Is My Health Insurance Being Dropped?

Earlier in the month, I received a call that my insurance would be changing as of 5/1 and it would no longer be on the plan that I have now. I was told information would be coming to me. I’m aware of what a busy time open enrollment can be. I also remembered having grabbed the bull by the horns when I was doing open enrollment as an HR Manager to make sure my COBRA people received their packets so they could re-enroll. But I did not receive anything in the mail. I still have not received anything in the mail and it’s April 25.

I waited until Monday, April 21, to email the corporate HR department, thanks to my former boss for giving me the email as I had no clue who to call or email and I had been told by someone recently that “oh they don’t do phone calls”. As it was at this late of the month, that would only give us 9 days until my coverage ended. I was trying to be patient. But as a retiree that is not yet eligible for medicare, I kinda needed to know if I needed to do research and find new insurance by 5/1. I mean, hello…. I’m well aware of what devastating coverage information would come if my insurance expired before having a new one – facing pre-existing conditions not being covered and/or higher than normal costs (above the already astronomical rates). This could be avoided if someone would at least let me know if I’m covered or not. (Hold that thought as I at least got that far.)

So I called the local HR department and was told that they would check into it and get with the corporate office. I also communicated with my former immediate boss, of what was going on. She gave me the email so I could send the first email. And she called my former big boss, that used to be the CFO. I’m not sure of current titles and positions with the new company. But she got back with me and said that she told him and he got involved and he called the corporate office to get it taken care of. (Thank you Mr. B! Your help is greatly appreciated. You have no idea how grateful I am that you made the call on my behalf.) This gave me some temporary relief. So I gave it a few days. That was Tuesday I think on April 22. I expected to hear something back by someone by end of day on Tuesday. Nope. Did not. I was told that people were traveling and busy. I get that but was hoping to get a quick email reply or text that said “it’s all being taken care of and what to expect”. No communication came. I thought maybe tomorrow then.

Wednesday came and I texted my former boss and said “I’ve not heard anything.” She said “I’m not seeing any more emails floating around either”. I replied, “I was hoping this would all go well.” Wednesday and Thursday came and went. Nothing. No communication still.

George and I have been coming up with our plan. I would knock my socks off today trying to get someone to talk to me to find out if I’m at least going to be covered or not and if no news, we’d have no choice but to start making phone calls and try to get an appointment ASAP early next week to sign papers elsewhere. I was concerned at the late date and can you even get an appointment with someone that quick. George kept saying that it would all work out – just be vigilant in trying to get it worked out through work but God would see it would all work out.

I prayed too….. but here I am over here wondering who to call for legal advice, maybe God wants me to call for legal help to get something going here and get someone’s attention. lol. It’s just a weird odd situation. In a normal circumstance I would not have been so worried. But since a change of company is concerned, as my employer was bought out the last week of my employment before being retired and I was on the insurance Cobra with the former company – there could be a glitch. Technically it does seem they would be responsible to cover me on Cobra since I was employed with them and they took me on, so to speak for a week at least. But I was feeling like I’d been dropped like a hot potato, or strung along til it was too late. I began growing angry and really had to work and……Let God. God has a big job with me. I really hate saying that because what is so big about God having to deal with someone who just wants things to go like they should?

I told George, “I would never leave someone hanging for a whole week like that, I always tried to get an answer the day of or within 24 hours”. Of course I’m also one that responded to all my emails and I understand that is a dying trend. I had emailed the corporate office as they don’t “do phones” and apparently they don’t do email either. I emailed a 2nd time yesterday and the corporate HR person has yet to respond. Hang on let me look again this morning to see if something came in. NOPE.

This morning George got an offer to come interview for a job. I laughed. He said he may have to go back to work to get insurance coverage for me. I’m like no, you don’t have to go back to work to pay for insurance, I’d be the one to have to go, but just know….I’m not, lol. So apparently he’s been worried about it too. We have investments but it’s not the time to be taking a lot out of it right now if we can keep from it since the stocks are doing poorly right now.

So this morning, I called and started with the local HR (I was prepared to email the CEO and any other names I could find at the corporate office as I was not going to give up until I had an answer. My quest campaign for info was going to take hours if an answer was not found and I would call everyone I could at both the corporate and local business I worked at. But today the local HR told me that it WAS BEING TAKEN CARE OF AND THAT I WOULD BE COVERED. Thus sparing my time this afternoon calling and emailing everyone, calling insurance boards, and legal advice, and signing on with another insurance. She saved me a lot of time today. She told me they were sending me the paperwork so I could make my selections. So that is good.

But I still don’t have anything in writing, and who knows how long the paperwork will take. I’ve asked if it could be expedited due to the 1st of the month approaching. An overnight package or scan it – you know use the technological advances we have today and be a kind citizen and take care of it and make up for the lack of it having not already been taken care of and me having to call and ask people to please do their jobs and send me the info.

I’m not trying to be mean here. This is just me on an island by myself (or maybe there are others too sitting on their islands waiting as well, I have no idea, lol). All I know is I want to be covered by 5/1 at 12:00 a.m. and I want to know what the coverage will be and it would be nice to know how much and where to send a payment. I’ve been told we’ll worry about that later that it’s ok to be late this month because of the change and I appreciate that.

So I’m hoping they will get the info to me so I can make my selections and then know what my coverage is going to be. So if I have an emergency on 5/1 George won’t be telling the hospital “I don’t have a clue”.

Yes, I do have anxiety sometimes over things. It’s because I have a vision and a mind’s eye to things. I’ve been trained by the very companies that I’ve worked for in this realm. I’ve been trained to look for upcoming possible snafu’s and to avoid them like the plague. So why not do that for myself? I have always had high expectations of myself and so I have high expectations from others.

I’m amazed at how a sense of urgency and customer service is no longer a part of our world. Although I do see that some companies, are having to send their staff out to learn it (customer service and hopefully sense of urgency) these days as I guess they don’t have anyone local in the company that can teach or mentor it, lol. I hope they taught them to be responsive in these expensive training sessions.

So the good news here is we think I’m going to be covered. I’ve been told that at least. As long as the info comes soon, we won’t have to go enroll in another insurance, or seek the insurance board, or legal advice or help.

I told my local HR person if they scan over the info today, I’ll go away. Otherwise I’ll likely call every day to ask where it is. She said it’s ok that she knows how I am. lol. How I am? No it didn’t make me mad. Maybe it should have but it didn’t. How am I?

Here’s how I am:

1. Trying to do what’s right and look out for myself to make sure I’m going to be covered.
2. Expecting for all to do jobs and timely.
3. Expecting to be covered by 5/1.

Yep that’s me. Just trying to be a normal retiree, hoping to not lose coverage and expecting what is rightfully theirs, to know what the coverage is, to be able to make appointments or be seen on 5/1 if needed. Yep that’s me, just over here asking for the moon to be delivered on time.

At least we’ve been told it’s coming. There is some element of relief. And I’ve documented this today – not only so you all can know what we are going through but it will be documented as well in case there is a hiccup or problem.

I’m trying to be patient. Imagine if I were not? I think what makes the IRE run through me is that if it were me, I’d have been like “yes, I’ll scan this over to you today so you can see the coverage” or “yes ma’am it’s being taken care of let me overnight the packet since we dropped the ball”. I mean how much time would that take?

But not everyone is me.