Medical health insurance to cover from the gap of 9 month till medicare kick in!
Question:
Medical health insurance to cover from the gap of 9 month till medicare kick in?
I wanted to know if i can be covered for 9 months where i will not have any coverage,due to lay off from the job.in march/08 i will be 65 years and hope then medicare will kick in.my employer's health coverage is going to expire on june/30.
i am on ss income which puts me in a low income group that is less than ten thousand a year.i have no job and no extra income to cover my health insurance.I am very worried how to survive without any financial and medical support ,i am a widow too.being 64 years of age it is hard to get a job as i was doing for twenty years.
Iwill be thankful to any one who can guide me to get some extra financial help till i get a job,and health coverage till i am covered by medicare.
Answers:
Sorry you got laid off from your job! Yes getting health insurance is challenging for folks who are in your age group. (Actually it's challenging to anyone who has a pre-existing condition or is not under an employer health plan!) If it helps any, know that you are not alone!
Well, I am wondering why you will not have the option to buy into your company's health insurance through COBRA--the law that says that folks in your situation can remain on the company's plan for 18 months if they agree to pay for the cost of the insurance themselves. This may not solve your problem since you indicate that you are low-income, however, you might want to check on this.
Most Important: I would highly recommend that you contact your local Area Agency on Aging to get talk with "real people" and get some help with this question. Staff at your Area Agency on Aging. specialize in listening to seniors and caregivers and are great at problem-solving and cutting through red tape on questions like this one. Area Agency staff talk with seniors and caregivers every day--and answer lots of questions! These folks also know a lot about Medicare, SSI and other public benefits that are available to seniors. Since you are already on SSI, there may be an option for insurance in your state that the Area Agency on Aging folks would know about.. At any rate, if you make the connection now, when the time comes to make choices about Medicare, they would be there to provide information and insights about these insurance options.
Area Agencies on Aging are one of the best kept secrets around for older Americans and their families who are seeking information on Medicare and other kinds of consumer questions. There is one where you live, since this is a national network. You can call toll-free 1-800-677-1116 to find how to contact the Area Agency serving you. When you call your local Area Agency on Aging, ask for the staff who provides "Information and Assistance about insurance and Medicare."
It is important to know that Area Agencies on Aging are not selling any particular service, product or insurance plan. The information you will learn will be objective in this regard.
You should also know that Area Agencies on Aging have information and sponsor services available for older Americans and their caregivers. Your Area Agency on Aging would probably also know about connections to programs that help older job-seekers get jobs. Sometimes an Area Agency on Aging even sponsors this type of service. I know your focus is on insurance that you need, yet, connecting with your Area Agency on Aging will provide you with other helpful tools that you may find very helpful in the future--or may be of help to one of your older relatives, friends and neighbors.
If you do contact your local Area Agency on Aging and like the help that they give you, let your local county officials and your folks in Congress know. Area Agencies on Aging don't have big budgets--their funding comes from the Older Americans Act--and funding for most parts of this Act has not increased significantly in about 25 years! Your voluntary financial contribution of any amount--which is absolutely not required to get the help you need to answer this question--would certainly be appreciated and would be used to help your older friends and neighbors.
Hope this helps! Best wishes to you and good luck!