth it.
It is critical as a diabetic in the US that you retain insurance coverage. Don’t leave a job and just let your insurance lapse just cause you want to save a few bucks, it will haunt you. Maintain your insurance, use the COBRA program and you will avoid having your diabetes held against you as a preexisting condition in the future. Even if you have crappy insurance coverage for your pump between jobs, keep the coverage. You don’t want to spend a year or two with all your diabetes expenses not covered. Please heed my words.
And I don’t think it is a problem getting private insurance necessarily as a T1, but private insurance is expensive and comes with a lot of restrictions. And there is usually poor coverage for diabetes.