I took the ER. I was able to sign up for COBRA online at wage works.com
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Spoke to the vendor managing COBRA and was told packets were sent out Oct 20th.
I believe you should be careful on your timing for starting COBRA. Your Cisco medical ends the end of October if you took the ER. If you have started COBRA right away, you will be able to continue to use your existing medical card and claims will get sent directly to Cigna / UHC just as they are now. Claims will be paid just as they are now. If you delay starting COBRA until you have a claim, it will be covered retroactively, but I think you will have to pay put of pocket then claim reimbursement to get some money back.
Not a big deal if you don’t have any trouble, but a very big deal if you have a major medical issue.
Worth thinking about very carefully.
Cobra is retroactive to your last day of employment. If you need medical services before you get the Cobra forms, then sign up, you should be OK.
Newbie here...do we go to insurance companies directly to compare pricing? Thanks.
Unless you have a serious health condition (heart disease/diabetes/cancer) why not just keep your $19k and pay for medical care only when you need it?
Because it only takes a single accident to bankrupt you. I was in a vehicle accident back in '95. The emergency room, emergency surgeries, and a week's stay in the hospital cost over $77K back then. Due to a chest impact, my spleen was ruptured and had to be removed. They cut me open from groin to nipples to see where the internal bleeding was.
After 20+ years, I developed a hernia and had to have another urgent, unplanned for surgery to remove several inches of intestines and repair the hernia, then developed blood clots due to the surgery and had to have another two surgeries to put in an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter and then remove it 3 months later as part of the blood clotting treatments. That year's hospitalization, surgeries, etc. was over $200K that year. At $19K per year, for 10 yrs, that barely covers it and I'm sure we had medical expenses during those 10 years.
health insurance indeed ripoff in USA. my cobra for family of 3 is over $2300 cigna ppo. Even though i follow all best practices, health insurance is needed when hit with car accident, some freak accident like falling down, fracturing leg, hit with covid and need to be hospitalized. like car insurance. however safe we are, a drunken driver can smash all life long dream
Just got mine today.
Americans and insurance is a like a horse and a carriage. You can't have one without the other. Do you folks also have pee insurance just in case you can't pee?
My grandpa used to say "Man plans, God laughs".
You can also register and make payments online at their website if you don't want to wait for the hard copy package. When you register, your current elections will self populate the portal and each payment for the maximum 18 months coverage will be shown. You can choose to auto pay or even pay up to all 18 months in a lump sum if you wish. There does seem to be a price increase (for my family, it equates to $100/month) when the year turns in January so might want to check online to see what the costs will as long as you are on COBRA.
For people over 62 for two people , Kaiser quotes $1721, blue shield $2204 with $6000 deductible vs COBRA united health $1600 with $3500 deductible.
Older takes Cobra
Younger takes Obamara care
Paying $1600 a month for health insurance for 2 people is a ripoff. That's $19,200 a year. Unless you have a serious health condition (heart disease/diabetes/cancer) why not just keep your $19k and pay for medical care only when you need it? Eat a well balanced diet, exercise regularly, brush your teeth 3 times a day, avoid smoking anything, stop drinking and you wont have many of those lifestyle health related issues.
Cisco self insures, so remember that post ER/LR health care options offered by Cisco are revenue/profit generators that they do not mention to employees
COBRA is expensive, but if you are older it is quite a b–cheaper than unsubsidized Obamacare and provides better coverage. For the two of us, COBRA is $1,600/month (which includes a policy with a $500 deductible as well as dental and vision coverage). Obamacare is $2,400/month with a $14,000 deductible (no dental or vision).
You will receive COBRA information about two weeks after you are off the company's payroll. You have 60 days to elect coverage, which is retroactive.
For United healthcare did you buy from their website. Please let us know procedure
isn't ObamaCare cheaper than Cobra?
I received mine already. It came from Wageworks.
I decided to purchase my own coverage from United Healthcare at half the monthly COBRA cost. Just FYI.
You better shop around!! Cobra is so expensive!!!
We pay $1800 a month!! It’s crazy!!!